CIPR

Joanna Randall was born in 1974 in Guernsey, Channel Islands, and moved to the UK mainland when she was five years. Studying for a BA (Hons) Degree in European Business Economics, she intended to embark on a career in law. But after successfully completing a work placement as an account coordinator at Myriad Public Relations in Ely, Cambridgeshire, Randall stayed on part-time during her final year after discovering a real interest for the PR profession.

After graduating and bidding her friends farewell as they headed off to London, Joanna moved back to the family home in Bristol. She fully expected her career to follow the same route to London. But, after sending out a few speculative letters to Bristol agencies on the 'off chance', Randall was offered an interview for an account executive position at Corixa Communications in Bristol.

She joined Corixa in 1996 and steadily worked her way up, through the ranks to managing director level in 2002, all by the tender age of 28 years. Randall then moved on to set up a PR division in advertising agency Thirty Three. The role proved challenging, and gave Randall her first experience of how an integrated agency worked. Having achieved that PR function, she was head hunted to join McCann Erickson as Head of PR in 2007.

Randall lives with her partner Charlie and seven-year-old daughter Gina. Baby number two is on the way.

What is your current role and what sort of businesses are you working with?

My current role is head of PR at McCann Erickson, Bristol. The role involves running the PR division which has a team of five. We represent a mix of consumer, B2B and corporate PR accounts including: Kohler luxury bathrooms, pet healthcare brand Bob Martin, Worlds Apart De Van beds, Kodak opticians, solicitors Gabb & Co and Bristol NHS.

We also launched a dedicated social media unit 'SoMe' in January 2009 which provides social media audits, social marketing strategies as well as retained social media campaigns.

Describe the PR profession in the South West?

Thriving and full of talent! There are some outstanding agencies with strong client lists right across the region. Bristol, specifically, is very well established in the wider creative industry, The Bristol Media Group is a good example of this. It's a diverse community with a high freelance population. There is something for everyone. Bristol is a hidden gem and has been for many years.

Have you always lived in the region?

Not always but for much of my life and career.

What makes you stay?

The wealth of opportunity has made me stay. It's a great city where hard work pays off without sacrificing any lifestyle choices.

South West PR agencies collectively represent some fantastic household brand names and it may surprise people to hear that we are an award-winning industry that can compete with any London agency. It's a great city to live and work in.

What do you feel is the biggest misconception about the region?

That it's a sleepy region with not as much going on as elsewhere. Although this is changing, particularly as Bristol is currently one of the most popular relocation destinations for people moving out of London. The South West is a real gem of a region and anyone who chooses to settle here will know exactly what I mean.

A frustration for many employers in the region is the misconception of what a 'work/life' balance is. What it isn't is an opportunity to not work as hard; what it does mean is access to a rich cultural scene, open space and a shorter commute. Work life remains as fast paced and aggressive as any other city in the world.

What are the region's selling points?

The South West has so much to offer - bustling towns and cities with their own identities and a vibrant PR and marketing agency scene. There is a real pride in the region and a collective aim by both the community and communications industry to put Bristol on the map.

We have seen real growth in the region, especially over the past five years – the commercial and retail offering today is phenomenal. And it was with great pride that we hosted one of the election debates in April.

What can you do in the South West that you can't do anywhere else in the UK?

See original Banksy artworks on your street corner.

Three words to describe the South West?

Cultural, green and diverse.

McCann Erickson employs just under 40 people in Bristol and is a completely integrated agency offering every discipline under one roof. The PR team works on both fully integrated through the line accounts as well as purely PR accounts. The McCann PR team was instrumental in establishing the dedicated social media team ME SoMe in January 2009.