Since 2003 Poorna has dedicated her career to journalism, having since worked with some of the largest publications worldwide. She started working as an editor on the largest Asian magazine in Britain, Asiana back in 2003. She then worked as Commissioning Editor at The London Paper and Launch Features Editor for Grazia India. Poorna has also worked for broadcasting giants BBC and MSN, contributing to the BBC Asian Network and acting as the Senior Travel Editor of MSN UK. In 2013 she was appointed in her biggest editorial role, joining HuffPost as their Executive Editor and Global Lifestyle Head. Her tenure at HuffPost was highly influential, pioneering masses of positive change.
Whilst working for HuffPost Poorna was responsible for the reworking of the Lifestyle section. She spearheaded several new projects for the publication, in particular, All Women Everywhere and Building Modern Men developing a platform for diverse voices across the globe. A job which demands quick thinking, Poorna is an expert in delivering under pressurised environments and meeting tight deadlines. Poorna was also able to establish the first internal women’s group, pushing her passion for female empowerment and resulting in the first mentoring scheme at HuffPost. Poorna now works as a freelance journalist writing for countless publications across a variety of mediums.
Poorna is also an esteemed author, utilising her platforms as a medium to bring awareness to various topical subjects. Most prominently, Poorna is an advocate for mental health and raising awareness of its importance. In 2015 Poorna’s husband, Rob, unfortunately took his own life after suffering from depression. In her proficiency as an author, Poorna wrote the book Chase the Rainbow which explores the taboo subject of mental health in a non-judgemental manner. She also wrote In Search of Silence, another book removing the stigma when talking about mental health and exploring the grief which surrounds death. Throughout her career Poorna has pushed the importance of understanding mental health issues, making sure that people tap into their own mental and physical health.
Now highly sought-after as a RADA trained public speaker, Poorna has delivered to countless corporate clients and individuals worldwide. Keynotes, moderating panels, seminars or workshops- there is nothing that Poorna can’t deliver. Previously she has spoken at some of the largest summits and conferences, with the Ministerial Mental Health Summit, Diversity In Media and Advertising Summit and the Wellbeing at Work Conference to name a few. Companies such as Specsavers, Spotify and Twitter have been fortunate to have Poorna speak for them, enlightening corporate audiences on mental health, resilience, growth and empowerment. Eloquent and confident in her speaking, Poorna is highly regarded as an industry-leading professional championing diversity, inclusion and awareness of pivotal causes.
