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Karen Watt - A PR GP

When we say that Karen Watt of communications search company Taylor Bennett is a ‘Public Relations General Practitioner’, we mean her career has been so varied she’s worked right across the communications spectrum, in-house and in agencies, in the UK and abroad, from fashion to airlines and lots in between. Now a Taylor Bennett consultant specialising in internal and change communication, we talked her through her career to date, and found out how it all began with a textiles degree and an inspirational lecture from Lynne Franks.

By Unicorn Jobs

I’m always interested how people get into communications since it isn’t something that was even on my radar at school or college.

Well my degree couldn’t be in a more unlikely subject. I studied textiles at Central St Martin’s in London, but while I was there I also held down four jobs.

Four!

Yes. At a market research group, as a stockbroker’s assistant, co-ordinating orders and deliveries for a fast-food delivery company, and waitressing at weekends. I guess I have a strong work ethic.

So how did you shift from art to commerce

At college I enjoyed the ‘art law’ lectures. Someone from a design management company came in with a lawyer and taught us about copyrighting design, pricing our products and how to structure a design business. I realised I wanted to get involved in the business side of design. So I decided to become a textile agent, representing the business interests of textile artists.

How do you get into something like that?

First I went on a graduate-entry government-sponsored business course. I’ll always remember an inspirational lecture by Lynne Franks [the well-known public relations consultant, of course, and reputed model for the Jennifer Saunders character in ‘Absolutely Fabulous’]. She was very smart but down-to-earth and her job sounded really interesting and varied. I think the seed of an idea – to do PR – was sown then.

What was your first job?

I knew I needed business experience, so I went into a big design agency – Fitch – but not in a creative role. Instead I went to work for the Commercial Director. From there I moved to two more design agencies. In career terms, it’s called ‘grazing’ – I was roaming the jobs market, picking up valuable experience and skills.

What sort of skills?

Really simple but useful things – how to cold call, how to record and manage your financial accounts, how to read the business pages and monitor industry, markets and trends. Also I was learning to manage clients and teams – I would take the brief from a client, return and commission the work, feed back, steer the design, liaise with the creatives.

Did you enjoy it?

The problem was that I was always in the middle – yo-yoing between the client and the creatives. I felt I wanted to be more involved in the ‘doing’ part. I used to read all the trade journals like Marketing Week and Campaign, and one week picked up PR Week. I read about a woman called Lisa Nelson who’d just won an award for her company – PR Unlimited – and that she was looking for people to join her team. I applied and got the job.

So you abandoned your idea of becoming a textile agent – or setting up any other business on your own?

Yes. By now I realised that I was drawn by big business – not setting up my own on the kitchen table. I just sensed the opportunities in big companies. Besides, PR can still be very creative – you’re writing press releases, deciding strategy, understanding businesses, products and the market place, etc. My new boss was very charismatic and determined to succeed. She drove you hard, but you learnt a lot.

Such as?

Discipline, determination, responsibility. I loved the new challenges – and there was a bit of glamour too.

Glamour?

Yes. My first account was Clothes Show Live. It was fantastic to be launched into the deep end working with such a client. In terms of PR it was a great learning curve – we worked with the BBC TV show, BBC radio and a BBC magazine. So immediately I got exposure to working in all those media. In some PR jobs you can sit behind a desk for six months and not meet a single journalist, but I was working with the media almost as colleagues but also with all the commercial radio stations, other TV networks and all the national and regional magazines and newspapers.

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself

It was hard work but the event was massive at this time – the height of its commercial success. I was absorbed by it but I enjoyed being part of a team, with responsibility and working on such a high-profile event. I also had other clients, including Wedgwood, Laura Ashley and launching Anya Hindmarch’s first shop.

Any lows?

Oh yes. Working until 4am. And the pay wasn’t brilliant. But the company did look after you – there were rewards. And the work was exciting and I learnt so much. PR best practice was drummed into me there until it became second nature. That was the best foundation I could have had for my career. But after four years, I was tired of the consumer cycle and really wanted a change and new challenge.

What did you do?

I became PR and Press Officer at London City Airport, the business airport based in Docklands. It was in at the deep end again though. When I arrived they fired their PR agency and I had to set-up everything in-house.

Did you have a handover period?

Well sort of – one month! It was really hard. Effectively I had to start from scratch. One of the first things I had to learn was crisis management – obviously that’s vital at an airport. I also learnt a lot about business, working with the Commercial Firector and Managing Director – how airlines make money and how the concessions in the airport operate. There were some 500 people working there – I edited the magazine which went to everyone including passengers – it was interesting having PRs contacting me to try and persuade me to run stories about their clients. I also handled all the film crews that used the airport as a location, acted as a spokesperson and worked with the all airlines to launch their routes. But after two years it was time to move on again – this time to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong!

Yes. I had friends there and went on holiday. My colleagues joked, “I hope you’re not taking a handbag full of CVs?” In fact I did. My plan was to get a job at the new airport being built but I found myself accepting a job with the Hill & Knowlton agency in the corporate and finance team.

What was it like working overseas?

Fascinating. There were 55 people in our office, with an Aussie MD and just four other ex-pats. Everyone else was a local hire. I worked for clients in various sectors – not only corporate and finance but also consumer, healthcare and technology. The agency’s biggest client in Asia Pacific was Boeing, which I ran – they were a great company to work for – really sophisticated.

Meaning?

Well this was 1997. In Hong Kong we were all on e-mail then (whereas I only knew two people in the UK at that time with e-mail). We’d get a daily ‘heads-up’ e-mail briefing from Boeing HQ in Seattle – there were 100 people in the PR department there – on sales, deals, production matters and any global incidents – we were very well briefed. It was fantastic – very professional. I also worked for Banco Santander [the Spanish bank which took over Abbey National], the Economist and the Sheraton hotel group.

Did you enjoy being an ex-pat?

It was fun. There was lots of business travel and looking back now some of the experiences seem rather surreal. I remember going to the Philippines with Marlboro – the cigarette company – which had sponsored a 21-day Asian cycle tour. I was the International Press Officer. There was a group of 500 of us following this group of cyclists around the country and I was one of only four women in the entourage. Everyone on the management team seemed to smoke – except me!

But you came back to the UK

Yes – at the end of 1998. I was offered the chance to go to Shanghai but decided I didn’t want to become a long-term ex-pat. When I returned to the UK I met Barry Eaglestone [of communications headhunter Taylor Bennett] and he put me into Cohn and Wolfe, the WPP consumer/corporate agency.

What was your job title by then?

I was what they called an ‘investment hire’ – with no specific role. They were expanding and they wanted to build up their team.

And your clients?

When I arrived the company was re-pitching for their major client Visa. I stepped up and led that work. It was a great team effort – and we retained the account – Visa’s pan-European business, including the UK. In the process I learnt a lot about banking and business. It’s a fascinating organisation and business ‘machine’. As this was 1999 we also had to plan for Y2K, and chip and pin was coming in. It was an exciting time.

Were you at home working for a ‘banking’ client?

All along, I’ve found that it really helps to “know your numbers” – it’s not enough to just know about your client company’s products or services. You have to know what makes their business tick. What are the profitable parts of the operation? Where are they looking to expand – to invest. What are the issues facing the business in financial terms. I’d always put my hand up for financial training when it was offered at the agencies and firms I worked for. It just gives you a lot more confidence – not only when speaking to the press but also when having a meaningful conversation with the people that run the company you’re working for.

Did you just work on Visa?

No – you always work on a number of clients but I certainly had ‘lead’ accounts. I did two years with Visa and then three with Orange – I was part of the pitch for the Orange account and we won the F1 sponsorship business, which I led and then three months later Orange instructed us to handle all the consumer and business PR.

So by now, your earlier ambitions to be at the sharp end and heavily involved in big business had come true

I guess so. I feel lucky to have had such great and interesting clients. Boeing for their professionalism and Orange for their clear brand understanding and determination to do things differently!

Differently?

Yes, creative but cleverly different and always in keeping with their business propositions and services. With Orange we worked hard – but it was rewarding. I regularly got calls from my client at unsociable hours. I also worked for Cohn and Wolfe on the Samsung account – they were one of the biggest sponsors of the Athens Olympics in 2004. After five years with Cohn & Wolfe I’d become a Board Director and still enjoyed my job but decided to take some time out to spend more time with my husband and child but I did some freelancing.

How was that?

It didn’t really suit me. I didn’t like working from home – I preferred to be part of a team. I’d met Sara Wells [also from headhunter Taylor Bennett] in Hong Kong and we spoke about my career. “Have you ever thought about headhunting?” she asked me. I hadn’t, but was intrigued. I went in and saw Heather McGregor, the Managing Director. “Try it,” she said. “If you like it great, if not, we’ll find you a job.” It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Looking back, what personal qualities did you develop in PR?

Strong courage of conviction, tenacity and stand up for what you believe is right, to be personable, to make an effort to network, to be creative and to be resourceful. In fact all the qualities needed to be a successful headhunter!

Karen became a headhunter in January 2005, and Heather McGregor hasn’t had to find her another job!

This article first appeared in the Finance Talking Careers Centre