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Growing In Public Relations: Lessons From The Past

Article extracted from New Sunday Times:

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/SundayPeople/article/Personality/20090628091024/Article/index_htmlOn her own steam

VIMALA SENEVIRATNE

Shameem lives and breathes PR

Doyenne of public relations Shameem Abdul Jalil recently wrote a book for PR students and young practitioners. She shares with VIMALA SENEVIRATNE her experiences in the industry

SHAMEEM Abdul Jalil has come a long way — from a rookie public relations executive to the corporate communications and business liaison director of Public Investment Bank.

She shakes her head in amazement as she recalls her first job in 1980. Three months on the job, she boldly asked to have her UiTM diploma recognised as the equivalent of a general degree and her then boss agreed.

“That was my first PR adventure, to negotiate for my rights,” she says laughing. She was prepared for the worst probably-get-fired or a no.

“You cannot imagine my joy when the board agreed to it and better yet, they backdated the payment of salary difference. Just imagine, if I hadn’t taken the challenge of asking, I would certainly be much poorer today!”

She used that windfall as down-payment for a metallic blue Alfasud, her first car.

Penang-born Sahmeem, who has been in the PR industry for more than 25 years, is in her office at the 25th floor of Public Investment Bank building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The blinds on the wide expanse of window are pulled back, offering a clear view of the steel-and-glass Petronas Twin Towers. Sunlight floods the room.

A bookcase with lots of books on public relations sits in one corner, while on a chair are a stack of her just-published book, Growing In Public Relations – Lessons From The Past.

On a side table are several mementos as well as framed pictures taken with top dignitaries, all in the course of her work. She reaches across and picks up a particular framed photo – an obituary of her father published in a newspaper. There is a far away look on her face.

“I am very much my father’s daughter. I bonded with him as I stayed at home the longest – until Form Six. We were really a team, the two of us.”

It was from her father that Shameem, the third of four children, had her first lesson in PR. “He taught me to enjoy the meaning of face-to-face communication and to always speak from the heart while mama instilled in all of us the need to be strong inside.”

Shameem naturally moved towards PR as a career. “I have always enjoyed meeting people and, with two lawyers in the family, I became a very good listener – a trait that all PRs must have – because sister and brother did all the talking and I couldn’t get a word in between!” she says, laughing.

Older sister Shahrizat is the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the present Cabinet.

“It’s nice to have an older sister, sharing and doing things together but I am my own person.”

After graduating from UiTM in Mass Communication, the 52-year-old mother of three, one of whom is in his late teens, landed her first job as a public relations officer in Maybank. Eight years later she moved to Kumpulan Guthrie where she received a scholarship to pursue her masters degree.

Married by now, she quit her job to follow her husband (whom she met at a school dance event in Penang when she was 15) to England.

“For three years that Zin, my husband, was in university, I was a full time housewife and mother, roles I enjoyed as I could devote more time to my family, especially the children who were in their formative years.”

When she returned home, she joined Public Finance before she was absorbed by Public Bank.

Shameem who has served as president of the Council of the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) for five years from 2003, is grateful that her current employer encourages and supports her involvement in IPRM.

During her tenure, she introduced and chaired the Anugerah Kristal IPRM to select exemplary Malaysian PR projects and the PR Savvy CEO Award. In 2005, with the support of a distinguished privy council led by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, IPRM launched the first group of accredited PR practitioners in Malaysia.

“That was the best moment in my life as a PR practitioner,” she says with a satisfied smile. Shameem is now the chairman of the Asean Federation of Public Relations Organisations. Her book, Growing In Public Relations: Lessons From The Past is specially written for young practitioners and all communications and PR students.

She is currently pursuing a PhD at the International Islamic University Malaysia on the preferred tone of communication in Islam as viewed from practices in Malaysia.

“I have just finished the eight compulsory courses and am now doing the research... burning the midnight oil. I hope to get the first draft by the end of the year.”

Coming from a close-knit family, she keeps in touch with her siblings and her mum almost everyday, either through SMS or phone calls.

“Weekends are usually when we have our get-togethers.”

How does she cope holding down a demanding career, managing the household and her studies?

“It’s a juggling act. Seriously, if you put your mind to it, it can be done. I also know what my priorities are.”

Where does she see herself five or 10 years down the road? “Still practicing PR because it’s in my blood,” says Shameem who is also hoping that her daughter, married and settled in Australia, would make her a grandmother soon. “Now, that is something I’m looking forward to!”

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LATEST PUBLICATIONS!

IIUM Book Launch 2008

The IIUM Press, the publishing arm of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is pleased to announce that it has launched 42 books at the IIUM BOOK LAUNCH 2008.

The Guest of Honor, the President of IIUM, the Honorable Tan Sri Mohd. Sidek Hj. Hassan officiated the launch. The ceremony took place on the 19th of December at the Level 5, of the Banquet Hall, Central Complex, IIUM.

The publications launched covers an impressive range of subjects. They include books on accounting, the Islamization of knowledge, architecture, women’s studies, diplomacy, ethics of engineering education, inter-religious dialogue, psychology, Islamic civilization, Islamic scholars, media laws and ethics, the teaching of Arabic language, amongst others.

The publications launched also includes authors/scholars from outside of IIUM such as the United Kingdom, China, Uganda, Singapore and Brunei. Books that were collaborative efforts between IIUM and other universities/institutions/companies are: Guidance for Good Governance, Editors: Prof. Abdullah Al-Ahsan and Dr Stephen Young (between IIUM and Caux International Round Table, USA); Growing in Public Relations, by Shameem Abdul Jalil (between IIUM and the Public Bank); Strengthening Higher Education for a Successful Workforce, Editors: Dr. Munir Shuib, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shukran and Prof. Dr. Morshidi Sirat (between IIUM and USM); An Anthology of Essays on Integrating Islamic Values on Integrating Islamic Values in the Theory and Practice of Architecture and the Built Environment, Editors: Prof. Ismawi Hj. Zen, Ar. Datin Norwina Mohd Nawawi and Dr. Puteri Shireen Jahn Kassim and Thoughts on the Theory and Language of Architecture, Editors: Azaiddy Abdullah, Ar. Datin Norwina and Dr. Puteri Shireen Jahn Kassim (between IIUM and Yayasan Al-Bukhari and MPH Group Sdn Bhd).

The launch began with the recitation of the Quran. This was followed with the opening remarks from the Chairman of the IIUM Book Launch 2008 organizing committee, Dr. Anis Malik Thoha. After that, Dr Roger Zwanenberg, President and Commissioning Editor of Pluto Press, a London-based publisher gave an introduction of the Pluto Press and offered a few words of encouragement to the IIUM academic staff to publish at an international level. Pluto Press has a proud history of publishing the very best in progressive, critical thinking across politics and the social sciences. They are an independent company based in London, with a sales and marketing office in the United States and distribution rights throughout the world.

After Dr Zwanenberg’s speech, the President of IIUM, the Honorable Tan Sri Mohd. Sidek Hj. Hassan delivered his officiating speech and launched the books by touching a crystal ball which initiated a Multimedia Presentation.

This will be followed by the presentation of IIUM’s first commercialized product by IIUM researchers: ROTAS. ROTAS is a utility software, designed mainly for academic purposes, that lets a writer/researcher automatically or manually transliterate text from Arabic into English, using the writing-based model of the Arabic orthography. After that, there will be a powerpoint presentation of books written by IIUM academic staff that was published with outside publishers (locally and internationally).

Lastly, The Hon. Tan Sri, together with the Rector of IIUM, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Syed Arabi Idid presented certificates to authors of the newly launched books and royalties to authors of second editions of their books.