How did you make the transition from a mid to senior level position?
This is a sorry tale. Unfortunately, I hit a glass ceiling and employed the work around that many female leaders do – I started my own business.
Frustratingly this route is still often the only one open to women at a certain point in their careers – and it can collide with family ambitions and child-rearing duties. The systemic barriers behind this persistent issue are cultural, structural and societal and need dismantling. Happily for me, it worked out and I’ve been able to enjoy a number of senior level positions since.
What do you love about your role?
Being interim CEO of the PRCA is a huge privilege. The role involves advocating for the industry on a global basis, ensuring government, policymakers and business leaders recognise PR and public affairs’ vital social and economic impact. As the home for ambitious practitioners, agencies and corporate / in-house teams seeking growth and excellence, it gives me a real buzz to see our members’ continuous commitment to innovation and ethical standards.
How do you balance work and life?
My husband Stephen and I have five kids between us, plus a cocker spaniel. This keeps us very grounded and ultimately they come first.
That said, we have similar ambitions for our careers and the PR sector thanks to a shared line of work. This means we are very supportive of each other and understanding of challenges and opportunities – not to mention pressing deadlines and travel requirements.
One of our strengths as a couple is that one of us will step back when the other is pursuing a goal so we both get to fulfil our dreams and have time to shine.
How do you continue to invest in your professional and personal development?
I’m from a single parent family and was very fortunate to get a local authority grant to go to university. Sadly these no longer exist. My life experiences have taught me what a privilege education is and today I’m a huge advocate of life-long learning to the point Stephen and I launched a Community Interest Company called Socially Mobile in 2021, which provides free training places to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and underserved groups.
As well as running this, I have continued to invest in myself – in the last few years I have become the UK’s only Chartered PR practitioner and Chartered director and a qualified executive coach, of which I’m very proud.
How are you using your position / voice to #AccelerateAction towards gender equality?
One of the PRCA’s strategic goals is ‘Inclusive by default’ which involves ensuring the PRCA and the wider industry is a welcoming community for all. This includes ensuring we attract and support female practitioners of all ages and backgrounds throughout their careers. We also use our position as follows:
- Commitment to diverse panels: The PRCA is committed to ensuring that public discussions, industry events, and thought leadership platforms are truly representative of the profession we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives lead to better discussions, more innovative ideas, and a stronger, more inclusive industry. We actively encourage event organisers to embrace this approach and work with us to ensure balanced representation in all forums.
- International Women’s Day (IWD): Every year, the PRCA celebrates International Women’s Day, using it as a platform to highlight the incredible contributions of women in PR and communications.
- Strategic partnerships for gender equality: We collaborate with Women in PR (WiPR) and Women in Public Affairs (WiPA) to champion gender equality in the PR and public affairs industries. We support and promote their initiatives to gather data and evidence that are used as markers in the industry to monitor progression.
- Tailored training for women in leadership: Professional development is at the heart of what we do, and many of our training programmes place a special emphasis on equipping women with the skills, confidence, and networks they need to advance into senior leadership roles.
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