Diversity Series: Getting into Communications and Succeeding In-House

with Sarah Hird Former Director of Communications, Disney+ / The Walt Disney Company EMEA

As part of our work to champion better diversity and inclusivity in the corporate affairs industry, we will be speaking to key players about their experiences in the hope that it will pave the way for others. We would like to thank Sarah for her time and contribution!

What are the attributes you look for in a communications professional when hiring for your team? 

Someone with a mix of agency experience will always stand out. Working in a big corporate can be a baptism of fire so someone who has worked in a commercially driven environment, spinning lots of plates will find it easier to make that transition. To be effective in-house, you really need to build internal relationships and manage your internal stakeholders like clients in an agency. Being able to evidence the value add of previous work is also important. What were the campaigns you delivered, what was your part in them and how did they deliver to KPIs? I also like to make sure we had a diverse set of skills and not agree all the time. Respectful, creative challenging was something that benefitted our team. 

How would you support inclusion? 

In our own small way, the culture of the team dictated this. I would like to think that everyone had a voice and we were just as likely to take the view of interns as we were of more senior members of the team. We had a cohesive team that operated with respect and trust. We were supportive and non-hierarchical in our approach. The business was always evolving and holding onto the culture was really important in making a success of all the change. 

What makes you effective as an in-house communications person and team? 

Building trust. That takes time and requires investment but that is the way you will have impact and importantly, get the most out of your role! It’s obviously harder now, but informal time spent over a coffee in the morning or after work is just as important as formal meetings. A lot of the time you will be using your instinct to make decisions and give advice but you can’t do that unless you have the trust of your stakeholders. Don’t be over-reliant on emails, especially when you start someone new, get as much face time (or Zoom time) with your team and the other key players as you can. Don’t be afraid of sharing your success stories so the people who have given you their time can see what you have achieved with it. 

Is there advice you wished you had had when you were first starting out? 

So many things. Think twice about sending out scattergun or blanket media announcements or comms - first rule of communications, but so often it’s the thankless job handed out to the most junior people. Always tailor your message. If you don’t know if the journalist or influencer will be interested, then you don’t know enough yet about them or the subject. The second thing is the importance of the connections you make. They will last your whole career and sometimes your life. As one of my former colleagues used to say, you meet everyone twice in life. Last of all, treat others how you would like to be treated - and be honest. Your reputation and credibility depends on it. 

MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in corporate affairs, covering public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us on 020 8088 4102 for more information or a confidential conversation.