Elina Kazan is a seasoned communications professional who has spent the last few decades in the world of retail, fashion, beauty, and branded entertainment. She is currently the Head of Communications at the Fragrance Foundation and leads communication and content development.

Kazan has been a member of NYWICI for years now, and her varied experiences speak to the constantly shifting landscape of PR and communications. Having worked so many roles, Kazan brings a proactive and sensible approach to her work that clearly shows in her voice. A lifelong learner, she is always looking for ways to learn and grow. She’s paved quite the path for herself, and now she hopes to help many young women do the same.

Did you always want to work in communications or did you fall into this line of work by chance?

I’ve always had a creative streak. I’ve always enjoyed the publicity side, and I came into the world of communications through PR. It was creative and glamorous. It was a lot of fun. I wanted to see how news came to be on television or in print.

I’m a first-generation, so I was the first one born here when my family immigrated here, and I always took language very, very seriously, especially the spoken word. Even though I was born here, I learned English when I went to school, and I learned it via Sesame Street. So it was really important for me to make sure that I was able to string a sentence together. I was very intentional with words and language, so I guess that maybe stuck with me, and the road I got into is via publicity. And that love of language served me as I wrote releases, speeches, and scripts behind-the-scenes as well as corporate statements, eventually leading me to be a corporate spokesperson and working crisis comms for a Fortune 500 company.

The field of communications has been a hot topic for many young adults building a career. Having spent so much time in the space, what would you say are the characteristics of people who succeed?

You have to have agility. You have to have resiliency, because you’re going to go through a lot internally at your company and externally, and I think you have to be open to a lot. When I started, I studied advertising, journalism, and mass communications. The PR part excited me, so I went into fashion PR, and I loved writing press releases and working on photo shoots. The key thing was that I was always looking for opportunities. Opportunities to learn and grow because it can always open so many doors. I started with one thing, but I didn’t stop there. So, I think what makes a person successful is to see how all the moving parts are interrelated and how they can connect the dots. Especially in a space like PR, marketing, and communications, the landscape is always shifting, evolving into new business models, formats, and platforms. You have to welcome the change. It teaches you what you like. What you didn’t know was possible. You have to have passion – that never really leaves you.

A major problem that many students face today is having experience (internships, co-ops, projects, etc) before entering the workforce. Do you have any recommendations for how students can build experience outside of the traditional methods?

I think volunteering is a great avenue. Putting yourself out there in places that you normally wouldn’t be in can create opportunities and connections. You also develop different skill sets, and I think that’s an important thing. It’s not always the mechanical tasks or bullets in a job description like writing a press release or putting a statement together. Volunteering allows you to test different roles and gain transferable skills. Opportunities don’t always come to you the traditional way. You have to create them.

In my journey, I thought that all I wanted to do was fashion PR, and I did for a few years. And that’s how I got hired at Macy’s, where I spent the majority of my professional life. But I did not box myself in. Opportunity presented itself because the company was growing, communications was changing, journalism was changing, etc. We were shifting from traditional media to online media and getting into e-commerce. And I continued to change with that. The more I learned and put myself in rooms, the more projects I took on and the more I grew. The role may not be the one you originally signed up for or thought that this is what you wanted, but you are still learning and growing, and that’s what you have to follow.

The world of PR and communications can be very loud and noisy sometimes. How do you keep yourself grounded and focused?

I think you have to remember the basics and trust your own gut instincts. I’ve been through so many different media, business, and economic cycles, and I know that everybody wants to go after the shiny new penny at first. The world is constantly changing and growing, but you have to always ask yourself what’s the real story and what’s the best way to tell it.

Sometimes you just have to stick to the fundamentals to clear out all of that noise around you, because you are going to be constantly tempted with new platforms and players. You are going to be constantly tempted to open something, and because of the ability of AI to create and manufacture, you need to sharpen your own senses. Your gut is going to tell you if something is real or not. So trust yourself, and the noise will fade away. This comes with time and varied experiences.

What would you say is the importance of organizations like NYWICI?

I think the beauty of NYWICI is that they welcome women at all stages. Whether they’re students, they’re career transitioners, they’re C-suite, etc. That’s its beauty, where it can remain relevant to all of them. No matter how long you’ve been in the business, or if you were just starting, we all go through our ebbs and flows, and NYWICI has always been there – championing women in communications. It’s a sisterhood; there’s camaraderie and a shared passion in what we do truly, because we take care of each other. The organization offers so many tools and resources to help everyone stay in touch with the industry and learn. It’s not an organization that rests on its laurels; it moves with what’s going on in the real world and creates a space to tackle what’s coming. Take AI, for instance, which has shaken up everyone and every aspect of the business. NYWICI hosted an incredible panel with the leaders in the industry to give women in communications an inside look at AI so that people can learn to work with it and understand it rather than fear it.

How has NYWICI supported your growth professionally and also personally?

I joined over a decade ago, and I have had my membership on and off. I fell in love with the organization. I was amazed by all the dynamic women that the organization honors at the Matrix Awards and brings together at so many events. I love their commitment to education and the next generation of comms leaders. Being in an organization that allowed me to even be in the same rooms as the women who shaped the narrative of this industry has been an incredible journey. Especially when I was newly starting, these were women I looked up to, and NYWICI made them feel so much closer. You feel like you belong, that you’ve arrived, that you are welcome. I felt connected. Not every organization makes you feel that way. The passion that these women have for their work and this organization really carries through. You feel that energy and it’s empowering.

This is an organization that also understands the chapters in life. After I left Macy’s, much of my professional identity was tied to a role that grew over 20 years at one of the most exciting times in media and retail that was shifting from a physical to a digital world. I basically grew up there. But after, where do I go and take all that I have learned to the next level? And that’s where NYWICI came in for me. I met so many incredible women from different walks of life and from all parts of the comms world. And it’s a great feeling to know that you’re not the only one navigating new roads. Once a chapter finishes, there’s always another.

How do you hope to give back to or shape the next generation of communicators in your current role as the Head of Communication at The Fragrance Foundation?

In my role at The Fragrance Foundation, I am bringing a lot of that insight from traditional media to the mix, and an understanding of the news cycle and the importance of the news source. Especially in today’s media landscape, you have to know what’s news, what’s pure promotion, what makes a good story, and what’s manufactured. You’re not going to succeed if you don’t stay relevant. And with that, you also have to be a smart marketer. Having a full picture point of view is key, and that is what I’m trying to pass on. Don’t just focus on one lane. Keep your eyes on the entire highway. What are all the other lanes doing? Does it work? Is there a traffic jam somewhere? Do you need to exit off of something where it doesn’t make any sense? Basically, make sure that at the end of the day you tell the story you want to tell and have it reach the people you want to reach.