Industry insight, analysis and opinion
Attending my first PharmaComms Conference this year seemed to be a good choice. 2022 was one of the most dynamic years we had seen in terms of movement of talent and the demand for those in healthcare PR didn’t seem to ever falter. 2023 has brought its own air of energy and it was lovely to both hear and see the buzz of a crowd after the last few years we have had.
Read MoreLabour has been polling well in recent months, and the current lead means tides have somewhat turned in politics, with a potential Labour government appearing on the horizon. To keep ahead of the political climate, the communications industry is already beginning to adapt and strengthen its Labour expertise in advance of the general election in 2024. With Hanbury Strategy’s creation of a ‘Labour Unit’, and H/Advisors Cicero hiring of Alice Perry, the former chair of Labour’s NEC, among other examples, we can clearly see the industry’s strategic shift towards Labour talent.
Read MoreWorkplace buzzwords change year by year and the PR industry isn’t any different. 2022 was the year of “ESG” and our inbox were flooded by requests for “sustainability specialists”; but DE&I is different. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion should go and does go beyond being a tick-box exercise. To simply accept the idea that our workplaces are not representative of the societies we live in, with many HQ’s being based in one of the most multicultural cities in the world, what has and continues to go wrong?
Read MoreThis year has been consistently busy with hiring, movement and growth across the corporate affairs industry. Agencies have been flourishing and in-house teams are back in growth mode after their risk-averse approach during the pandemic. Here are the key themes from this year and our predictions for 2023.
Read MoreCounter-offers have always happened. A superstar resigns and the existing employer tries to convince them out of it. In the current, incredibly competitive climate, we have seen and now expect almost everyone resigning to be counter-offered. Sometimes the counter is financial and sometimes it incorporates promotions and changing responsibilities. But if you’re a manager, should you counter if someone in your team resigns? If you’ve accepted another job, are there circumstances where you should accept a counter?
Read MoreThe outbreak of COVID-19 saw a widespread decline in patient satisfaction within the healthcare sector, as reported by the NIHR. At a time when communication couldn’t be more vital to the lives of millions, where did the healthcare PR sector go?
Read MoreSociety has developed to a point where brands are required to have a voice on the environment and social issues as well as demonstrate good governance. It’s no longer from an investment perspective either, there is a lot of emphasis on everyone playing their role in society and corporates are no different. Many of the Head of Corporate Affairs we speak to are seeing ESG form a part of their remit and as a result, communications agencies are having to reflect that too. But what does that translate to in practice?
Read MoreA series of conversations with communications and public affairs leaders continues this month as I speak to Steven McIntosh, Executive Director of Advocacy and Communications at Macmillan Cancer Support, about the challenges of working with a government in transition and against a backdrop of national health inequality and a difficult recruitment market.
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