Career stories

PLMR colleagues reflect on their proudest achievements of 2023

As we come to the end of another hugely successful year for 2023, we asked colleagues from across PLMR Group to reflect on their proudest moments of the year.

Ben Farmer, Account Manager, PLMR

 “My highlight was bringing the PLMR Policy Hub to Labour Party Conference. We hosted 17 policy events discussing education, housing, tech, and healthcare, and hosted a range of business leaders and Shadow Cabinet members. Planning is already well underway to do it again next year!

 “Also next year, we will be working with several disability sport charities in the run up to the Paralympics in Paris 2024. This is a vital opportunity to boost sport and physical activity participation amongst disabled people in the UK, requiring joined-up thinking across government, elite sport and the voluntary sector – but we are up for the challenge!”

Rebecca Sharples, Senior Creative, PLMR

“As I am lucky enough to have a hand across all the group’s sectors and specialisms, it’s very difficult to choose just one highlight! Two that stand out are: designing the Gumtree ESG Strategy and seeing those visuals splashed across Gumtree social media, and creating the BGCI Global Biodiversity Standard video with our digital content extraordinaire, James Whipp, which launched at COP28! It’s work like this which will have a positive impact on people’s lives and the planet which always resonates with me.”

James Smith, Senior Digital Account Manager, PLMR Genesis 

“My highlight of the year was a hugely successful digital marketing campaign on the Meta platforms for a leading ISP provider client. We generated over 96,000 link clicks and 600 leads with an ROI of over 1,600% during an 8-month period with an above industry average click-through rate of 8%.”

Bernadette Mooney, Senior Account Manager, PLMR Genesis

“I’m really proud to have achieved CIPR Chartered Practitioner status this year after a challenging day of assessment and weeks of preparation. Since I started working in communications nearly 15 years ago, it has been something I have wanted to accomplish. Being a Chartered Practitioner is the highest level of professional accreditation and it means you’ve met the required standard of professional distinction.”

Zoe Carpenter, Account Manager, PLMR

“My proudest achievement this year has definitely been my work supporting the Crop Trust – an international non-profit dedicated to conserving crop diversity and future food supply. It’s been a brilliant year, starting with securing standout coverage for the 15 Year Anniversary of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and its new virtual tour (which even led to a shoutout from Bill Gates to his 36m LinkedIn followers!) I also had the privilege of supporting the Trust in Berlin for the first annual Crop Diversity Summit, moderating a press briefing and hearing from a range of leading agri-food and agroforestry experts. Most recently I’ve been so proud to secure widespread national coverage for the Crop Trust and partners’ brilliant operation to move the Ukraine genebank, which houses one of the world’s most important seed collections, to a more secure location amidst the ongoing conflict.”

Sam Pugh, Account Director, PLMR

“I was delighted to have worked closely with the Gumtree team in 2023 to create their bespoke ESG report, showcasing their excellent credentials as an ethical business, and a strong leader in the online safety and sustainability spaces. Our team worked to help Gumtree set out their vision for how they can contribute to a greener and fairer world – one which has the circular economy at its heart. From data and information collection, to copywriting and design with the excellent support of our Senior Creative Rebecca Sharples, I was proud to have been involved in every stage of the process. You can read the report here.”

Lucy Somers, Digital Account Director, PLMR

“PLMR’s Digital team and I have had a standout year, winning the “Best Use of a Communications Tool in a Campaign” at the PRCA Digital Awards for an unprecedented third year in a row. At the same awards, I was incredibly proud to be named the “Digital Professional of the Year”. Elsewhere, our in-house production team created a video launching BGCI’s Global Biodiversity Standard at their COP28 presentation.”

Tim Miller, Associate Director, PLMR Genesis

“PLMR Genesis has had another really strong year, including big wins at the CIPR Awards in September. The annual awards, held in Cambridge, celebrated outstanding campaigns, creativity and impact delivered by PR professionals across all sectors across the East of England and Greater London. The PLMR Genesis team entered and was short-listed for six categories and walked away with five Gold Awards for: Low Budget Campaign, Best Channel Delivery, Best Long-term Campaign, Best Long-term Client Care and Best Event for the Social Worker of the Year Awards.”

Niamh Mercer Danher, Senior Account Director, PLMR

“I am most proud of winning Young Achiever at the CorpComms Awards. I am very passionate about the value that great communications can bring to an organisation, so to be recognised for this feels very special. My goal for 2024 is to continue to grow the team, supporting our long-term clients and working on some new projects.”

Isabella Perales, Account Director, PLMR

“My highlight of the year was helping a long-time PLMR client secure a significant Government contract for a programme that will help vulnerable children across the UK. I’m looking forward to helping make that a reality when we launch in the new year!”

Anna Rudd, Senior Digital Account Manager, PLMR Genesis 

“It has been a great year for the PLMR Genesis Digital team! In particularly, we provided extensive support to Essex County Council, with notable projects including a 12-month recruitment project for Early Years and Childcare and a third extension of our long-running ‘Adult Social Care: Your Career Matters’ campaign.”

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