An interview with Liz Cartwright

Following on from the last post on the case study about Liz Cartwright I thought it would be a good idea to get an insight into her own thoughts about women and the PR industry, her experiences and any advice she would give to young women trying to break into the industry.

Check out the interview below.

1)Before setting up your own consultancy, what was your experience working in the PR field like? Have you ever felt that you couldn't break that "glass ceiling" - aiming for the higher position?

I didn't take the usual PR route. I am an ex journalist and worked on regional and national newspapers for more than 20 years. I went to work with a large PR agency where I stayed for a few months before rushing back into journalism! After having my children I worked with a smaller agency in the east midlands. I set up on my own in 2006 as a freelance journalist and PR. The idea was for my work to fit more easily around my children. Within a year I had moved out of my home office and into a serviced office and had taken on an account executive. Business was booming – but then the recession hit in 2009 and we did well to keep our heads above water throughout the difficult years. We are busy again right now and we are preparing to take on our tenth employee.

2) What made you set up your own firm/consultancy?

Like many women, I was looking for solutions to ease my quality of life after having children. I was in my late 30s and bosses at the large regional newspaper where I had previously held senior positions, seemed to overlook my hard work and continuing commitment. When I moved to a PR agency afterwards, I still felt I would like more flexibility to spend more time with the kids – so that’s when I set up on my own. 

3) As a women who is head of your own consultancy, what advice would you give to other women aiming for senior positions?

Don’t hide your light under a bushel. I think women can be modest about their abilities and feel uncomfortable about ‘selling themselves’ and telling colleagues about their successes. I can’t tell you how many times over the years, I have produced fantastic work and ideas – only for a colleague (usually male) to claim them as their own. 

Moving into PR after journalism, I had no idea that my media skills would be so in demand. It was great to get such a good response from clients – and pick up new ones. It was a boost to my confidence, but made me realise you have to talk up your successes – but not necessarily shout about them.

4) What are your thoughts on the idea of the PR industry being controlled by men instead, considering the fact that 62% of the workforce are women?

I think there are hugely talented PRs – male and female – so I don’t see why the industry should be controlled by females. 62% of the workforce are women, but then there are fewer women in the boardroom. This isn’t new and I would say is indicative of women leaving the workplace to have children. Quite often it is difficult for them to get back into their careers if they have taken time out to have children – and this means they don’t reach the senior positions. It’s a shame as I truly believe women are talented, hard-working and can make brilliant bosses.

Do you think this covered a few of the issues we have today about women in senior positions?

 Did this inspire you to start making career choices? What are your thoughts?

By Demi Daley-Shaw

Liz Cartwright - Cartwright Communications

Following on from the previous blog post and the highlighting issue that only a small percentage of women in the field take up senior positions we thought we could write a feature of one of these women on this blog. Liz Cartwright is the head of the Cartwright Communications, a PR firm located in Nottingham, of which she set up in 2006. She has a profound experience in PR as well expertise in crisis communication and internal communications. Her team is predominately all female with the exception of one male member.

The Cartwright Communications PR firm offers a range of communications to a wide range of sectors including The Arts, Retail, Financial and Professional Services, Property, Employment and Skills, Lifestyle and Health. In those sectors they have managed to organise a number of successful campaigns including the marketing for a national organisation called Positive Outcomes who specialise in work-based training, corporate training and apprenticeships. By achieving their objectives, the Positive Outcomes group received tremendous amount of coverage in TV, Radio and Print across the country.

“We have been delighted with the PR we’ve achieved since working with Cartwright Communications, particularly as they have secured us numerous TV and radio slots. They know how to work with journalists and it shows. With each new article we are confident Cartwright will know how to write an effective press release and most importantly, how and where to pitch for the very best exposure. They are a pleasure to work with and we would not hesitate in recommending them.”  - Rebecca Burton, Marketing manager at Positive Outcomes (http://www.cartwrightcommunications.com).

Proving that women are indeed suited for these senior positions, the idea of PR controlled by women instead doesn't seem like a bad idea.. don't you agree?

By Rhona Nagawa

Through a Mans Eyes:An Interview with Douglas Brown

In light of the whole gender-role gap that has been frequently mentioned on the blog, we at The PR Women thought it would be interesting to get a male perspective of the debate.  We had the pleasure of interviewing Douglas Brown, who is the head of his own PR consultancy firm and got his opinion on the whole debate and women in PR in general.

Check out the interview below.

1. Do you consider there to be a debate whether there are enough women in senior positions? What are your thoughts and opinions on this issue?

There is clearly an issue with women being able to reach the most senior positions. PR has far more men in the top positions than it should, and understanding why women fall out of the profession, or never reach the top jobs if they stay in it is essential if the profession is to reflect society.

2. As a man how do you think women are portrayed in the PR industry?

There is perhaps a stereotype of the "dizzy blonde" which is very unfair and whilst I loved Ab Fab I think it did women in PR no services in terms of image. Perhaps the industry should promote some more realistic female brand ambassadors?

3. Have you ever been a part of a company managed by a woman?  What was this experience like? 

The best manager I have ever had was a woman. I would have followed her to hell and back. She was a fantastic, inspirational leader with a clear vision as to where she wanted the business to go and a steely determination to make it happen.

4. As the head of your own company what advice would you give women in particular about the industry and being at the top? 

Don't get overly worried by the gender gap - there are some great jobs out there and many many businesses where gender doesn't matter. Anyone who works hard and spots the right opportunities will get on.

What’s your opinion? Is having a male perspective helpful?

By Nadine Phillips

Ethnicity and Women

Following from the last post we realised that ethnic diversity is also an issue within the PR industry.

Does the lack of “ethnic diversity in PR” bother you?

When I first thought about this question my response was instantly "yes" because I believe that ethnic diversity in PR helps establish different attitudes to the way in which practitioners operate and how audiences from ethnic minorities can identify with PR practitioners and organisations.

Are you from an African-Caribbean background? Do you find attaining PR opportunities difficult? The Taylor Bennett foundation may just be of interest to you. Recent findings have indicated that there are only 8% of PR practitioners from ethnic backgrounds which indicates how marginalised this group is. This is a shocking percentage and highlights how unrepresentative the PR industry is. 

There are constantly many efforts to challenge the rates of diversity amongst public relation practitioners. In 2008 the Taylor Bennett foundation was introduced in order to provide equal opportunities for students from black and minority ethnic groups, due to being highly under-represented in the PR industry.  The foundations ‘offers training courses sponsored by PR agencies including Brunswick, Talk PR and MHP communications’  for more information. This gives graduate students the chance to actively work alongside PR programmes, gaining real life experience's and therefore developing necessary skills which many PR company would require. Diversity is  important for PR profession's in order to appeal to different audience groups, therefore issues surrounding the lack of representation of ethnic groups needs to be challenged and changed in order to allow PR industries to be more diverse and representative.

Taylor Bennett Foundation homepage (website)

The Taylor Bennett foundation (TBF) is a great organisation built to help minorities achieve their potential but more institutions need to open up their doors and encourage a movement for a more diverse PR industry. The Taylor Bennett foundation is  a London based institution so caters highly for the more mobile PR people so therefore it's difficult for people who may be situated in places like Glasgow, Midlands etc to travel accordingly.

                             

Have you got any ideas? What steps can we make so that the PR industry is more diverse especially where ethnic minorities are concerned?

TBF Trainees

By Demi Daley-Shaw

More Women Please

A man’s world; is that what the PR world has become?

It’s an interesting thought to have. With 62% of women making up the work force there are only 22% of women in senior positions. Men are almost twice as likely to be directors or partners of a PR company than women are. It is no wonder why a career dominated by women seems to actually be controlled by men.

Despite this it doesn’t mean women are not fit for these roles. Many people have argued that there are a lot less women in women senior positions because women are “good” at the more technical roles PR involves such as writing and communicating with clients. These technical roles are supposedly masking women leadership and business roles which are stopping them from reaching the highest positions. Perhaps a biased approach but women can rule too, perhaps even better.

An older article from Management Today used some power words noting that women are:

“ferociously intelligent, hard-working ambitious and confident”

The article is an interesting one, as it broadcasts that it doesn’t matter whether your male or female both can get those high positions and get the job done. However within PR women possibly have a bit more to bring to the table in higher positions. PR could potentially be a more ethical practice if a fairer percentage of women had senior roles. Academic Aldoory argues that feminist values women have such as respect, equity, cooperation and being caring make women more socially inclined to be aware of ethical issues and more inclined to have an ethical practice. Further this theory that the technical roles women are “good” at are holding them back from senior positions is a myth. PR would actually be more efficient as women would be able to execute the technical communications role as well as managing clients and practitioners a key skill needed in these higher roles.

Being a woman shouldn’t be regarded as a negative on the way to the top. There are many inspiring women in PR such as Kellye Crane and Lisa Grimm all at the top of their profession, proving it can be done and is done well. Many women can and should rise to the challenge of perhaps questioning their employers on their policies on gender equality in senior position. Women have a lot to offer and more in PR and this should really be highlighted to them so… more women please.

Don’t you agree? What’s your perspective of how women are represented in PR?

By Nadine Phillips

Changes in PR, The Women Affected

As we saw from the last post, there are a variety of social media organisations targeted at Women getting into the PR field. This shows how the increase in the popularity of social networking sites are bringing in other lines of work that are direct at Women. Does this mean that Social Networks are the cause of this change?

The changes in PR.

What do we really mean by ‘changing’? PR is not changing in a traditional sense. It still needs to communicate with their audience and manage relationships with them which is something that will never change.

The change is actually in the different organisations that are coming into PR. Originally PR had three simple components; the Message, the Medium and the Mass. However now you have people interacting with others coming from all different directions. It is still just the same as having two way conversations, only with a lot more communicating. Now, the Medium is used to listen instead of being used purely for communication. The audience have the ability to voice their own opinions, meaning it gives greater opportunity to embrace the audience’s voice and act on the information they provide. The audiences (previously known as just ‘Publics’) are now seen as individual people. After all these years, PR practitioners are finally learning to monitor conversations over the social networks to manage complaints or compliments in relation to their work, therefore making changes in their work to match the needs of consumer and new media channels that are emerging. Online content publishes have also forced an expansion in the role of PR practitioners.

This Website shows the different Women in the PR field and their opinions on how PR has changed since the start of their career.

http://www.nywici.org/features/interview/public-relations-today

'PR doers'

The image below shows the top 'PR doers' however within the whole list there is only one Woman. In more recent years there have been a lot more Women using social networks within their work yet these networks, for example Twitter negatively portray Woman in PR and still do not represent them as being at the top of their work.

'Mummy Bloggers'

So let’s look more closely at 'Mummy bloggers'!

New sites have been created to help support Women in PR. Many Practitioners see Women posting on blogs as 'Mummy Bloggers' despite their blogs being educated and to a worthy standard. There are so many 'Mummy blogger' websites, so has this influenced the way other PR practitioners see Women in PR, as they are portrayed to be connecting to an audience socially and not as a career.

Although 'Mummy blogging' does not sound like an actual hobby it is. Many Mums from a vast amount of places come together as a social event to blog and chat about current trends or, whatever they feel to be important. Despite it only being popular for about 10 years, it has been a hit all over, especially in the USA. 

 Women in PR outnumber the amount of men yet men have the higher positions. Why would women want to get into this field knowing there are only a small amount of them that will gain this higher position?

I think the representation of Women in PR will change... What do you think?

By Hannah Morrell 

Best Ways For Women to Get Into PR

Getting into any field of profession is a challenge especially into a creative industry such as PR and as a woman you face yourself asking “how am I going to break into this industry?” Well these tips will allow you to get into the field with a competitive edge.

Work Experience / Internships / Placement year

Gaining first-hand experience in a PR firm will allow you to gain the relevant skills and knowledge in working in PR.  Nicola Piggot who did a creative management degree now works for Feref after gaining working experience in PR firm for Eastenders. Whether it is a 2 week work experience, a summer internship or a placement year, you will not only be gaining transferable skills but you will also be building contacts along the way. In addition, it will help build your CV which will make you more employable due to your experiences.  It is also recommended you do everything you can do standout whilst you are doing work experience such as asking questions, getting involved, pitch to journalists and showing initiative. Managers like that in an employee and it would also make a lasting impression which you lead you to a job in the near future.

Social Media / Networking

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… All these social networking sites will allow you to connect with different types of PR firms/companies and their managers and build your connections. It is advised to separate your professional profile and your personal – allowing professional organizations and bosses to follow your professional profile and leaving your friends and family to follow your personal one.  You can also start up a blog (like this one) in order to connect with other Blogs by PR practitioners and academics and build your online community.

Remember it isn’t about what you know but who you know so networking is definitely key!

Get Involved!

Writing is the most important skill in this profession and so what better way to improve your skills than getting involved in writing for your university’s magazine. Behind the Spin is an online magazine for public relations students and practitioners sponsored by the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA), which you can get involved in. 

Bear in mind that when considering a career in PR, understand that it's not all glitz and glam and it involves long hours and hard work. It can be also challenging for us women trying to break the "ditzy" "fluffy" "PR bunny" stereotype and the "glass-ceiling" barrier. However if this is the career for you then start climbing the career ladder and make your way to the top, who will eventually own your own PR firm/company.

Is this the career for you? Were these tips helpful?

By Rhona Nagawa