\nPlease see the interview with Keti Zhvania \u2013 PR & Digital Marketing Manager at EFES Georgia<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
First, please tell us about your success story, what stages have you gone through, what difficulties were there and what stage are you at now?<\/strong><\/p>\n
First of all, thank you very much for the interview. I think I still have a lot to do. To briefly tell about my career, I started working in my profession at the age of 19, and since then I have worked on many interesting jobs. I have 16 years of work experience and during this period I have worked in both private companies and non-governmental and public sectors. My work experience includes the following areas: public relations (PR), digital communications, corporate social responsibility (CSR), project management, editorial work, copywriting, etc.<\/p>\n
I think that it is almost impossible to achieve success without overcoming difficulties. Of course, there are exceptions, but to a greater or lesser extent, we all have to overcome various difficulties or challenges. I have also had some challenges that have taught me a lot and helped me grow. Also, I think I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve worked with a lot of professionals and good people. I learned a lot from them. Also, I will always remember the people who saw potential in me and gave me a chance or helped me develop.<\/p>\n
What was the biggest challenge on your career path, an obstacle that seemed insurmountable at first, but you were able to overcome it anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Public relations (PR) is a relatively new field in Georgia. Mostly wrong information about this profession created challenges. I often had to explain the function of a public relations specialist. I used to see a lot of surprise when I told that the main job of a public relations specialist is planning, calculating risks, writing, etc. It is not enough for this profession to just talk or communicate with various stakeholders. Often a PR specialist was involved in a press spokesperson or a brand ambassador. These misconceptions led to the fact that non-professionals were often employed in this field (because it was perceived as if this field was easy or did not require specific knowledge). I am glad that nowadays there is more information in this regard. As for coping, I had several ways of dealing with this challenge. Basically, I tried to explain\/show to as many people as possible what the functions and duties of a public relations specialist actually are. Also, I would add that both digital communications and corporate social responsibility are quite new fields in Georgia, and I am trying to bring more information to different groups in these areas. However, these areas are also developing very quickly and we already have quite a few professionals, which makes me very happy.<\/p>\n
What is your main motivation to keep moving forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n
First of all, I would like to say that I love my profession, which involves interacting with people and, therefore, very interesting stories and cases. I think that’s exactly what motivates me, that I love what I do, and also, because things are changing so fast both in the digital world and in the fields of public relations and corporate responsibility, I can’t afford to be bored. Also, I would like to emphasize that corporate social responsibility gives us the chance to do many important things for both society and the environment. When I see real results (even if one person is helped by what we do), I get more and more motivated, and I think that I am not an exception in this regard, and everyone is like that.<\/p>\n
Tell us about your current activities in Efes Georgia, what position and direction you work in, and in a few words, tell us about your future plans.<\/strong><\/p>\n
I have been working in “Efes Georgia” for 4 years. I am a public relations and digital communications manager. Also, I work in the direction of corporate social responsibility. I would especially like to mention the corporate responsibility projects of “Efes Georgia” in various directions (community support, environmental protection, etc.). I am proud to be a part of these important things and we will definitely continue to work in this direction in the future.<\/p>\n
As we know, you are the head of ICC Georgia’s CSR Committee. What activities and projects do you carry out within the framework of this committee and do you plan to implement any initiatives in the near future?<\/strong><\/p>\n
The goal of the ICC Georgia CSR Committee is to support sustainable and important CSR projects in Georgia. We try to help CSR committee member companies to introduce and\/or strengthen their corporate responsibility direction. In the near future, we plan to implement projects together with various committees of ICC Georgia. Also, the CSR Committee will be involved in new initiatives and platforms that contribute to the development of corporate responsibility in the country.<\/p>\n
Finally, limiting ourselves to the traditional question, what would you advise aspiring professionals and young people who are now taking their first career steps?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I think everyone has their own individual path, but what I can say is don’t be afraid to not know something and don’t hold back from asking questions because of it. In my opinion, professionals stand out precisely because they constantly ask questions and develop.<\/p>\n
I wish budding professionals success and interesting work.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>