Doha, 29 July 2021 (QT)

Communication skills are important in both self-character development and career advancement, Dtm Rauf Shahzad has said. The passionate toastmaster who
was recently elected Division C Director, District 116 (Qatar), Toastmaster International (TMI), praised Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, who founded TMI in 1924 in
Santa Ana, California, USA.

Today, Toastmaster International, a non-profit educational organisation, has more than 357,000 members and approximately 16,600 clubs in 143 countries, he noted.

The toastmasters fraternity in Qatar is proudly celebrating it's 25th anniversary and has been the world’s top district for the last three years in a row. Qatar is designated as D116, Region 11, TMI.

Division 'C' recently formed Executive Committee for 2021-2022 is having 18 members - Rauf Shahzad, DTM (Division Director), Nisha Shivaram, DTM (Program Quality Director), Nirmila Raghuraman, DTM (Club Growth Director), Pradeep Kumar (Area 9, Director), Uttam Vaidya (Area 10, Director), Lornalyn Tallod (Area 11, Director), Zainab Mallol (Area 12, Director), Priyanka Kavle (PR Manager), Pramod Shetty (Admin Manager), Vimal Raj, DTM (Finance Manager), Arun Kumar (Logistics Manager), Ashraf Siddiqui (Print Media Manager), Victor Fumo (Speaker Bureau Chair), Aishwarya Nair (Social Media Manager), Ghulam Nabi (TLI Chair), Muhammad Tawackol (Arabic Affairs Chair), Manojkumar (Award Committee Chair), Uttam Vaidya (Gavels Coordinator).

The executive committee members serve a one year term beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

Rauf Shahzad, DTM, said his primary focus would be to support and assist his areas in retaining more than 90% of their club memberships, increasing new membership by 20%, establishing at least one new club in each area, and establishing at least 17 President Distinguished and Select/Distinguished clubs by March 2022.