Storming the C-suite!

C-Suite

Communications professionals like myself have long debated how they can become more effective at storming the C-suite, the subject for a panel I chaired this week at the independent PR firm forum, which is part of the global public relations summit in Miami.

Researching the pitch

Research

The reality of pitching for new business is that any pitch that is all performance and no preparation will uniformly fail. To conduct a successful business pitch, meticulous and strategic research is just as, if not more, important than the content of the presentation itself and the way that it is delivered.

Finding the value in PR and communications

I listened to an interesting discussion by senior communications directors at this year’s European Circle of Communicators held in Rome – www.communicators-circle.eu In advance of the event participants had taken part in extensive research about trends in communications, discussed whether PR was ‘dead’ and debated how effective we are as an industry at supporting the […]

What will the communications department of the future look like?

It is no secret that social media has turned the role of the communicator on its head. Just as the iPod did with consumers, or cloud computing has done in business technology, the emergence of Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms have had a disruptive influence on the communications world. But while a lot […]

An interview with The Sunday Times on non-exec careers

I was recently interviewed for an article in The Sunday Times’ Appointment section, advising on how to acquire the skills required to swap a full-time role for a non-executive portfolio. In a feature which explores why younger executives are now looking to follow this career path, I also talk about how I built towards becoming […]

Joining the Circle of European Communicators in Rome

I am delighted to announce that I will again be on the Steering Committee for the Circle of European Communicators event in Rome this September. Each year, leading corporate communications figures from across Europe gather to ‘talk about everything but communications’. Instead, the event aims to cover subjects ranging from politics, media and the economy to […]

We Need More CMOs and CCOs on Boards

With companies facing continuous reputational risks in today’s hyper-connected world, having marketing and communications experience on the board should be a no brainer. But while modern boards are hugely inclusive in terms of gender and ethnicity, we often do not see such variety in the skillsets.

Joining Up a Country

I was fascinated to listen yesterday to Toomas Hendrik Ilves, The president of Estonia, talking in London about the role of communications and technology in promoting innovation in a country.