Paras Fatnani studied the MA Marketing Communications programme at Westminster Business School, graduated in 2009 and is now using his knowledge to help make a difference in the world.
He is an ambassador for India at One Young World, often nicknamed the ‘Junior Davos’. One Young World (OYW) is a London based non-profit that organizes the One Young World Summit which brings young leaders from over 194 countries together to try and improve lives in their home countries. At the last OYW Summit in Pittsburgh, USA, Paras spoke in the Health Plenary promoting the concept of equal opportunities for all – including the underprivileged and what tomorrow’s leaders could do to help.
Counsellors and speakers at this summit included President Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof, Muhammad Yunus, Jamie Oliver, Arianna Huffington, Jack Dorsey, Anthony Jenkings, Fatima Bhutto amongst many other prominent global leaders.
Prior to the 2012 Summit, Paras also met with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron at 10 Downing Street to discuss pressing issues for today’s generation like youth unemployment and the role of the youth to create a better future.
One of the main projects Paras is involved with is called Project Chirag (meaning ‘lamp/light’ in Hindi), a youth driven rural development initiative which in less than two years, has provided solar lighting to over 126 villages in India, impacting more than 25,000 people as of January 2013.
Paras uses his skills and time to encourage people to come together and help make a difference in their communities.
“I want people to feel more responsible for society; they can bring about a huge change if they just think a bit more about people and the world around them”
Paras is Global Ambassador for the solar lighting project, while also working at his main job as Marketing Manager for the UK, India & Middle East region at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a world leading education and careers network.
“I focus on developing key partnerships and creating integrated marketing campaigns for all our events, publications and the entire QS portfolio in my region,” he says. “I also consult universities and Business Schools in India to recruit international students and improve their national and international reputation.”
Paras had previously studied commerce and business management, and was pursuing a career in events management, but he wanted to expand his knowledge into marketing.
“I wanted to get a more holistic view of the marketing communications space since brand building is a part of building every business,” he says.
“The course made me more analytical and improved my networking skills and definitely led me to the right career opportunities. It made me believe in my goals and also drove me to achieve higher.”
Paras says that studying at Westminster was one of the best years of his life, and he thoroughly enjoyed the team work aspect of the course. “The course has improved my inter-personal and public speaking skills, invariably helping me become a better orator as well as a better leader.”
“I made friends from around the world and a lot of the people from the course are now a part of my global professional network as well,” he continues.
“I would highly recommend a Masters programme to anyone who wishes to get a deeper insight into any particular subject. But choose wisely and speak to or meet the business school representative wherever possible. Get an idea of the program from the alumni of that particular course too,” he advises.
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