Meet The Committee – Ronnie Semley

Location: Lancashire 

Current role
Diocesan Communications Manager for The Church of England in Lancashire, which is a large Diocese covering most of the County. I oversee all aspects of communications for the Diocese – internal and external – working with a great team of colleagues. 

What are your interests? 
I keep fit at the gym and love walking, especially days out (or extended breaks) in the Lakes and Dales … although nowhere quite beats the vistas you can take in while walking in the mountains of my home country, Scotland. 

I love to sketch when I get the chance and I also enjoy cinema and theatre visits, as well as the simple pleasures of reading a good book, often thrillers but equally something a bit more cerebral! 

I also love a good thriller series on TV (my all-time favourite being ‘24’) although these days I don’t watch nearly as much television as I used to. I am more likely to be found listening to the radio or my latest podcast find. 

What sets your heart on fire?
I attend a wonderful independent multi-cultural church in MediaCity in Manchester which has grown significantly in the past year. It’s really exciting to be part of something which is growing and changing all the time. I also love being a leader in our church youth group. 

Being a Christian, it’s also amazing to be able to use my varied skills as a communicator in my current role. The faith sector has huge opportunities for communicators which are often overlooked. If I can support greater awareness of those opportunities in my committee role I’d be delighted. 

How did you get into PR?
I started my career as a reporter on the Glasgow South Side News – a huge regional newspaper at that time – before moving into newspaper production as a sub-editor for the seven papers in the same newspaper group; later becoming Assistant Editor (Production) at the age of just 24. 

I realise now I was also an early influencer throughout that time (!) writing a prolific number of cinema and theatre reviews for a culture section inserted into all the papers of the group; reaching hundreds of thousands every week and prompting much feedback in the letters pages! 

My first break into PR came when I joined Strathclyde Regional Council’s Public Relations Team to work alongside their press team as News Editor of their council paper ‘The Strathclyder’. 

The motivation to make the move into PR was simple … they were making huge investment in the very latest computer tech; something many newspaper groups were still catching up on at that time. 

I caught the PR bug and absolutely loved working in a large and dynamic team, editing the stories and coordinating the production of a council newspaper with a circulation of 1.1 million copies – still one of the largest circulation free newspapers ever produced in the UK. I also pulled together a staff magazine every month for more than 100,000 staff! 

I left after three years to become Deputy Editor of a group of newspapers in Lancashire before making a final move back into PR and communications to become Communications and Media Manager at Bolton Council where I remained for 11 exciting years. A highlight in that role was our team’s development of the Bolton place brand in 2006. It’s still in use by the Council today 20 years on. That’s VFM! 

What do you love most about PR?
The people! I have worked with some truly amazing people over the years – I’d love to name them all here but it would be a long list! You know who you are! 

Working in PR also gives you the chance to make a tangible difference and the opportunity to earn trust and offer advice to senior people who are also making a difference in their own roles. Earning that trust can give tremendous job satisfaction but I never take it for granted. I have always taken the responsibilities that come with my roles very seriously. 

Working in PR also gives you amazing opportunities to meet and work with people you’d never get chance to encounter otherwise. In 2014 Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and The Late Duke of Edinburgh attended an event in our Diocese and I coordinated the local communications support alongside the Royals’ comms team. The Royal couple asked to thank those all those involved behind the scenes so, before the post event lunch, I was invited to be part of the line of people introduced to them. Definitely a career highlight – doing communications ‘by Royal appointment’! 

What PR campaign or project are you particularly proud of?
During my time at Bolton Council there was a campaign the entire marketing and communications teams worked on to encourage recruitment of foster carers. There was a real issue at that time with local children ending up outside the borough for lack of carers; sometimes a long way away. 

With the help of national government money we developed a recruitment campaign and were successful in recruiting many more people to be foster carers. It was a brilliant team effort. When the work you do can change real lives in tangible ways like that you know your job is worthwhile!  

If you weren’t in PR, what could you see yourself doing?
An artist. I came very close to going to Glasgow School of Art after leaving school but took a different path in the end – much to the annoyance of my art teacher! I certainly don’t regret the path I chose but I do sometimes wonder whether the ‘artist path’ might have led to its own successes. 

Describe your role in the committee and what it involves.
I’m a new member of the CIPR North West Committee but I have been an active member of a sub group of CIPR NW (in Lancashire) for more than 13 years. A couple of years ago I was delighted to be presented with an Outstanding Long Service Award by the CIPR for my volunteer work. 

In Lancashire we put on regular events –online and in person – and I have recently become co-chair of the sub-group with Andrew Daniels; following in the footsteps of Amanda Jackson. 

During 2026 I hope we can build our sub-committee numbers further and continue to put on great events. Andrew and I plan to go on the road with other committee members to a series of venues around the County to ask people more about what they want from their local group. I’m on LinkedIn here if you want to know more and/or get involved more directly.    

What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting in PR?
Always listen to learn – no matter how high up the ladder you go; your colleagues of all ages will have knowledge you won’t have. And never assume you know it all; you don’t and you never will! 

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy day?
Walking with my wife in our local country park and chatting about anything but work!