{"id":92526,"date":"2016-10-06T09:53:27","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T09:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=92526"},"modified":"2016-11-11T16:18:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-11T16:18:04","slug":"pr-spotlight-valentina-kristensen-oaknorth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/pr-spotlight-valentina-kristensen-oaknorth\/","title":{"rendered":"PR Spotlight: Valentina Kristensen, OakNorth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working in PR has been a\u00a0life long dream for Valentina Kristensen, who is head of comms at\u00a0OakNorth<\/a>, a bank for entrepreneurs. Valentina cemented her place within the industry after winning\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>the CIPR outstanding young communicator award in 2015. In this Spotlight Valentina speaks to us about why\u00a0PR is not just about media relations and getting coverage, why\u00a0increased smartphone and internet penetration in developing countries will open up new markets for media professionals, why\u00a0public relations is going to be the driver of reputation in business, and the important role\u00a0CIPR schemes play in helping to develop young PRs.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Can you talk a little bit about your professional background?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>I think I\u2019ve known that I wanted to work in PR since I was about sixteen! I was always very interested in the way that brands are created and developed \u2013 at university as part of my business degree, we studied marketing and communications and I was fascinated by it. At the time, I\u2019d really only considered consumer PR and hadn\u2019t really thought about the fact that banks and insurance companies need PR and reputation management too. Therefore, most of the work experience I gained throughout my university years was in consumer PR. In 2010 however, the BP oil spill happened and that, coupled with the ongoing financial crisis, made me want to pursue a career in corporate and financial PR. I had just graduated and was on the cusp of finishing a three-month internship when I heard of an opening for a trainee executive position at Lansons. I went for it, fortunately got it, and the rest is history!<\/p>\n

What do you most like about your job as the Head of PR and Marketing at OakNorth Bank? And what are the challenges?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>I think one of the great things about working for OakNorth generally is that I\u2019m working for an entrepreneurial, disruptive brand that I feel is genuinely doing something different. An amazing opportunity \u2013 but also a challenge \u2013 lies in building the brand from scratch. Unlike many other new banks in the market, we didn\u2019t have an existing brand or a number of physical retail outlets to capitalise on, but we also benefit from being new and therefore avoid being painted with the same brush as many of the larger, high street banks.<\/p>\n

Being given the opportunity to establish a press office, help build a brand from scratch and lead a comms programme is a huge step for me and a chance to challenge myself more than I\u2019ve ever done before. I report directly into the co-founders, Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman, and they\u2019re very involved in all marketing and PR activity, which is great as it means all decisions are being considered at a board\/C-suite level in line with business strategy.<\/p>\n

One of the other elements I really enjoy is the team \u2013 and I don\u2019t just mean those who work on the marketing and PR side of things \u2013 I mean everyone from risk and compliance, to business management, HR, product development and IT. Everyone works together and it\u2019s a really friendly, fun environment. Most of the time, I don\u2019t really feel like I\u2019m working for a \u201cbank\u201d!<\/p>\n

\"valentina-kristensen_cipr-spotlight\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>In 2015 you won the CIPR Outstanding Young Communicator Award, what does that mean to you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>It was such an honour to win the award and it came as a real surprise. I was so nervous in the interview that I thought I\u2019d completely buggered it up! So when I heard my name called on the night, I honestly couldn\u2019t believe it. Since then, it\u2019s opened so many doors for me; for example being given the opportunity to join the editorial board of Influence \u2013 the CIPR\u2019s member magazine \u2013 which has been a valuable and eye-opening experience. It\u2019s also meant that I\u2019ve had the chance to meet fellow Young Communicator Award-winners and share experiences and lessons with them. One of the benefits I hadn\u2019t considered was the huge confidence boost it gave me and the chance to prove to other young practitioners that they can do it to regardless of their age or gender.<\/p>\n

CIPR schemes such as CPD have been designed to create a higher standard for practitioners in the industry, why do you think this is important for the new generation of PRs and what impact do you see it having?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>I think is CPD is extremely important for two main reasons: the first is that the industry and our roles are constantly changing and we need to stay on top of those changes. Throughout my working week, I come across a number of challenges I hadn\u2019t anticipated and I find myself needing to develop a new skill or learn about a new sector with very little time. CPD provides me with a valuable platform to obtain guidance and materials that help me develop these skills and understanding.<\/p>\n

The second reason is that our industry is professionalising and CPD is a huge part of driving that. Having a professional development qualification, similar to those that lawyers, accountants and financial advisers have in their respective industries, is a huge step up for our profession.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After decades, we are finally being given the chance to have a seat at the table, C-suite marketing and communications roles are appearing on the boards of every major company in the world, and we\u2019re being taken seriously. For me, CPD helps prove the importance of our role and demonstrate that PR is not just about media relations and getting coverage!<\/p>\n

During your time at Lansons you benefitted from a scheme called Career Management which partners senior staff with those earlier in their careers. How did this help you in your professional development?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>The Career Management scheme at Lansons is extremely effective \u2013 having a senior person to talk to, bounce ideas off and be able to go to with any questions or queries is so helpful, not just in the early days of your career but throughout. Even board directors at Lansons have career managers and career partners. My first ever career manager at Lansons was a brilliant PR practitioner, Fiona Kehilly, who has since moved on to join the in-house team at Henderson. I learned a huge amount from her and will still drop her a line every now and again when I need advice or have a PR friend who\u2019s keen to move into asset management.<\/p>\n

Lansons has a very open-door policy so even beyond the Career Management scheme, I always felt like I could go to different people in the agency for advice and support. Bev Aujla and Louise Marriott, both board directors at Lansons, have helped me out so much in my career \u2013 they were two of the first people I called for advice when I was considering the role at OakNorth. So you almost end up with an amazing PR support system that you can draw upon even when you\u2019ve left Lansons!<\/p>\n

What future trends will have an impact on PR in the near future?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>There are so many \u2013 increased smartphone and internet penetration in developing countries (which will open up whole new markets for media professionals to reach and target); changes to legislation such as the Right to be Forgotten; social media, but one that sticks out for me is corporate governance. Recent headlines have thrown corporate governance issues at the likes of BHS, Volkswagen, and Sports Direct into the spotlight. The accountability of senior executives is becoming an increasingly hot topic on the news agenda which means we, as public relations professionals, have our work cut out for us. 10 years ago, the C-suite could have hidden behind their media teams, deflecting questions with \u201cno comment\u201d but today, that won\u2019t fly.<\/p>\n

The rise of social media and public-led content means there\u2019s nowhere left to hide (not even on a yacht in the Mediterranean!) – if you don\u2019t respond, the public will draw you out. I think this trend towards an increased demand for corporate governance, accountability and transparency will continue and as a result, good public relations will become even more vital.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You\u2019ve been quoted as saying that public relations is going to be the driver of reputation in business, can you elaborate on that?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, I think that when it comes to business, most people care about more than just the financials. They want to know about the non-financials too \u2013 what is your business\u2019 impact on society? What role is it playing in the local community? What\u2019s the diversity of the board? \u2013 and that is where PR and communications can play a key role.<\/p>\n

What top tips would you give to a young person wanting to pursue a career in PR? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n