WHEN THE JOURNEY FINDS YOU -Sakina Rangwala, Partner at Eztablish Design.

Some careers are planned. Others simply find you.

Not every career begins with a five-year plan. Sometimes, it begins with a natural instinct. A certain ease with people. The ability to connect, communicate and understand what makes a story worth telling. And sometimes, it takes a few unexpected turns before you realise that what came naturally to you was actually the foundation of your career.

For Sakina Rangwala, it happened exactly that way. Today, Sakina is a Partner at Eztablish Design, a boutique PR and events agency that works exclusively within the architecture and design fraternity.

With more than two decades in communication and public relations, she has built a career around people, perceptions, relationships and stories, working with some of the recognised names and institutions in the design and communication space. But there was no grand plan to get there.

“I was a people’s person,” Sakina says, recalling the early years. She knew she could draw energy from people, but didn't know how to channel that instinct into a profession.

Her first job at a furnishing studio gave her that direction. It was there that she began to understand what public relations was really about—the way communication creates perceptions, how brands reach people and how stories can influence the way something is seen. One experience led to another, and gradually, what began almost accidentally started becoming a profession. Interestingly, her academic and early professional journey had taken her in a completely different direction. A graduate of Jai Hind College, Sakina also completed her IATA qualification and worked for a year as a travel agent with Sound Travels. It was practical exposure, rather than a predetermined career path, that eventually brought her into communications. And perhaps that is one of the most interesting things about her story: she didn't wait to have everything figured out before she started moving.

Her association with St. Mary's School ICSE became another important turning point. Her son was a student there, and the school's annual festival, Immaculata, gave her the opportunity to work on PR and engage with the media. That experience eventually led to the school's 150th-year celebrations, where she worked alongside Madison CEO Paresh Chaudhry. Sakina remembers him not just as a professional association, but as a mentor who played an important role in shaping her career. Her work with Madison PR exposed her to clients across education, healthcare, fashion, lifestyle and other sectors, giving her the experience and confidence to understand communication at a much deeper level. But careers don't exist in isolation from life.

For Sakina, family has always been a priority. One of the most difficult periods came when her father suffered a paralytic stroke and was bedridden for eight years. Sakina moved from her in-laws' home to her father's house so she could take care of him. It was an emotionally challenging chapter. Yet, strangely enough, work became one of the things that gave her happiness during that time. She began working more, and the professional world became an outlet—a space where she could continue creating, connecting and feeling productive while navigating a deeply personal and difficult phase of life. Perhaps that is why Sakina doesn't describe her journey in terms of failures or setbacks. She talks about challenges. And more importantly, she talks about enjoying them.

That attitude eventually led her to Eztablish Design. Around eight or nine years ago, one of the partners approached her with an idea: to build an agency specifically for architects and designers, addressing a gap within the industry.

She was initially skeptical. The other partners were much younger, and Sakina found herself as the senior-most person in the group. It was unfamiliar territory, and taking that leap meant stepping outside what she already knew.

Her husband's advice was simple: give it a shot. She did. And that decision became another defining chapter of her journey.

Ask Sakina what has helped her stay relevant for more than two decades, and the answer isn't complicated.

Honesty.

Transparency.

Strategic Thinking.

And the willingness to keep learning.

PR may look glamorous from the outside, but Sakina believes the profession cannot lose its core values in the process. Being good with words matters. Knowing how to navigate people matters. But being honest with your work matters even more. And then there is adaptability. She began her career when print was the dominant medium. Today, communication happens across Instagram, YouTube and a constantly changing digital landscape. The tools have changed. The platforms have changed. The way people consume information has changed. So she changed with them. And continues to do so. For Sakina, staying relevant isn't about knowing everything. It is about remaining open enough to learn what you don't know. She also doesn't believe collaboration should come with ego. There is nothing wrong with saying, “I don't know.” There is nothing wrong with admitting that something isn't your strength.

In fact, she openly describes herself as technically challenged. While technology and documentation are an integral part of Eztablish Design's processes, she knows that this isn't where her natural strengths lie. Her partners complement that gap, just as she brings her own strengths to the table. That, to her, is what a partnership should look like—people accepting each other for what they are, and supporting each other where they aren't. There is another idea Sakina looks at differently: passion. “Passion alone is not enough,” she believes. Passion can be the starting point. But sometimes, you don't even know what you're passionate about until you start doing something. You begin. You learn. You get better. You start enjoying it.

And somewhere along the way, it becomes your passion. But passion also needs practicality. Financial stability matters. Commercial viability matters. A skill becomes truly valuable when you understand how to create value from it. Sakina learnt that lesson herself. In the early years, she worked extremely hard without necessarily making much money. She had to learn how to turn her skill into something commercially viable.

Mentors and partners helped her understand that journey, and over time she learnt the relationship between skill, value and financial reward. It was an important lesson: being good at something is one thing.

Understanding its value—and knowing how to build a career around that value—is another.

Her message to young professionals is equally grounded. She doesn't believe today's youth necessarily need to be told what career to choose. She feels they are already more focused and aware of the paths they want to pursue. What they do need, perhaps, is the willingness to keep learning. And improving. Every single day.

For anyone considering a career in PR and communication, Sakina believes the first job can be particularly important. It teaches discipline. It gives you an understanding of how workplaces function. It shows you how you are valued—and what you need to do to create that value. And ultimately, she says, you have to enjoy what you do. Because work comes with enough stress on its own. If you don't enjoy the work, the pressure only becomes heavier. After more than two decades in the business of communication, Sakina is still talking about learning. Still adapting. Still improving. Still finding something new in the work.

And perhaps that's what makes her journey interesting. It wasn't a straight line. It wasn't meticulously planned. It moved through travel, PR, family responsibilities, mentorship, unexpected opportunities, younger partners, changing technology and countless conversations. Yet each chapter added something to the next.

From a woman who knew she was good with people but didn't initially know where that ability belonged, Sakina Rangwala built a career by following the opportunities that came her way—and having the courage to evolve when they did. Her story is a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful careers aren't the ones you plan. They are the ones you grow into. And after more than two decades, Sakina is still doing exactly that—learning, adapting, connecting and finding new ways to make communication matter.