You're my commsHERO

At a keynote at the PRCA conference in 2021, the most senior government communicator in the land called for a new breed of 'superhero communicators able to combine hard data analysis with brilliant story-telling and artistry'. But research suggests that a large portion of professionals don't yet feel comfortable using data in their roles. Alex Waddington started re-skilling himself...

Adam is a junior marketer currently working in local government. During stints in retail and then sales, Adam studied for his level 4 certificate for the Chartered Institute of Marketing before going on to work for them directly as a Content Coordinator.  He now works for Bracknell Forest Council as a Communications Executive where he has led on such projects as Equalities, the Homes for Ukraine s...

Can you communicate complex science when you’re not a scientist? How do you guard against greenwash? And is there any way you can work in climate change communications without becoming downhearted about the scale of the challenge at hand?  Join the Science Based Targets initiative’s Luisa Pastore as she shares the secrets of successful climate change communications, talks about how to make the mov...

In 2023 - its 75th anniversary - CIPR will be reasserting its founding purpose, to help improve society through effective, ethical communications. It also plans to prepare its Chartered Practitioners to take up positions as Board members and Trustees to have a greater role in the governance of organisations in future. Our podcast guest on this episode is Steven Shepperson-Smith, President of the C...

Clarissa Langham is an Internal Comms Professional who started her career in Journalism before discovering a passion for Internal Communications. She’s recently joined AQA’s Internal Comms team from the NHS, where she managed internal comms and engagement for the largest hospitals merger in the country and then during the pandemic. As comms pros, we often promote wellbeing resources to our interna...

Laura Sutherland is the Founder and Director of Aura . She is a senior communication and business consultant and a Chartered practitioner with 20+ years’ experience in integrated public relations and communication.  Aura’s Synergy Framework was developed and launched as a way of helping businesses accelerate to a sustainable future by better integrating strategic communication and sustainable deve...

Gill is a career and mindset coach who has walked the walk when it comes to PR jobs. She helps PR and Comms professionals who are at a career crossroads with how they want the rest of their life to shape up.  From crisis comms, TV publicity and tech PR during her 10 years at the BBC to consumer, charity and arts PR elsewhere, Gill has first hand knowledge of the pressures and peculiarities of the...

At last they’ve got it! In this complex world, CEOs are turning to their public relations leaders more than ever. They know they need someone to protect their organisation and to challenge when there are risks and issues down the track. That someone is their public relations leader who hold up a mirror so that organisations see themselves as others see them. Someone who isn’t afraid to be truthful...

Our next guest is Angharad Planells , Head of Business Development and Culture at Gloucester titan Radioactive. Former journalist Angharad found her way into PR after spells at the BBC, national media and commercial radio stations. Now with more than a decade in public relations.  Moving from years of strategic comms roles into a leadership role is a bigger shift than many people anticipate. Many...

If you like getting down with digits and sexy with the spreadsheets, our next podcast is for you. Darryl Sparey is MD and Co-Founder of Hard Numbers, the (AMEC, PR Moment, PRCA and UK Agency of the Year) award winning, performance-driven communications consultancy. Hard Numbers combines killer creative with commercial acumen to create campaigns that drive a demonstrable return on investment.  In t...

Jan Fitzgerald is a communications and media specialist. For the last 12 years Jan has worked largely across internal communications for remote workforces in transport, retail and construction.  She specialises in content production, channels strategy and development, print vs digital alignment and insights analysis. Jan’s particular interest is in how to overcome remote workforces and targeting t...

Lewis Williams is a PR professional from South Wales, currently working in-house in local government.  Lewis started his #CommsHero journey four years ago as a postgrad Masters in PR and Communication Management. He is now gearing up to start a new role as Senior Communications Officer for NHS Blood and Transplant, England’s blood and organ donation service.  Having recently blogged for the U.K. G...

After becoming a father in 2014, Frank quickly discovered how challenging it became to find time for exercise or afford the luxury of a gym membership and started focussing all his energy into providing a solution for clients to access Award Winning Personal Training anywhere in the world! He's even trained Ruth Langsford for her appearance on BBC Strictly Come Dancing, and he's got a fa...

If you’re a Digital PR pro, chances are you’ve learned a thing or two from our next guest who pretty much invented the internet. Andy Barr founder of 10 Yetis previously worked in-house on multi-media campaigns for the likes of AXA, Unilever, First Group, Whitbread and Midlands Electricity Board. His talents span effective crisis communications, award-winning media campaigns and creating highly en...

Our next guest will also be appearing as part of our stellar #CommsHeroWeek line-up. Katrina Wilcox is Head of Marketing and Communications at Housing 21, a leading not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people. Katrina’s extensive experience in marketing and communications has been gained through a 20+ year career working across the healthcare, housing, education, manufacturing and...

Our next guest crossed over from the dark side. Former Sith Lord (slash journalist) Glenn Bowley began his communications career in a housing association in St Helens before moving to Lancashire Constabulary as a press and PR officer. In 2013, Glenn was seconded to the Home Office to manage the media on the criminal investigation into the Hillsborough disaster. His brief was extended further to in...

Nosheen Haque is a communications specialist based in Manchester. Nosheen has over 10 years’ experience of working with a variety of brands and organisations using PR and digital marketing to drive engagement, growth and brand value across a multitude of private and public sectors. Follow Nosheen on LinkedIn Follow CommsHero on Twitter  --------- Fancy getting in the hot seat and sharing your Comm...

This episode developed over on LinkedIn, when Ally and Asif discovered a shared love of the tomes: Lost Connections and Stolen Focus, both written by Johann Hari. We know Asif loves a printed book! These books interrogate the impact of digitalisation and social media on our lives, and our ability to focus and make deep and meaningful connections. With a radical new way of thinking about depression...

In this podcast, like typical Yorkshire folk, we make the most of BOGOF, with not one, but two guests from Yorkshire Housing. Our guests  this episode are: Hannah Jowett MCIPR is Head of Communications and Brand at Yorkshire Housing. She’s passionate about building comms teams where people can thrive and bring their ideas and creativity to life.    Nick Atkin is a highly successful Chief Executive...

Michelle Okwudiafor leads internal communication and engagement at Total Energies. A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, she holds a master’s degree in International Development from the University of Turin (ILO training centre) and a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of London.    In this episode, she interrogates the events that have led to 2022 being described by m...

From dusty relics to post-modern pieces, our next guest works at the intersection where past meets present and future. Lisa Middleton is Head of Marketing and Brand at National Museums Liverpool, having joined the organisation in 2015. In this episode, Lisa explores what it is like to be in arts marketing. Museum comms is more than exhibitions, and encompasses vast collections, amazing venues, and...

Mentoring is one of the most underrated keys to nourishing one’s growth. For any young professional trying to enter the industry, a mentor can help open a number of doors they may not have known existed which can be even more crucial to people from underrepresented backgrounds.  Our next guest in the podcast took part in a leadership mentoring programme for underrepresented women in the PR industr...

So deeply entrenched in #CommsHero is our next guest, it is hard to believe that he isn’t on the Resource payroll! Having held roles in business associations, renewable energy, and higher education, Ed Thomas is now in the housing sector, leading all communications and marketing strategy and campaigns at The Wrekin Housing Group, a social housing and care provider that drives social value and make...

In this episode, founder of Horizon Comms Dan Holden, talks about how when it comes to conferences and events, we still have a gap in representation even though the comms community is full of diverse voices. Having posted on LinkedIn after declining an event invitation due to a lack of representation on the speaker panel, it was clear from the supporting comments there is a need for us to be chall...

Our second guest of the season is seasoned #CommsHero, Stu Kaley, Associate Director of Customer Experience (CX) and Operations at The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).   With a career that began in music retail and took him to London, Stu developed a passion for everything customer and operational customer-focus. He then moved into the food industry and worked on multi-brand (owned and fran...