Meet the global steering group

The PRFest steering group is a fabulous group of practitioners from all walks of life, with varied interests and experience, but with one thing in common. They all want to help the industry in their own way.

The steering group also has inputted and helped direct the direction of the PRFest community and is there to act as a sounding board for new ideas and the development of future plans.

They play a vital role in ensuring the community and its activity is diverse, relevant and kept fresh.

Katy Branson

Creative, articulate and energised communications professional applying twenty (plus!) years’ experience in public relations strategy, leadership and content creation spanning the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

Most excited by technology, but experienced and curious enough to quickly engage on any sector, I’ve led global and local campaigns for clients ranging from blue chip giants (e.g. IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Nikon) through to government organisations (e.g. Northern Powerhouse, Women In Technology) and ambitious, high-energy start-ups in mobile, fintech, deep tech, SAAS and AI.

You can find out more about me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katybranson/

Areas of interest: Team training, presentation skills, new business

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Katy Branson

Teela Clayton MCIPR

Teela Clayton is a CIPR Accredited PR practitioner specialising in healthcare comms at Intent Health. After an 11-year teaching career, Teela obtained a PGCert in International Journalism and a master’s degree in PR and Strategic Communication. Her academic paper through EUPRERA, Women in Public Relations, released in March and she recently joined a PRCA team investigating misinformation in the climate crisis. In June 2021, she will begin PhD research on the impact of media and Government pandemic communication on BAME communities at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Teela is a committee member of CIPR Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, PRCA Diversity Network and a founding member of A Leader Like Me.

Areas of interest: Writing, learning and networking.

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Teela Clayton MCIPR

Teela is a CIPR Accredited PR practitioner specialising in healthcare comms at Intent Health. After an 11-year teaching career, Teela obtained a PGCert in International Journalism and a master’s degree in PR and Strategic Communication. Her academic paper through EUPRERA, Women in Public Relations, released in March and she recently joined a PRCA team investigating misinformation in the climate crisis. In June 2021, she will begin PhD research on the impact of media and Government pandemic communication on BAME communities at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Teela is a committee member of CIPR Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, PRCA Diversity Network and a founding member of A Leader Like Me.

Jaitika Dhir

A PR professional based in India with multi-faceted experience in industries from the UK and India and founder at JD Global PR. Additionally a writer and former journalist under NUJ, UK. Experienced in working in charitable, NGO, sustainable and educational sectors to bring forward their unique stories and fetch credible fame for them in the long run. Determined to help as many start-ups and small to medium enterprises with the ability to showcase their story on a global spectrum. Also, a PR trustee of a well-known charity in the UK, where the goal is to provide recycled/refurbished used bikes to low-income families at a very nominal cost and also create employment in this process.

Area of interest: Student/graduates, junior PR professionals.

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Jaitika Dhir

Charlotte Dimond Chart.PR MPRCA MCIPR

Charlotte Dimond has been working in the PR industry for more than 20 years and has run agencies for 16 years. She works with clients across the UK and Europe to help them to define and deliver their strategic communication. Charlotte is a Chartered practitioner and member of the CIPR and PRCA, she is an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and a Trustee at the children’s literary charity Grimm & Co.

Areas of interest: Challenging power, not losing yourself when delivering a professional service

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Charlotte Dimond Chart.PR MPRCA MCIPR

Michelle Doyle

Michelle Doyle is the award-winning creative force behind the public relations consultancy It’s Michelle Doyle PR. Having honed her Marketing Communications skills in the UK at various high-profile public and private organisations, she now operates in Barbados, gaining a reputation of being multi-skilled, professional and extremely personable.

She specialises in Public Relations and has a proven track record in helping businesses effectively promote themselves.

Her belief is no amount of PR will save a business if only part of the problem is solved, therefore her approach of ‘holistic communications for your business needs’, underscores her work ethos: for a business to be successful externally, it also needs to be functioning efficiently internally.

Her passion to educate and support entrepreneurs on the benefits of PR has led her to be a sought after Speaker, Writer and Mentor.
In her spare time, if there is any, she loves to walk along the beach listening to the waves crashing and is currently in the process of writing a book.

Michelle can be found on LinkedIn and Instagram

Areas of interest: The education of Public Relations and how important it is for businesses of any size.

Contact for a buddy chat by clicking here.

Michelle Doyle

Simon Francis MPRCA

Simon has worked in communications for over 20 years and led high profile integrated campaigns for EngineeringUK and England’s Department for Education.

Simon currently co-ordinates the work of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition and delivers campaigns for Palms Row Health Care, Social Enterprise Scotland and the Social Workers Union. Further recent experience includes running campaigns for Project Syndicate, Brathay Trust and Power To Change.

Simon is Editorial Director of The Rooftop News CIC, convenes the Charities Against Hate Policy & Public Affairs working group and is Chair of Public Relations and Communications Association’s Charity and Not for Profit Group.

Simon was Chair of the PRCA Council in 2020 and led its work on defining and measuring the social impact of public relations and serving on the Ad Net Zero Steering Group. Simon is also a trustee of the Association of Colleges Charitable Trust and formerly chaired the PR Apprenticeships Trailblazer employer group.

Simon can be found on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Areas of interest: Social impact, not-for-profit

Contact for buddy chat by clicking her e.

Simon Francis MPRCA

Fiona Hughes

Fiona Hughes started her PR career in the early 2000s, and has worked on global and local campaigns across many industry sectors since. In 2019, Fiona made the official move into influencer marketing – having seen its rapid growth. Fiona is now European MD of Collectively – an award-winning social influence company that brings together bespoke services with our industry’s most innovative technology. We’re a part of You & Mr Jones, the world’s first Brandtech™ group.

Areas of interest: influencer marketing and client services/management

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Fiona Hughes

Lyndon Johnson

Lyndon is the Founder of communications research and development company THINK DIFFERENT[LY] and General Manager of COMMS.BAR – a walk-in PR and marketing clinic located in Toronto, Canada. He has spent the last 20 years helping organizations develop communications strategies that deliver measurable commercial impact.

Social Links:

PATREON.COM/THINK_DIFFERENTLY

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinklyndon/

twitter.com/@THINK_Lyndon

https://comms.bar/

https://thinkdifferently.ca

Areas of interest: How to test a strategy, How to measure strategic business impact

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here

Lyndon Johnson

Dan Jones MCIPR

Dan is Communications and Public Affairs Officer for Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), a membership organisation which supports healthcare professionals across the UK. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, he has worked in Public Affairs for three years. He led a multi-award winning Public Affairs campaign for all secondary school pupils in Scotland to be taught CPR in a previous role with BHF Scotland, and has also held previous roles working for a Member of Parliament and as an intern with the Scottish Government during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Areas of interest: public affairs, equality, mental health

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Dan Jones MCIPR

Sarah Lloyd

In the media and PR business for 23 years, Sarah Lloyd quit her global corporate role in 2017, in a bid to be a master of her own and to bring a better balance to her life, which led her to setting up her own PR and Brand Consultancy – IndigoSoulPR. An intuitive and Reiki Energy Master herself, she specialises in working in ‘flow’ so has thrown the rule book out the window. Her mission is to teach and guide others to share their stories, without fear, on their terms.

Specialising in her own brand of magic based, conscious PR and communications – her Alchemy strategy sessions help to ignite the fire within, acknowledge blocks, and help to transmute all that has held clients back from stepping up and sharing their mission and purpose.

She is a graduate of the SEED Network – led by author and Women’s Empowerment Guru Lynne Franks. In March 2020 her book Connecting the Dots – ‘A Guide to making Magic with the Media’ was published via the Unbound Press. She is a radio presenter on Wellbeing Radio – her show ‘Connecting the Dots’ explores all the ways to share your story on your terms in all areas of your life. Features editor of online spiritual title UnTamed Soul; and Publicist for The UnBound Press and That Guys House Publishing House. And in 2020 became the judge of best spiritual brand for the Soul & Spirit Awards.

She has worked with a mix of clients – including authors and entrepreneurs as well as small and large businesses – to build awareness of their brands and products in a magical and purposeful way. When not working, Sarah can be found at the bottom of the garden pottering about in the greenhouse, dropping crystals at sacred sites, attempting to practice Yoga, or outside enjoying the countryside with her two girls.

Areas of interest: How to do your own PR, Create a framework to flow within.

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Sarah Lloyd

Belinda Rastall Chart.PR MCIPR

Since beginning her PR career in 2005, Belinda has worked across many high-profile client accounts and on national and regional remits, both in-house and agency side, with particular specialisms in toy and leisure, tourism, hospitality and property. Prior to joining Liz Lean PR, Belinda held the role of PR Manager at global real estate services provider Savills, covering 14 offices across the south, south west and the Channel Islands, with responsibility for residential, new homes, rural, lettings, planning and development. While at Savills, Belinda also held a position on the Savills Southern Region Business Development Board.

Belinda holds the position of Account Director at Liz Lean PR, a non sector specific public relations and communications agency based in Sandbanks on the south coast of England. She provides strategic direction, creative insight and commercial focus across the client portfolio. Belinda also holds Chartered status with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), which is awarded for the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.

Areas of interest: Collaborating with other creative industry agencies, Decentralisation of agency life

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Belinda Rastall Chart.PR MCIPR

Sudha Singh Chart.PR MCIPR MPRCA

Sudha Singh is the founder of The Purpose Room a virtual consultancy working at the inter-section of organisational purpose, inclusion and business sustainability. She has over 28 years experience in advising C-Suite of multinationals, governments, industry associations and NGOs across geographies including UK and India. Her expertise lies in building robust partnerships to deliver unique integrated reputation campaigns, managing complex thought leadership and crisis projects. She has advised clients faced with regulatory, political and environmental challenges as well as those facing union and civil society activism.

She is a certified EDI trainer advising clients on creating measurable frameworks for organisational change including culture change and diversity in leadership. Her experience in gender diversity dates back to 2002, when she was tasked with setting up a Pan-Commonwealth Business Women’s Network (CBWN) at the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) mandated to mainstream key gender concerns within the work of the CBC.

Businesses she has advised include DuPont, IHG, Tata Sons and group companies, Board of In- vestment Mauritius, EDB, Tata Steel, Molson Coors, Reliance Industries, Bloomberg Philan- thropies, Vedanta, Confederation of Indian Industry among others

Sudha is the host of ‘The Elephant in the Room’ Podcast, a founding member of PRCA Race and Ethnicity Equity Board(REEB), a member of CIPR Diversity Network, an advisor to PRADAN and a volunteer campaign champion with Save the Children. In her spare time she loves spending time with her three (adult) children, volunteering and reading poetry.

www.thepurposeroom.org

Podcast: The Elephant in the Room

Mobile: +44(0)7500 157868

Areas of interest: Diversity and inclusion in leadership

Contact for buddy chat by clicking here.

Sudha Singh Chart.PR MCIPR MPRCA

Sophie Thirkell

Sophie is a PR Project Manager at Zero Waste Scotland. Since starting her PR career three years ago, she has worked on national campaigns aimed at tackling Scotland’s carbon footprint. She also drafts responses to the media on high profile topics in the environment sector. When she’s not promoting sustainable behaviour change, Sophie can be found experimenting with clay pottery or walking her sausage dog, George.

Sophie Thirkell

Steph Brown

Steph is an Account Manager for Bath-based agency, Clearly PR. Steph’s PR and Communications career began three years during her third year of university, whilst studying for an English and Journalism degree. Her experience crosses a diverse range of B2B and B2C sectors including Recruitment, Baby Products, Charity, Law, Accountancy and Data & Analytics. When away from her desk, Steph loves baking and long walks in the countryside.

Steph Brown