For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow. And So Is He

So, I’ve been going more than a year now. Zude PR, that is.

It’s been amazing.

I’ve been meaning to say thanks to everyone who’s helped me over the past 12 months.

A gratitude blog post if you will. I’ve nicked the idea from Stephen Waddington.

But I’ve never gotten round to it.

And, to be honest, I probably never will.

So – apart from the obvious ones without whom I could never have taken this giant leap for Sawyer-kind – I thought I’d pick one person.

Someone who’s had my back. Someone who’s been supportive. Someone who’s given wise words (see what I did there, Jane). Someone who seems to make good things happen.

I’ve known Inverness and Edinburgh-based Platform PR MD Jane Cumming for the best part of 20 years.

Ever since we were thrown together as buddies on a touchy-feely training course in Dundee.

I’ve bumped into her at “do’s”, shared tables at events with her, and served on the CIPR committee she chaired.

There aren’t many people she doesn’t know in the Scottish PR industry. Only yesterday she rang me while I was having lunch with a senior ex-broadsheet journalist. It turns out she went to school with his wife’s sister.

Over the years, it’s always been good to catch up. She’s a great communications practitioner (particularly crisis management), a fellow grammar pedant, and like me, is always learning.

But it’s only been since I set up my own PR firm in April 2014 that I’ve come to really value having people like Jane around. She’s looked out for me, and I her.

So David, is there a point to this shaggy dog story?

Well, yes, because I have some news to share.

I’ve just found out that the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), my trade body, has awarded me a Fellowship for outstanding contribution to the UK PR industry.

I feel like a cross between Frodo Baggins and Michael Corleone from The Godfather.

As you can tell, I’m proud and honoured. I had a great time at Weber Shandwick, latterly heading the firm’s Glasgow office between 2009 and 2014.

But, and such are the necessities of running a small business, I really feel like I’m contributing to the wider PR community now. Giving something back. So becoming one of around 20 Fellows in Scotland is a most welcome development.

What’s this got to do with Jane Cumming you ask? Why’s he going off at a tangent, AGAIN?

Well, it was Jane who put me forward.

So thanks fellow Fellow Jane Cumming. And thanks, secretive CIPR Fellowship Nominations Committee (FNC). And thanks, UK PR.

Right, by way of celebration, I’m off to spend the weekend with my wonderful family in a caravan on Scotland’s West Coast. Another PR stereotype debunked.

And to those (many) I haven’t thanked for their support over the last year, sorry about that.

But you know who you are.

Mwaah.

I’m a UK PR man based in Glasgow with 18 years’ experience. For a good idea of what I do on a daily basis, download this free ebook launched yesterday, to which I contributed. To get useful stuff from me every week, subscribe to my list. 

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