2023 ambassadors

Steve has a decade of experience leading communications for not-for-profit organisations and joined GSA in 2022. At Citizen he led an award-winning transformation of the communications function, the organisation’s rebrand from WM Housing and its establishment as a trusted voice in the sector.

Steve previously led communications at the housing sector’s professional body, the Chartered Institute of Housing, where he served as the organisation’s chief speechwriter and devised the Make a Stand campaign – a pledge to support people affected by domestic abuse which has since been signed by 400 housing associations across the UK.

He is a thought leader in communications and has delivered keynote sessions at the Inside Housing Communications Conference and Institute of Internal Communications Conference. He is a judge for the UK Housing Awards, the Housing Heroes Awards and the Internal Communication and Engagement Awards.

Steve is a former news editor and worked on newspapers across the West Midlands and Warwickshire for four years before moving into communications and PR. In his spare time Steve enjoys sport, theatre and is a semi-professional voice artist.

Comms Hero has grown into a lively and friendly community of professionals. As communications professionals we so often deal with the same challenges, regardless of the sector we work in, and finding opportunities to share this burden and learn from one another is extremely valuable. It’s this kind of collaboration and learning that Comms Hero enables and supports, and it is my honour to be an ambassador and help to grow this excellent work.

Josephine Graham is a CIPR qualified and accredited marketing and communications professional working at Bradford Council.

Professional learning and connection are hugely important to me – they help me keep on top of my game and they bring joy and friendship into work. I have a huge affection for CommsHero, being based in my home town of Leeds, and I love the combination of positivity and professionalism that the team bring to everything they do. Agreeing to be a CommsHero ambassador was a no-brainer for me and I’m looking forward to working with a team of amazing peers to help shape this year’s agenda.

Lyrically feisty, with a PhD in Communication Management loading, Teela Clayton is a CIPR Accredited PR practitioner whose agency experience spans healthcare, pharma comms, consumer and B2B. Alongside her PhD, Teela works at Leeds Business School as a researcher and lecturer. A former teacher by trade – though she never mentions it – she knows her way around a dictionary and is never without a red pen. Her interests include spelling, Yorkshire Tea, and socio-political communication. She is most oft found atop a soap box, or in a bucolic setting.

My Dad had a saying: everything happens for a reason.
 
These days I can recognise the fatalism of the phrase, but in the days and years after my Dad died, I clutched it beating to my chest; breathed life into its words, reciting it like some shamanic ritual. It explained away those mishaps that seem to happen in succession and only ever when you’re already having a bad day. It numbed the pain of missing out on roles and opportunities, or being overlooked for promotion. It silenced, for a moment, those voices, doubts, about the choices I had made and who I was becoming. It was a small comfort on those moonless nights when I lay awake thinking of Dad, the oppressive darkness crushing me into the foetal position. Everything happens for a reason.
 
Knowing I needed to take ownership of this reason, I made a career change. Mid pandemic, facing an uncertain and inhospitable market, I was ready to give up on PR and communications. One thing the world will always need, I thought miserably as I marked another terrible piece of home-schooling homework, is teachers.
 
But there in my doldrums, I found #CommsHero. I found joy. I found a community at my fingertips. I found Jules Loveland (MCIPR) and Carly Cook (MCIPR) and Rebecca Sangster-Kelly and Keith Riley-Jones. I found swag and biscuits and Desk Buddy and CIPR CPD points. I found knowledge, and laughter, and belonging. I found me.
 
Dad never got to see the way things turned out for me, the teaching, the masters, the PhD. My two babies.
 
But as Dad would say: everything happens for a reason.

(SO FRICKING PROUD TO BE A COMMSHERO AMBASSADOR)

Sara Thornhurst Chart.PR is a disabled PR practitioner and trainer who ran her own agency for several years. She has been speaking out about disability in PR since 2016 and has run workshops on disability inclusion, accessibility and diversity issues at multiple industry events, and is an experienced public speaker and activist. She offers PR consultancy with an EDI focus and runs regular training sessions and workshops for agencies and PR events to help them overcome issues around ableism, and employing and retaining disabled talent. She is also the Chair of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire CIPR Committee and a member of the CIPR’s Diversity Inclusion Network.

Aside from the fact it’s a home-grown phenomenon and I’m super proud it’s in Leeds? Comms Hero is real gem as far as the PR and comms community goes. It’s supportive, inclusive and offers brilliant learning opportunities from all the many niches and areas of communication. Comms Hero is a committed cheerleader of all things comms and I’ve learned so much being involved in the annual #CommsHero conference and I’m honoured and excited play a small part in shaping the coming year.

Ruqaiyah is a public sector Marketing and Communications professional with seven years experience in NHS communications. She decided the #CommsHero life was for her after completing work experience in a Communications Team at just 15 years-old.

A first-class Advertising and Marketing graduate from Lancaster University Management School, Ruqaiyah has a keen interest in social media and new digital communications, but also enjoys the ‘old school’ joy of seeing her press releases, interviews and features published in print media. She loves facing new creative tasks and being pushed to use her initiative to find new ways of sharing important messaging and keeping a captive audience through brand image, reputation and design.

Having worked within mental health, acute, community and specialist NHS services, as well as NHS charities, she has a broad understanding of the health sector and is a self-proclaimed ‘NHS geek’. She also has a keen interest in increasing the diversity of the Marketing and Communications industry, particularly in the public sector, as is a champion of the work of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in the field.

As #CommsHeroes, so much of our role is behind the scenes, highlighting the achievements and singing the praises of our colleagues and the organisations we work for. The #CommsHero movement is a way to shine a light on the work we do, provide a network for us to support and share ideas, and spread positive vibes – why wouldn’t I want to be involved in something as special as that? I am very proud to be a #CommsHero ambassador, and can’t wait to see what new, exciting experiences this opportunity will bring!

Robyn Burke is the Social and Digital Content Specialist for Nottingham Community Housing Association. She’s passionate about being creative and finding new ways to showcase what NCHA do. When she’s not at work, she’s usually reading Malcolm Gladwell, exercising or planning her next snowboarding trip.

I decided to be a #CommsHero ambassador to find more ways to celebrate the unsung heroes across our sector.

As Corporate Affairs Director for Mars Wrigley UK, Naomi is responsible for all internal communications, government relations, corporate reputation, brand PR and consumer care for Mars’ UK confectionary business. From starting her career in agency life working in public affairs, she became a specialist in sustainability communications, crisis management and corporate communications, with experience spanning industries from retail to banking. Over her 14 years at SUEZ, Naomi was instrumental in increasing media share of voice for the waste management company from fifth, to first position. In 2015, she project managed the SUEZ group’s rebranding and repositioning in both the UK and Scandinavia, and has overseen the employee engagement programme resulting in the company being awarded the Sunday Times Best Companies’ ‘Best 25 Big Companies to Work For’ accolade in 2018 and again in 2020, for a predominantly operational and dispersed workforce.

I wanted to be a part of the Comms Hero programme as I love being a part of the comms community and giving back my knowledge and experience. Also, as comms professionals our role is to not only speak to but share the voices of and represent the many different audiences we engage with. CommsHero has always been great at doing this so this programme was something I wanted to be a part of.

Passionate about brand, creativity and putting people first. Lynda is resolute on the need for true equality and diversity. Lynda has led Brand, Communications and Social Impact at family building and engineering company, Sir Robert McAlpine since 2017 as one of ten people on the business’s executive leadership team. She is the Executive sponsor for SRM’s Gender Equality, LGBT+ & Ability Network.  Former positions held include roles within both the public and private sectors such as Central Government, construction, not for profit, automotive, energy, agency and professional services. Lynda is a Board member of Social Enterprise ‘The People’s Pool’ and the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and an Ambassador for the Women’s Leadership Association.

I said yes because I support the Comms hero movement wholeheartedly. It gives me a great sense of pride to be able to help continue the great work that is being done by Comms Hero. The powerful and supportive community that is being built cannot be underestimated.

Lisa’s a public sector comms pro who has recently returned to local government after a couple of years in a membership organisation. Contrary to rumours she had no insight into the upcoming pandemic when she jumped ship in 2019. Currently working as Communications and Performance Manager for Perth and Kinross Council in Scotland and blogs book reviews on the side.

I self-fund my CPD learning and often it’s the cost of travel and accommodation (and time away from family) on top of the ticket price that makes attending in-person conferences prohibitive. The reimagining of CommsHero day into a week prompted by the pandemic was perfect for me. And, the range of speakers and topics – all soaked in the genuine affection for the world of comms that CommsHero embodies – meant the ticket was the best learning investment I ever made. As CommsHero Week now moves into a hybrid model I’m excited to play a part in supporting what this unsurpassed week of learning looks like in 2023.

I am currently working as the Communications Manager for the charity Dementia Adventure. I have over 20 years experience in media and comms.

A passionate advocate of the role of emotional intelligence in communications, I started my career in video production before segueing into website project management, allowing me to hone my writing skills for digital alongside developing my abilities in marketing & PR, leadership development and project management. Marrying strategy with storytelling, I’ve been described as a ‘content Queen’, maximising digital outputs.

I’m a vibrant and engaging public speaker, delivering sessions on Emotional Intelligence, and Wellbeing & Mental Health in Comms/PR.

Previous clients include Center Parcs, BBC, John Lewis Partnership, Deutsche Bank, Procter & Gamble, Waitrose, and The Salvation Army.

I’m also a trained mediator, and previously a counsellor, with specialisms in trauma and conflict resolution.

Member of the Chartered Institute of PR.

Why wouldn’t I? When I was at a low ebb, as a lone Comms worker, I felt lonely and misunderstood. I had no idea where to go for training or support. Then, I discovered CommsHero on Twitter. I found an incredible network of Comms professionals who not only really

knew their stuff, but they were warm, kind, welcoming and occasionally a bit bonkers. I felt like I’d found my tribe! CommsHero is so much more than a network of professionals and opportunity, it’s also friendship, validation, education and support.

Through this movement, (because it IS a movement) I have seen people come together for the good of the sector, support one another with projects, and lean on others when it gets tough.
I said ‘yes’ to being an ambassador because I want to continue to extend the welcome I received to other CommsHeroes who need it.