Heather Yaxley
Salisbury, England
Email: hyaxley at supanet dot com
Twitter: @greenbanana – and you can find me in LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ etc
Current Role
I am proud to be a hybrid academic-educator-consultant-practitioner – a 21st century portfolio worker with a range of interests and commitments across public relations and professional development.
After more than a decade at the sharp-end of PR practice in the motor industry, in 2000, I established Applause Consultancy to provide strategic consultancy and educational initiatives. My clients have included large multinationals, trade bodies, not-for-profits and a number of very interesting small-medium enterprises (SMEs).
I was appointed General Secretary of the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association in 2004 and have transformed this 40-something-year old body representing communicators in the motor industry into a professional company recognised as a learned society, representing nearly 500 professional communicators. With an elected committee, I manage membership development, training and networking initiatives, financial matters and guiding the long-term strategic operation of the association – plus the day-to-day communications and other activities. Check out www.mipaa.com and @mipaa.
Academic Activities
I am currently studying a PhD in career strategies in public relations under the supervision of Professor Tom Watson and Dr Anne Benmore at Bournemouth University. My aim is to provide insight into this under-researched area that combines academic understanding of career theory and real-world PR practice at one of the most dynamic times for occupational development. I presented a paper at the 2011 International History of Public Relations conference on the origins of careers in PR, which you can read in the proceedings available via this link.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and acted as the original external examiner of the new CIPR Foundation Award and the first tutor for the CIPR Diploma in Bulgaria in 2007. As a part-time lecturer at Bournemouth University, I enjoy working with final year dissertation students on the BA PR degree. I never cease to be amazed at the standard of young practitioner entering this exciting world with the benefit of a specialist qualification behind them. My role also encompasses working with first year undergraduates – who are not only fascinating, open to learning, and funny, but remind me of how quickly the world changes – and how important it is to understand the other perspective. I am also working in 2011 with the London College of Communication teaching Professionalism on its newly revalidated PR degree course.
Another role in my portfolio is course director for CIPR qualifications offered by Cambridge Marketing Colleges (CMC) since 1999, where I have developed an online education resource, and worked with a range of interesting experienced PR practitioners from a wide range of organisations.
In 2006, I created a professional development initiative, Green Banana, to highlight best practice in academic and vocational understanding of public relations. In particular, this focuses on new media and social networking – with the blog, www.greenbanana.wordpress.com and an educational website: www.greenbanana.biz.
I authored two chapters in the 4th edition of Alison Theaker’s Public Relations Handbook (on risk, issues and crisis management, and digital public relations) and am currently working as co-editor on the Strategic Public Relations Toolkit (a ‘how-to’ book with brains), which will be published by Routledge in 2012. I’ve also been asked to contribute a chapter providing a PR perspective for a textbook on Media Convergence.
Interests
As well as being an active participant in new media, I am a voracious reader (anything and everything) – online and printed media. I am fascinated by perspectives on thinking processes (critical, intuitive, reasoned and creative) and my hobbies include a futile attempt to practice canine psychology, hypnotically watching the sea and the social sin of enjoying driving. I have a marvellous sense of direction, oodles of common sense and a sense of humour. Whilst recognising my personal and professional impact on the planet, I am conscious of the challenge presented by encouraging others to develop their PR career in a sustainable and responsible motor industry.
Professional Background
With a degree in psychology, my entry into PR came through working as an industry analyst at the Motor Industry Research Unit, which was part of the University of East Anglia. On the basis of a series of publications and reports studying the global automotive industry, I was appointed as Public Relations Officer at Peugeot Motor Company Limited. My career progressed through roles at National Breakdown (now Green Flag) and Toyota GB Limited. I also worked as a Business Unit Leader at PRISM LLC (a WPP communications consultancy), notably managing the Henry Ford European Conservation Awards and Ford’s cause related marketing initiative with Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the UK. I now enjoy being my own boss taking full advantage of the global opportunities offered to entrepreneurial PR practitioners.
Professional Community Activities
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and became an Accredited Practitioner in 2006.
Awards and qualifications
BSc Honours in Psychology, RSA Diploma in Business Administration, CAM Advanced Diploma and Higher Diploma in Public Relations (received Women in PR award, IPR award + Certificate of Merit from Worshipful Company of Marketors). PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, ABC Certificate in Information Technology: Image Production and Web Design. Hoping to achieve my Masters in 2012 and my PhD by 2015.
Why PR Conversations?
As an avid reader of this collaborative blog, I was honoured to be asked to present some UK perspectives to the global audience of conversationalists. This is an exciting time for public relations, and PR Conversations provides a great opportunity to connect with others who are keen to expand their knowledge and understanding of the profession. When the chance came to be involved in the Redux version, I was keen to be part of a new editorial team and build on the blog with fresh ideas.
I look forward to some light chit-chat as well as more formal reflection on the major challenges facing the profession of PR. Opinions expressed are entirely my own, and not reflective of any of the organisations with which I am associated.
I hope to highlight some of the people, practices and principles that make the UK a dynamic PR environment and look forward to hearing from you regarding any topic you would be interested in discussing. Let the conversation begin.