'In PR seek roles where the work feels bigger than yourself'

What does your current role involve?
My partner's team brings in the work, my team executes the work. We help companies craft a narrative that accompanies their IPO roadshow. We're currently helping pre-IPO clients balance regulatory demands, stakeholder expectations, and the company's bold narrative while mitigating risks in a scrutinised environment. 

For every client, we develop a IPO communications roadmap that aligns with business objectives, including pre-IPO quiet periods, roadshow messaging, and post-IPO investor relations. We also provide clients with a workshop that ensures consistency across all channels, positioning the CCO as a strategic advisor in the C-suite. 

We work with a client's legal and public affairs team to ensure and enforce strict adherence to SEC rules, such as limiting pre-IPO promotions and designating specific spokespeople for investor and media interactions. 

We find that communications should stick to factual, historical data rather than forward-looking hype to prevent delays or penalties. We have a monitoring team that guide executive communications to comply with quiet period restrictions and fair disclosure regulations. 

Our investor relations team builds financial acumen to partner with the CFO and IR team, preparing materials like the S-1 filing, earnings scripts, and Q&A sessions that highlight a client's growth potential without overpromising.

What do you focus on?
My area of hands-on focus is on elevating the visibility of key leaders as thought leaders through targeted outreach, ensuring the roadshow narrative resonates with institutional investors seeking long-term value in a client's specific vertical. On occasion, the client may ask for input on internal communications via town halls, memos, and updates on the IPO process, addressing concerns like stock options and cultural shifts post-IPO. 

The challenge is to enforce a culture of discretion to prevent leaks that could violate regulations. We're currently working on contingency plans for potential issues, such as launch failures, regulatory hurdles, or market volatility, with rapid response protocols to protect a client's reputation. 

Our monitoring team works with the client to track stakeholder sentiment across employees, customers, and the public to enhance brand equity in a transparent, digital age. We believe the CCO's success will hinge on being embedded in the IPO process from the start, acting as a bridge between internal teams and external audiences. The specialist function of our firm means the work is focused and the team's across each of the defined functions gets more exposure across industries and unexpected twists.

What do you love most about working in public relations?
Crafting and unleashing a powerful, unified narrative (through the S-1 filing, roadshow presentations, media outreach, and CEO positioning) feels like the culmination of years of brand-building. It's peak of creative and strategic satisfaction: turning complex business stories into something resonant and inspiring that captures investor imagination and public excitement. Seeing investors react in real time, refining messaging on the fly, and building momentum. It's exhausting but exhilarating, like a high-stakes performance where every session hones the story and directly influences valuation and success.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?
We're helping a private American aerospace and artificial intelligence company with its pre-IPO communications. This year, the founder acquired several of his relatively smaller AI companies all under the banner of the aerospace company. Despite the founder's history of controversial communications, the merger announcement generated largely positive coverage across outlets like CNN, Reuters, and Yahoo Finance, focusing on the valuation and IPO boost rather than conflicts of interest. 

Since we were in the loop from day zero, this outcome reflected on effective PR prep, including briefing key journalists and leveraging the founder's social media presence for amplification without regulatory missteps. No major backlash ensued, which is notable given the deal's size as the one of the largest private mergers ever. 

I've also enjoyed mapping out the Scoop mindset for effective story pitching and in tweaking with a concept for IPO communications called Narrative Resonance Index. Both are open source in spirit and have been well received.

How long have you been a CIPR member and what made you join?
The CIPR awarded me a specialist diploma in public affairs in 2021, membership in 2024, accreditation in 2025, and chartership status in 2026. I joined to start the journey of true mastery and to represent the CIPR in the States.

How does the CIPR support your career?
Mentors maketh man. I frequently seek out experts for guidance and they are very generous with their time.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
Seek roles where the work feels bigger than yourself, whether it's advancing humanity's multi-planetary future or another transformative cause. Once you're in, embrace the relentless tempo; it's what fuels breakthroughs and personal growth. Become the force that thrives in chaos and sees high pressure as a feature, not a bug. Hone your ability to translate technical feats into compelling, accessible stories that inspire stakeholders, media, employees, and the public. 

The best communicators don't just inform, they make the impossible feel inevitable and exciting. Prioritise clarity, inspiration, and consistency over hype. Position yourself as a strategic partner to leaders (CEO, executives), not just a tactical executor. In high-visibility, high-risk environments, reliability during crises, regulatory navigation, and executive positioning builds lasting influence. 

Embrace f*ck-ups and failures. If you're not failing, you're not taking any risks. You're not learning how to carve the path. Failing means you're growing. Take it on the chin. Learn from setbacks, stay adaptable, and view challenges as prologue to bigger wins. Persistence and learning from history pay off in visionary fields. As often as possible and in person, keep teams informed, motivated, and aligned during transformations. The real leverage comes from a unified, high-morale organisation that amplifies the external story.

Find out more about joining the CIPR

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