Kass Sells’ Post

I want to share a story about returning to work after the birth of my first child. I always had a feeling I would be the kind of mom who would return to work sooner than most. The truth is, I really enjoy working. I have always known this, but I became even more keenly aware of it after my business was acquired a few years ago. When I exited, I took a partial sabbatical while I considered my next move. This was hard for me. I don’t always thrive in stillness, but years of burnout and disillusionment with my profession had taken their toll. I needed a break badly. In all honesty, I never expected to return to the industry. I explored a few new and different opportunities, but they never quite hit the mark. It wasn’t until I was pregnant that I started to think about a return to the PR industry. This was an unexpected development, but as time went on, I started to gain clarity on the things that really mattered to me in my work: freedom, collaboration, creativity, and leadership. For the first time, I began to miss the field I turned my back on. About six months after my daughter was born, I was hungry to get back to work. I really enjoyed my maternity leave, but I knew that I needed some variety in my days and that being totally off work for much longer would make me antsy. I needed something just for me, something that would fill my cup and help me be the best possible parent. I started to get a sense of the job market. I applied for a few in-house roles for which I was extremely qualified and anxiously mentioned I was returning from maternity leave in my cover letters. I didn’t get a single response. I was already nervous about returning to work after an extended break, and this didn’t help. I spoke to a few trusted advisors, colleagues and friends to get their insight. At the urging of Tak Yukawa, I started to think about returning to agency life. He introduced me to Maxine Jakubke at PUBLiSH Partners. One email introduction all of a sudden became an incredible offer that included working remotely, a gradual return to entry, and the chance to do the meaningful work I craved. More importantly, it gave me the gift of being a present mom for my daughter, which is undoubtedly the greatest perk of all. I am so grateful to work for a company that celebrates women and mothers. Imagine the world today if every workplace did the same. I hope that world is one my daughter gets to experience in her lifetime.

"When you find yourself hesitating to ask the "obvious" question, do it anyway. Your team will thank you for it," - Camille Weleschuk, MBA, VP, Office of the CEO and ATB Financial. Camile joins 18 other Forbes Communications Council members in sharing key insights they wish they had known earlier in their careers. For example, Nextdoor Head of Corporate Communications, Antonia Gray, wishes she had "known the power of a concise message supported by data." At the same time, Snipp Interactive CMO Tom Treanor explains why "most good ideas need to be consistently executed over time to reveal their true value." Read more insights from María Amalia Rojas-Gjørup, CMO at XWECAN, Nat L., VP of Marketing at Sift, Toby Wong, Principal at Toby Wong Consulting, Iryna Manukovska, VP of strategic relations at XME.digital solutions, Erin Nourijanian, VP of marketing at UBS Arena, Yael Klass, VP of corporate marketing at Similarweb, Jamie Bell, VP of marketing at Workshop, Brittany Garlin, director of marketing at Vista Social, Megan Ruszkowski, head of marketing at CoreSite, Eric Fletcher, CEO at Eric Fletcher Consulting Group, Melissa Kandel, CEO at little word studio, Roshni Wijayasinha, CM, MBA, CEO at Prosh Marketing, Carla Gutiérrez García Panzano, head of global communications at GMS - Global Message Services, Alyssa Kopelman, director, head of corporate marketing at Healthline Media, Tiffany Staples, VP of marketing at Celebrus, and Tom Wozniak, COO at Optizmo Technologies, LLC. https://bit.ly/47eabGO #CMO #communications

#ZACHMultimediaBusinessTitans Sunil John Has Been Synonymous With PR And Communications In The GCC And Larger Middle East. Driving The Company ASDA'A BCW He Founded 24 Years Ago To Great Heights. Strange Are The Ways Of Corporatedom. But Knowing Sunil, He Will Rise Like A Phoenix And Give His Former Corporate A Few Lessons In The Art Of Rebuilding. === "Asda’a BCW leader Sunil John & North America president Mary Corcoran to depart; Edelman’s Michelle Hutton joins in global role; Kristine Boyden arrives as Americas CEO; promotions for regional heads Scott Wilson & Guido Gaona "NEW YORK — BCW has made a number of changes to its global leadership – the first significant moves to the senior team since former Google communications head Corey duBrowa took over as the agency’s global CEO from Donna Imperato in August. "There will be two departures from the firm at the end of this year: North America president Mary Corcoran, and Sunil John, president of the Middle East and North Africa, and founder of Asda’a BCW. "John (pictured, left) sold his shares in the company to WPP earlier in the year and will remain in his role as president until the end of 2023. He will help to transition the region and clients to Scott Wilson, a 13-year BCW veteran, who has been promoted to CEO of BCW’s newly-formed EMEA region. "Corcoran joined BCW last year from Real Chemistry, where she was chief client officer. Her next move is not yet known. "DuBrowa said. “I’d like to thank both Mary Corcoran and Sunil John for all of their contributions to the agency over the years – Sunil built Asda’a BCW from the ground up over two decades of effort – and wish them the best in their future endeavors.” "In the US, Kristine Boyden will join the agency in the new role of CEO, Americas, covering the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America, with oversight of business growth; senior client counsel; and talent acquisition, development and retention. She also has been named a member of BCW’s executive committee and global board. "Wilson (pictured, bottom right) had been BCW’s Europe and Africa president for the past five years. Before that, he was UK CEO and managing director of EMEA at Cohn & Wolfe. Earlier in his career, he was MD of consumer marketing for UK and EMEA at Weber Shandwick and head of media at Porter Novelli. Wilson and John will work together to appoint new leadership for Asda’a BCW. "San Francisco-based Boyden joins BCW after three years as chief communications officer with Cruise, the self-driving automotive company. In that role she built the communications team, an in-house creative studio and cutting-edge media analytics operation."... ... https://lnkd.in/dUK3Ky4W

Reminiscing on how my week went…. I just want to take my flowers as much as I give to those that surround me. One thing I love about my job is that it gives me a multifaceted career. My journey across corporate restructuring, brand management, product introductions, market rollouts, local and international crisis communications responses and management, B2B and B2C communications, CSR, sustainability campaigns, media relations, digital marketing, and perception management has truly been fulfilling. Even with all of the shenanigans that come on the way, I truly love what I do. For those who have worked with me, the clients that I have worked with, the brands and corporate organizations that I have handled and managed, the result truly speaks for itself. The passion that drives me, the commitment of going above and beyond. It is satisfying when the result and impact speak. Today, I am doing me and taking my🌹🌹I encourage every one of you, my LinkedIn friends - take your time, and give yourself the flowers that you truly deserve because nobody can appreciate you as much as you do! #GreatfulHeart #PRLady #MarketingCommunication #BrandManagement #MabelAdeteye

So, this just happened. Here's what I've learned so far, nearly six months in to consulting life via my company, Red Dog Strategies. It's great -- freeing and exciting. The only downside is twofold -- 1) it's hard to scale when you're one person, and 2) it can get kinda lonely. I've been doing strategic communications work for a long time, and the single best part of it, every step of the way, is getting to work with interesting, smart colleagues. So when I met Brian Baker, and he introduced me to Dan Tarman and Claudia Gioia, and we began discussing what Perceptual Advisors LLC was (and what it wasn't), I got really excited. Here was a chance to partner with dozens of the best, most senior communications and marketing experts in the world, representing a wide range of industries, companies, and geographies. PA is a unique firm comprised entirely of senior-level talent that provides strategy AND execution -- they've flipped the traditional agency model on its head. I will still be actively running Red Dog Strategies, and taking on certain projects under that banner. But now that I have officially joined Perceptual Advisors as managing director of its technology practice, I will also be partnering with some of the brightest minds in strategic communications to be able to work on larger scale efforts across various functions, industries and geographies. I want to thank Brian, Dan, Claudia, and the rest of the PA team for granting me this opportunity. If you're part of an early stage tech startup, or you're a more established company in the space with important strategic comms needs, we are here to help drive your brand percetion and protect and strengthen your reputation. All senior advice and execution, all the time. Reach out to me to learn more.

SPOTLIGHT ON... Jessica Judge   Jessica has recently joined us as Communications Partner Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Co-Lab.   Hi, I’m Jessica. I’m originally from the South Island, but have lived and worked in several big cities and smaller towns around New Zealand; Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton and now Cambridge. I’ve also spent more than 10 years living in Sydney working in marketing for a wide range of industries. Just recently I’ve started at Co-Lab. My role will be a 50/50 split between Waitomo District Council and the Co-Lab office. I’ll be working on communications, marketing, brand and engagement activity for the council and Co-Lab.   What are you most looking forward to in your role?  Definitely the variety of projects and the different people I’m going to meet along the way. What is a career or personal highlight for you over the last year or so?  Working in the disability sector over the last few years has been both a career and personal highlight. I’ve learned a lot about how this sector operates in NZ, how resilient and special the people are that work within it, and the clients that we’re there to support. How does your role support councils and/or communities?  This role will help councils that do not have a large communications department, to be more effective and efficient by collaborating. I’ll assist with management and execution of their communications and engagement activities.   What is it about you that most folks don’t know?  I’m terrified of snakes!   Where is your favourite destination you’ve visited, and why? I can’t narrow it down to one - that’s a big ask! I’m keen on any destination with great beaches a laid-back lifestyle and fantastic food (and preferably no snakes – see above)!  Which do you prefer: flying automobiles, robot housekeepers, or lunar cities?  Robot housekeepers 😊

Ever wanted to uncover the secrets behind Katie Rigg-Smith's approach to strategic thinking as WPP's Chief Strategy Officer for Australia and New Zealand? Now's your chance; take a read of the interview below to find out.

Last night I spoke on a PRINZ - Public Relations Institute of New Zealand and Institute of Directors (IoD) Chief Executive panel “View from the top”. As a warm up, the audience was asked: Cadbury or Whittakers…every single hand went up for Whittakers. It was a simple ice breaker, but on reflection, it was a perfect demonstration of what we were there to talk about: communications and executive leadership. Whittakers executives have invested heavily in marketing and communications, they have tapped into a patriotic nerve and have cleverly managed to both Kiwi-ise their chocolate and market it with the appealing but non-Kiwi Nigella. The strategy wasn’t wholly intuitive but it has worked. Cadbury’s by comparison have been missing the mark and the FMA scam buster campaign this week really really missed the mark! You see, communication professionals punt up some great campaigns and they punt up some dumb ones. BUT it is the responsibility of chief executives, executive leaders and their Boards to pay attention and to interrogate comms strategies as closely as they interrogate other investments. Good comms isn’t cheap and it requires executive judgement as well as comms advice. Quite simply, investment decisions rest with the executive, especially when they come with reputational risk. Comms investments are both. Go well and the executive team will be rewarded. And if they fail, that’s on us too. Kirsten (KP) Patterson Vanessa Horne Lindsey Brittain Fiona Cassidy APR, FPRINZ, LPRINZ Morwenna Grills APR Jill Dawson Jacinda Rapley Jackie Lloyd

Ever wanted to uncover the secrets behind Katie Rigg-Smith's approach to strategic thinking as WPP's Chief Strategy Officer for Australia and New Zealand? Now's your chance; take a read of Katie’s interview with LinkedIn below to find out.

Dive into the world of PR and events with me! Join me as I share insights, strategies, and experiences from my journey as an Account Manager at Concito. Grateful to The InCAP magazine for the opportunity to share my story! #PR #Events #CorporateLeadership"