Thank you PR Wire

Ashan Kumar, remember having a chat over coffee ☕, talking about PR, what it is and an insightful discussion on where it is moving towards. A few months later I was a part of your Wire Family. Thanks to you and Krishanthi for taking me in as a newbie to PR and making way for most of what I am as a PR Professional today.

Weeks after I handed over my resignation too,
It still feels surreal, the humble chairman, amazing bosses and great colleagues have made my experience at Wire something that I would cherish forever.
Nearly 2 years back, I left a Bank to join a startup consultancy mid-pandemic. It didn’t seem like the best thing one would be doing. But several months later, it has been amongst the best decisions I’ve made so far.

My building blocks of Public Relations were at Communique PR (an independent PR arm of the Wire Group), I remember sitting in front of my laptop early from 7 am onwards excited to be a part of the journey. Only to find myself having to stare without actually knowing what I was doing. A few days in, I was taught monitoring, then reporting and then analyzing. A few weeks in, I was writing press releases for brands, Later I was offered the opportunity to be a part of the major planning and strategic planning discussions. A few months in. I was offered the opportunity to manage some key accounts (retainer and ad-hoc).
A year later after that, here I was at PR Wire working with the top brands of the World for some super interesting campaigns.

I’m beyond humbled and thankful to the amazing people who have moulded me into who I am today.
While this post wouldn’t do justice, I am mentioning those who I am especially thankful for.
Krishanthi, our first call when I was on the way to Colombo in the bus – early in the morning. From that call itself, I felt the passion and supportive instincts you have towards the company and its people. Our time zones were different. But you always made time to accommodate your schedules to suit ours. Your emphasis on sustainability have me new perspectives. Thanks for creating this culture.

Anjuu, my last manager at PR Wire, coming in from CPR, the environment, brands and my job role was different from what was expected of me previously. Huge thank you for helping me adapt to the role while teaching me everything later on.

Lakshani, to my first guru who later turned teammate. From having to teach my monitoring and reporting virtually to having to keep up with my questions. Thanks for being one of my best friends at work. Thank you for everything.

Maria, even though it’s been only a few months of working together – it seems so much more, probably due to the amount of work we did together and the magnitude of support you have projected during the time. Thanks for always being there.

Mandakini, Thanks for all the support beyond just HR functions. Thank you for coping with everything. Always admired your genuine urge for skill and talent development within the company.

Rosh, even though we technically worked together for just a few months, always thankful for your insights and experience-sharing sessions even after that.

Nipuni, from strategy to work matters to even matters related to personal progression. Thank you for your advice.

Dominic, as hard as it was to get in touch with you amidst your calls, you were always there to support me whenever possible. I came to you not just with regards to client work, but to have discussions on the different industries, companies and competitors.

Hansi – technically my first manager at Communique PR, but then we didn’t necessarily work a lot together until my tenure at PR Wire. I’ve had the liberty of learning a lot from your campaigns and your reputation management projects. Thank you

Kavinthan, a fellow tweep who I was having a chat with about PR and Comms, helped me understand the then aspect of Tamil media relations. It was a mild shock for both of us to meet in person as colleagues- unexpected but worth it.

Imesha, while we have been knowing each other at work for close to two years, I only got to work with you in the last 6 months, I have to say that I especially admired your work ethic and personality. You have some great ideas and would love to see you learn to bring them out.

Dilshani, Thank you for everything. from being a great colleague at work to a friend away from work. You were always supportive every single time.

Randy, from late-night followups to pushing you on a tight deadline, as bad as I felt to keep you on your toes, you taught me the importance of delivery no matter what. Thanks for building the trust of being able to count on you. I know that I tend to message – sorry to disturb (cuz it was disturbing you – it was sometimes literally the middle of the night – and you would always say, that there is nothing to be sorry about)

Praneeth, even though we were in two different companies, in the beginning, we have always had the liberty of working together on cross projects. Amazed by the impact you have on the community and the leadership qualities you possess. All the best bro.

Druvinika, content – as much as it is a buzzword, thank you for helping me bridge the gaps and understand it better. Our talks would start with some client work and go beyond – but it was worth it. Thanks for everything.

Lashen – from boards to processes, there was a lot that I learned professionally, moreover thanks for being there to actually help me refine my design skills and also go beyond to nurture some of them.

Joseph, the insightful living encyclopedia. Always offering the best insights on the topics. Moreover humble enough to learn everyday

Rayhan, one of the rising stars I see within the organization. Was specially happy to see how you managed so much of work and ensured you delivered to your best. A great project manager and a strategic thinker. Thanks for coping up with me.

Upekshi, you are amongst those humble individuals, remembering how you would learn the skills and processes required quickly. I know I would have been a pain, but you did great. Now you hold the baton to Sinhala media relations in the company

Imasha – the first one to the office, the finance head – sorry for pushing you on odd days, I still remember the day that you were off work, but we had to work on some estimates hurriedly.

Shehara, we didn’t necessarily work together a lot, but was always fond of the way you were trying to redefine Diversity and Inclusion in the company and amongst other companies in Sri Lanka.

Supun, amidst my annoying calls and messaging requesting open opportunities and the latest rates, thanks for accommodating it all. Even though we didn’t work on several projects together, we indeed got together as our tables were across (obviously) Amarabandu – stayed for some time.

Menuri -we haven’t worked on any project together or been a part of the same team, but super elated to have a friend like you.

Jamien, we haven’t worked together a lot, but we did have a lot of casual chats, very insightful ones.

Kasun – the Go to guy for Sinhala Media Relations. You showed me first-hand what media relations is really about.

Shafraz, thanks for always being there to accommodate all monitoring requirements – anytime!

Lakshini, is the go-to person for finance work. I remember that you were once attending to urgent work early in the morning too. You were always calm and composed – and supportive.

Andrea – we worked together on several projects, the CSR initiative of the phone brand being one of its finest. Especially because we were busy managing our own set of brands – we didn’t necessarily get to work together a lot. Thanks for being supportive.

Fallon, I got to work with you only on a few projects but you were always attentive and supportive whenever possible

Sam, it was nice getting to know you, it’s so unfortunate the real project that we worked on together was my last one. Thankful for everything.

Krishna, thank you for attending to all my technical and IT needs from across the World

Oshadi, from reminders to friendly messages. Our conversations had it all

Terin, I remember the time you consoled me when I was going through some tough days. That was 8 months ago. Really thankful for that.

Lakmal, every time you call me, I’m in some meeting or caught up with work. But thank you for understanding and being accommodating with all the IT requirements.

Sohan, You are indeed one talented chap. It was nice working with you too.

Kaushalya, never worked with you, but I can see the eagerness you have to uplift the team and the company. All the best

Rishanya, We were in parellel teams, but never worked together. Thanks for being kind enough to support when required.

Lasitha, got to actually know you a few months back, but you have been quite supportive