Crystal Golightly/ (@crysgolightly, LinkedIn), IIAR> Board member for Operations and Community Manager Deepak George (@deepacgeorge, LinkedIn) share their conversation with fellow IIAR> Member & Certified AR Professional, Ankit Holani (Linkedin) on his AR journey.
Ankit is really happy to be connected and part of our professional community. As a business marketer, the IIAR> provides him with additional resources that compliments his overall marketing background. Ankit has more than a decade experience of working with leading IT giants where majority of his portfolio was managing and leading Business Marketing and Analyst Relations initiatives.
How long have you been in Analyst Relations?
Five plus years. Most recently he was with Birlasoft where he managed the Analyst relationship end-to-end globally and took it to the next level.
When did you join the IIAR>?
Ankit joined the IIAR> in January 2021 and wanted to take up a certification test, and the IIAR> was the first community that came to his mind. The certification highlighted and validated his experience in this domain.
Crystal took up the IIAR> AR certification after 10 years in AR.
I have heard from many AR folks that they were really looking for more AR community during the pandemic, did this also influence your decision to join the IIAR>?
To an extent, yes. But this was not the only driver. AR which was such a niche community 3 years before has gained a lot of visibility and I believe it is all about relationship game no matter where you go, who you represent.
Organisations today are looking for people with certain years of AR experience and the IIAR> certification compliments the experience.
Completing the certification within a few months of joining the IIAR, what drove the enthusiasm?
Being in the AR industry, there are only a few organisations that offer certification and IIAR> stands the most reputed. The IIAR> certification tested the understanding of the role, and required an in depth understanding of the function
Ankit also shared his enthusiasm to complete the next two levels certification, the IIAR> Certified Expert and finally becoming IIAR> Certified Fellow.
Do you have a favourite AR moment?
25+ Analysts and Advisors on the same screen! That was an amazing moment when we had our first-of-its-kind virtual Analyst and Advisor Day at Birlasoft. The ‘aha moment’ was to have an audience of more than 60, though.
Do you think it was easier to connect with analysts with the virtual set-up?
Yes, pre-covid the expectation was to meet with an Analyst F2F. Virtual setups eased the efforts to set up regular meetings with Analysts. But of course as this function requires more face time, in-person meetings are always preferred and much more impactful.
I guess we can thank our collective adaptation to the virtual working model for this opportunity to meet since this was our first time meeting. Thank you for sharing and being a valued member in the IIAR>
Watch the video recording here.
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