Raveena Desai
Toronto
Summary
Communications professional with expertise in global media strategy, thought leadership, and data-led storytelling. Skilled at shaping complex ideas into clear, impactful narratives while fostering strong relationships with media, stakeholders, and executive leadership. Brings diverse experience across education, technology, energy, hospitality, and consumer sectors in both agency and in-house roles.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager Public Relations
ApplyBoard
01.2022 - Current
- Global Media Strategy: Led ApplyBoard’s global media strategy, securing coverage in 37 countries and driving a 50% YoY increase in total media coverage.
- Thought Leadership: Increased thought leadership coverage by 200%+ and Tier 1 coverage by 64%; achieved 60% share of voice and 5.56B impressions in 2024 (2.23B in 2025 YTD).
- Reputation Management: Achieved 97% positive ApplyBoard coverage across key source markets, significantly strengthening brand trust and visibility.
- Campaign Execution: Executed storytelling and media strategy for the International Alumni of Impact campaign, earning 50+ media hits in 4 countries and 6 languages.
- Data-Led Communications: Drove media coverage for ApplyInsights, resulting in 450+ stories with 1.45B reach; 238% YoY story growth and 145% increase in impressions.
- Executive Visibility: Secured high-impact media and speaking appearances for executives (TED Talk, Collision, Elevate), overseeing logistics and prep.
- International Market PR: Led India PR strategy, managing local agency and outreach, delivering a 28% YoY increase in Tier 1 national/regional coverage and 60% growth in Indian media.
Communications and Partnership Associate (Co-op)
Solar Panda
09.2021 - 12.2021
- Strategic Communications Planning: Led the PR function by developing and executing monthly, quarterly, and annual communication plans.
- Executive Positioning: Positioned the CEO and COO as thought leaders in the energy sector across Canada, the U.S., and Africa by crafting compelling pitches and securing profile coverage in leading trade media.
- Digital Strategy: Developed and implemented social media strategies that increased the company’s followers by 100% and unique website visitors within one month.
- Market Intelligence: Monitored industry trends, created reports, and maintained internal communications records to inform strategy.
- Media Relations: Drafted press releases, articles, and media pitches, resulting in earned coverage across top trade outlets in North America and Africa.
Social Media Executive (Internship)
Orbit5
04.2020 - 09.2021
- Audience Growth: Boosted audience reach by over 100% through strategic video and content creation, leading to a 30% increase in followers within three months.
- Content Development: Supported the marketing team in producing high-quality assets (web content, campaign collateral, emails, graphics, and videos), which doubled webinar attendance and engagement.
- Social Media Management: Managed Orbit5’s social presence across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, strengthening brand engagement across platforms.
PR Consultant
Moe's Art
03.2018 - 09.2019
- Business Development: Acquired new clients worth $7K by performing business development pitches.
- Influencer Marketing: Increased the channel’s viewership by independently managing influencer engagement and securing organic collaborations, resulting in a cost saving of $98,000."
- Media Relations: Created press releases, authored articles, listing notes, and pitched story ideas to the media, resulting in more than 500 exclusive articles and over 5,000 mentions across media.
- Campaign Execution: Executed PR campaigns for top brands (JW Marriott, Sony YAY!, Disney+ Hotstar, and Crossword), boosting client sales through expanded earned media presence.
- Brand Visibility & Analytics: Increased brand awareness and sales by 25% through arranging interviews, speaker opportunities, and brand collaborations with media outlets. Prepared daily industry insights, media monitoring reports, and competitive analysis to guide communication strategies and showcase campaign reach and ROI.
PR Associate
Ketchum Sampark Pvt Ltd
01.2016 - 11.2017
- Thought Leadership Positioning: Led the development of media pitches and editorial content to position spokespersons as thought leaders in the B2B tech space for clients such as Capgemini, SAS, and Tata Communications Payment Solutions.
- PR Planning and Execution: Managed traditional and digital PR activities, including regular PR planning based on client briefs. Responsible for ongoing planning, reporting, and media relations efforts to demonstrate the impact of PR campaigns to clients.
- Business Development and Market Analysis: Led business development efforts by conducting comprehensive market research, competitive analysis, and client assessments to develop tailored pitch decks for new clients. This strategy resulted in a 100% client onboarding rate and full acceptance of recommendations from the analysis.
PR Operations Assistant
Direct Information (Directi)
01.2016 - 11.2017
- Press Conference & Media Engagement: Organized a successful press conference in India, engaging leading journalists and generating 1,000+ media clips, reaching over 1 million people.
- Event Planning & Execution: Planned and executed marketing and technology-focused events, including an international hackathon.
- CSR Leadership: Led the CSR department, overseeing the planning and execution of corporate social responsibility
- Market Research & PR Strategy: Conducted market research and analysis to stay updated on industry trends, while planning and executing PR activities, including monthly, quarterly, and annual PR strategies, to drive brand visibility and impact.
Education
Post-graduate Diploma - Marketing Management and Financial Services
George Brown College
12.2021
Post-graduate Diploma - Public Relations and Corporate Communications
Kishinchand Chellaram College
03.2017
Skills
- Communications strategy & planning
- Key message development
- Press release development
- Media relations - research and outreach
- Media Training
- Media monitoring - Meltwater & Cision
- Data analysis and data visualization
- Proficiency in Generative AI's
- Writing - Opinion Pieces
- Writing - Authored Articles
- Writing - business
- Writing - creative
- Writing - media
- Proficient in Canadian Press style
- Influencer marketing
- Stakeholder management
- Crisis communications
- Microsoft Office
- 365 including SharePoint
- Project management
- Design & Video editing - CANVA
- Storytelling
Languages
English
Full Professional
Hindi
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Manager Public Relations
ApplyBoard
01.2022 - Current
Communications and Partnership Associate (Co-op)
Solar Panda
09.2021 - 12.2021
Social Media Executive (Internship)
Orbit5
04.2020 - 09.2021
PR Consultant
Moe's Art
03.2018 - 09.2019
PR Associate
Ketchum Sampark Pvt Ltd
01.2016 - 11.2017
PR Operations Assistant
Direct Information (Directi)
01.2016 - 11.2017
Post-graduate Diploma - Public Relations and Corporate Communications
Kishinchand Chellaram College
Post-graduate Diploma - Marketing Management and Financial Services
George Brown College
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