Praveen Rikhy is the Chief Consultant at PR Square Consultants. Praveen has not only been a part of the genesis of the PR movement in India, but has actively spearheaded it to a large extent. She is today recognized among the top-ten PR professionals of the country. She founded and headed MelCole Public Relations, India’s first professional PR agency for over 15 years.
In her over 3 decade long career, Praveen has consulted major national and international Companies, brands, Governments and NGOs to enhance market reach, introduce revolutionary concepts, raise funds and awareness, and manage crisis.
Praveen started the first tech-practice in India and supported global companies like Seagate Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Novel , Tektronix, Brocade, MAIT etc. She also helped launch the first COMDEX event in the country and built it, year on year as the premier technology event of the region. She led the PR teams that supported HP India enterprise division (for over 5 years), HP- India Software Operations (for over 7 years), HP Labs (for 3 years), and helped plan and execute the launch of HP refocus “e-services” strategy in India.
She has also led the in country PR support teams for multinational companies like NYSE EURONEXT, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Samsonite, SAB Miller, Embraer, FedEx Expres, Trident Group, Voith AG, DuPont India, GPS Technology, AstraZeneca PLC, Pharmacia &Upjohn India, Dow Chemicals, Ansal Group of Companies, Rockwell International Corporation, to name a few.
At MelCole, Praveen also headed Brand Practice as well as Government Advocacy Group, supporting the governments of Singapore (through the Ministry of Communications and Information), Ontario, Canada (Ministry of Trade, Employment and Economic Development), Kenya (Ministry of Economic Development & Tourism), Kuwait (Embassy in India), Government of Tajikistan etc.
Praveen is now working with organizations to reinvent themselves to become customer centric with a view to ready themselves for the new age socio-economic environment.
Praveen is also, as part of her entrepreneurial ventures, a Director in Iterate Finishing School, PRemience, Qualified Hospitality and MJ Agency.
Prior to starting India’s first PR agency, Praveen worked with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry where she oversaw the running of six industry associations. She was Regional Head, North India for the Free Press Group of Publications and headed the Advertising Accreditation Operations for the Indian Newspaper Society.