Oddly, I never chose to join PLMR. In 2017, I joined the business through the acquisition of Snapdragon Consulting, a bespoke agency which exclusively delivered built environment communications.
I have since been lucky enough to become Director of PLMR Midlands and had the opportunity to start and grow PLMR’s presence in the region – most recently bolstered through the acquisition of Advent Communications in Coventry.
Joining PLMR from a small, bespoke agency was eye-opening. The range of work being delivered by colleagues across multiple sectors and clients offered an immediate education in public affairs, PR, and digital campaigning.
Over the last five years, I’ve been able to develop a working knowledge of sectors as diverse as healthcare, education, and energy – all whilst developing my core expertise in regional development and the built environment.
The ability to work with colleagues who are experts in their fields, including in digital campaigning and communications, has allowed me to win and deliver some major and exciting projects.
This includes the West Midlands Gigafactory in Coventry – one of the UK’s very first facilities manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles – as well as working with the University of Warwick, Legal & General, the West Midlands Combined Authority, EG Group and others. These clients, at Snapdragon Consulting, were generally out of reach.
As a result, being part of PLMR has accelerated by own career. I was trusted, from an early stage, to deliver a stand-alone office in Birmingham and through a combination of organic growth and acquisition, PLMR’s presence in the Midlands now achieves revenue well in excess of £1m a year.
The training opportunities provided by the business have undoubtedly helped, but the greatest value is being surrounded by colleagues with varied expertise, delivering work for some of the biggest companies in the UK, and being backed to explore new frontiers.
Although I never chose to join PLMR, it has proved to be one of my better career choices.
