PRmoment Awards Shortlist 2024 PRmoment Leaders PA Mediapoint PRCA

Pete Jacob, EMEA new business director at PR firm Weber Shandwick, thinks global and works local

My Day:

7.30am: My DAB radio kicks in. It’s usually set to Radio 5 Live but a couple of days a week I’ll change it to Radio 4, Radio 1 or Heart depending on my mood the night before. Working in communications it’s crucial to have an inquisitive mind. That means watching, listening and reading as wide a range of media as possible. You have to know what’s being reported, who is in the news, who is commenting on it and what that might mean for a specific industry, sector or company. It’s also how I justify reading Grazia each week and watching The Apprentice and X-Factor….

8.00am: I take 30 minutes to get ready and then I’ll spend a little time watching BBC Breakfast or Daybreak (seems like I‘m one of the few!) over a cup of coffee while checking my BlackBerry for emails and also my diary for the day. Working at one of the world’s largest PR agencies and having a role across EMEA means emails land virtually 24 hours a day. Unless I have a breakfast meeting, I have a policy of not responding to emails until I get into the office.

8.30am: I’m lucky enough to have a short scooter ride through the city into work. This gives me a chance to plan the day and those email responses. It’s also much better getting to work under your own steam and seeing London wake up.

9.00am: I’ll run through a couple of newspapers and check BBC Online. Depending on the news, I’ll contact a number of prospects who might have announced a new launch or investment and who may need some crisis support, or should be aware of an issue.

9.30am: I’m a Twitter and Facebook junkie but for business LinkedIn is my best friend. It’s a great way of connecting with prospects and I’ll use what I’ve heard in the morning to develop a targeted InMail or phone call.

11.00am: On any single week we’ll have about five or six pitches or RFP responses from a variety of prospects, all wanting a different thing. I work with our account teams across the business to develop a tailored plan and response, and one of my favourite parts of my job is running or being involved in creative brainstorms.

1.00pm: I try and set up at least two prospect lunches or catch ups each week. It’s crucial to keep in touch with them and update them on what we’ve been doing. It might be awards or new clients that we’ve won, or new products or services launched, or just talking about the industry and associated gossip.

3.00pm: I’ll have a conference call with my colleagues across EMEA. This is to share experiences or news and run through upcoming pitch opportunities or plan approaches to target prospects. It’s always great to hear so many accents and makes you realise the world doesn’t begin and end in London.

4.00pm: I’ll check-in with my colleague in North America to talk about big global opportunities we’re working on together and share new things we’ve seen or heard from prospects.

6.00pm: Ideally, I’ll head back home at a decent time but it’s never the same and depends on what’s on at work. When I’m home it’s half an eye on the BlackBerry to check on ‘VIP emails’ that need an immediate response, the others can wait until the morning …

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