Olivia Kehoe MD of PR agency BDB

Olivia Kehoe joined international trade, technical and scientific communications agency BDB over 14 years ago as admin assistant and worked her way up to become managing director in 2007.

My day

6.30am: I’m woken up by my alarm – a canine one. I throw on some clothes and take the dog for a brisk morning walk.

7.00am: Once I’m back, it’s breakfast time for the dog, cats and my partner. I’m not an early morning person so I hold off on food for now and take the opportunity to check my BlackBerry for anything urgent that’s come in overnight before diving in the shower. As I get ready, I think through the day ahead. It’s a day in the office so a good opportunity to catch up with the team.

8.00am: I set off for work – our office is in Altrincham, just south of Manchester. It’s usually a 30-minute journey, though it takes about half of that today as it’s the Easter holidays so no convoys of school traffic. Just enough time to catch up on what’s happening in the world courtesy of the Today Programme.

8.30am: After a bowl of cereal and fruit, and sorting through my inbox, I wander round the office to see who’s in today and hear their latest news. Our open-plan office means we’re all aware of what’s going on. I couldn’t imagine working behind a closed door – I’d miss the buzz and banter.

9.00am: I’m ready for the first meeting of the day. It’s a progress meeting with the account team on one of our big food industry clients. This client has just conducted focus groups to investigate messaging for its French and German markets so we need to discuss and plan PR activity around it. It’s a productive and interesting meeting, and reinforces why having fluent linguists on board is so important.

10.30am: In a gap between meetings, I spend some time responding to emails and calls, and schedule updates with clients. Many of our clients are based overseas so it tends to be a mix of face-to-face meetings combined with web and teleconferences.

While I’m doing this, Céline, our head of production, shows me the print proofs for a rebranding project we’ve been working on for a new client. They look amazing; the team do final checks before they’re sent off. It will be great to see all these materials in use at the trade show in Paris next week.

11.00am: Time now for our Eureka 11ses. These informal monthly sessions provide everyone in the company with the opportunity to share successes and learnings over coffee and cakes. Today, Zoë gives an overview of a different approach to developing business in the packaging market.

11.45am: I have a quick catch up with Catherine on training plans. She’s scheduled a series of workshops – I’m glad to see there’s been a lot of take-up, particularly for digital and social media.

12.00pm: We’re presenting proposals for an internal communications campaign to one of our clients this afternoon so I spend some time reviewing the work. It’s in great shape and I’m looking forward to hearing our client’s reactions.

1.00pm: I have lunch in the staff area today: soup and a sandwich while chatting to some of our new starters to see how they’re settling in.

1.30pm: Back at my desk to check emails, in-tray and make a few calls before preparing for an interview. We’re looking for a new account director – it’s tricky to find a b2b specialist, particularly on the trade, technical and scientific side.

3.00pm: The interview’s over – Henry, BDB’s commercial director, and I are optimistic about this candidate. We’ll review in more detail tomorrow when we meet to discuss planning and resourcing as it’s time for a web conference now.

The presentation goes well – our creative ideas hit the mark. I have a quick debrief with the team to agree next steps.

5.30pm: After some more time for emails, I make the most of not having any more appointments today and leave the office.

6.00pm: I get home and head straight out for my pilates class, one of the best ways to relax and catch up with friends.

Later, over supper and a glass of wine, I talk through the day’s events and plans for the weekend with my partner. Then it’s a last check of emails, before we settle down to watch a film.