With nearly 700 members across the Thames & Chiltern group – representing an impressive breadth of experience and specialisms - we thought it would be great to put a "face" to our members and shine a spotlight on some of the PR professionals that make up our region.
Each month, we'll be profiling a different member, asking how they got into PR, who they most admire, and where they think the industry is heading.
If you would like to be considered for a future "Face of the Region" Spotlight, please email: claire@proteuspr.co.uk.
March 2010 Face of the Region
Name: Sarah Jones
Age: 39
Based: UK (Maidenhead)
Current role: Area Communications Director for Europe and Canada, Abbott Laboratories Ltd.
Number of years in PR: 17
Most memorable campaign:
Leading the largest-ever public private outsourcing arrangement between DHL and the NHS to form 'NHS Supply Chain'
Career highlight to date:
Announcing the merger and leading global communications around the merger between Exel plc and DHL Logistics; the largest merger in the supply chain industry
Dream client:
Not applicable
Ultimate holiday destination:
Truk Lagoon: for the diving!
Favourite film, book and CD:
Film: Pan's Labyrinth, book: The Picture of Dorian Gray, CD: Far Away Trains Passing by – Ulrich Schnauss
Interests:
Fencing, scuba diving, running, swimming
Questions
How did you get into the PR profession?
I wrote to lots and lots of agencies and joined Write Image, an integrated marketing communications agency.
What is your background in the industry?
I spent several years in both small and large agencies, including Porter Novelli, working on a range of different sectors and then moved in-house from around 2002 joining Exel plc, which became DHL and then latterly Abbott.
How would you describe your day-to-day job?
Very varied as I manage internal communications, aspects of EU relations, crisis/issues, public relations, industry association activities, market access activities and key opinion leader development. It is extremely rewarding as the mix of activities are achieving the strategic goals for our nutrition business over time. I also get to work on some of our leading brands and am fascinated by the opportunities within social media in terms of influencing perceptions. I also work with key markets to help them define communications strategies which I really enjoy as I want to make a difference to our business and ensure the benefits of proper medical nutrition are understood by key stakeholders.
What is the single best thing about working in PR?
Getting to a stage where you can develop a programme that will make a difference to the business and achieve corporate objectives.
Which PR professional or team do you most admire?
I think the repositioning of the BAFTAs is impressive, I am not sure of who the team behind it is.
What has been your biggest PR blunder and how did you fix it?
Hmm I've been lucky on that one: none so far but clearly as a PR professional you can be dealing with blunders committed by others, wittingly or not…
Are you associated with the CIPR? If so for how long have you been associated with it for and what is the main benefit for you?
For several years now, it offers a great opportunity to network and share best practice.
What do you think will be the main challenges for the industry in the next ten years?
I still think the industry needs to embrace the challenges of holistic stakeholder management. New technologies and forums mean that perceptions are formed globally in seconds and companies can not control the external environment. Also, my perception is that the industry must raise its status to sit shoulder to shoulder with board members. Many of us do that already but we must encourage belief and confidence in our industry to make a difference to an organisation's goals and demonstrate return on investment.
What's the best piece of career advice you've been given?
That sometimes PR is as much about what you don't do, as you do do!
