Our people are what set FleishmanHillard apart as an agency and employer. I am reminded of that each day, but especially today on Giving Tuesday – a day started in the U.S. in 2012, and expanding globally, to celebrate generosity and encourage people to do good. It’s with that in mind that I reflect on the tremendous work accomplished in our communities through FH4Inclusion, and the new milestone we’ve reached.

Launched in 2016 to celebrate our firm’s 70^th anniversary and our employees’ desire to positively contribute to their communities, FH4Inclusion was born. The global pro bono initiative was enacted to unite colleagues across the globe and reinforce our firm’s guiding principles while championing social inclusion around the world.

After bold success during the first two years of the program, we challenged ourselves to continue the stellar work in 2019. We set out to reach a cumulative milestone of $4 million provided in time and talent, and I’m proud to announce we have exceeded that goal. Since the launch of the program, more than 1,000 FleishmanHillard employees have generously spent nearly 20,000 hours with more than 90 global FH4Inclusion partners, who are raising awareness for, supporting and advancing individuals who have been marginalized from society.

Here are just a few highlights from a handful of the brilliant partnerships around the world.

Strengthening voices
Our team in San Francisco joined forces with 826 Valencia, a nonprofit group that helps under-resourced students build their writing and storytelling skills, to encourage students to channel their creativity and amplify their voices by writing and producing their own podcast episodes (you can listen to the episodes here).

Funding futures
In Hong Kong, our team raised scholarship funds for Asian University for Women (AUW). The contributions help high-potential women from 15 different Asian and Middle Eastern countries receive the necessary education to equip them to drive positive social change in their communities.

Rebuilding dreams
Our Dublin office jumped in to provide media relations and event management support for Lakers, an organization that helps develop many of Ireland’s Special Olympians, supporting the launch of a new center after a devastating fire consumed the organization’s former clubhouse.

At FleishmanHillard, we believe our unique perspectives and varied backgrounds lead to our best, most valuable thinking and outstanding client work. With FH4Inclusion, we’re doing our part to help the world focus on inclusivity, a paramount factor in ensuring diverse voices, opinions and people are valued, respected and celebrated. Furthermore, this award-winning program helps us grow as global citizens, making us a top workplace and a trailblazing, global communications firm.

On Veterans Day we celebrate and honor the people who have given their time, energy and commitment to serving their country. Our FH Perspectives team sat down with an outstanding member of our team and U.S. Army Veteran, Scott Radcliffe to learn more about his experience as a veteran and FleishmanHillard employee. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Scott served in the U.S. Army. Scott joined FleishmanHillard in 2015, and now as senior vice president, leads the firm’s Global Data Security and Privacy efforts.

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I grew up in Ohio but moved to Texas once I was assigned to Ft. Hood after graduating from West Point. Met my wife [Mandie], who graduated from the University of Texas, and I have been here ever since. I played football and rugby in college and now spend my time playing zone defense against my three girls who are 7, 5 and 1.

In which military branch did you serve? What was your rank? Where did you serve? What was your job?

I was in the Army and ended up leaving the service as a captain. I was stationed at Ft. Knox and Ft. Hood but was deployed to Iraq twice and New Orleans once to help with response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

While I was in the military, I was a tank platoon leader, scout platoon leader, scout troop executive officer and then finally speechwriter to the Multi-National Corps-Iraq Commanding General.

What’s your favorite memory of serving in the military?

My favorite memory is probably after we found a soup kitchen still functioning about a week after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I was able to convince our squadron commander to allow me to set-up my troop headquarters at the kitchen to make sure the pastor running the kitchen didn’t have his supplies taken. It was great to get to know him and even better to help Americans who were in need after spending 15 months deployed across Iraq.

How did your military career prepare you for the work you do today?

For one – I was first exposed to the concept of cybersecurity while on the Commanding General’s staff. I would say throughout it helped me learn how to manage and deal with pressure, and work through problems and challenges.

Tell us about your decision to begin a career in communications after your military career.

Some of it was driven out of necessity. I was looking for a job in the middle of the economic downturn and many in HR didn’t know quite what to make of my experience, so I had to focus on the experience that stood out the most clearly in my resume. Secondly, I enjoyed the challenge after finding my footing as a speechwriter. It wasn’t realistic experience in the sense that it was more about identifying which high-level opportunities the general would participate in, but it really gave me a taste for the critical need to tell stories at a high-level. The opportunity to work with a variety of organizations at an agency was also very appealing as well.

How has your experience as a veteran impacted your life? Your work at FleishmanHillard?

The different perspective the experience gave me has been useful. It can be challenging, and it certainly was early on as I was having to learn skills most in the industry were able to in college or internships on the fly, but I generally enjoy having a perspective that is informed by a slightly different experience than most of my colleagues.

What advice would you give to veterans who are looking to transition from a military career to communications?

I think my advice would be the same regardless of the field – network. I have yet to get a job by applying online. Some of that has to do with the fact that our experience in the military isn’t easy for many recruiters to translate, but much of it is because it’s the most effective way to do what aligns with your passions. The best way to get there is by meeting people and eventually getting in front of the right person at the right time who’s aware of the right opportunity.

Why is celebrating unique perspectives and diversity important to you? To FleishmanHillard?

The reason I think my military experience has been beneficial is a pretty good example of why diversity is important. Our clients demand creativity and work they can’t do on their own. It certainly takes a team of very smart and capable people, but it also takes people who bring their different perspectives to the problem we’re trying to solve for them. It could be direct experience with a certain audience or even a nuanced way to execute something – but having homogenous teams leads to groupthink and stale ideas, which is a good way to lose clients.

How does FleishmanHillard allow you to be your authentic self?

The beauty of this firm is the latitude it gives you to chase after what you want to do. I’ve been able to do some fascinating work that may not be possible at other firms because I wouldn’t be in the right office or have the right title. Finding that work and even the potential to find that work is really what makes me excited to go to work every day – and I hope everyone at FleishmanHillard appreciates that because it’s simply not the reality everywhere in the industry.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight and celebrate one of our stellar employees in New York City – Kaitlyn Red Wing. A descendant of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Lakota), Red Wing is an assistant account executive on our Media Relations team and graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in writing and a minor in public relations and advertising in 2018. Kaitlyn joined FleishmanHillard in February 2019 after a successful internship with our firm.

Q: Why is celebrating unique perspectives and diversity important to you? To FleishmanHillard?

A: I believe the sharing and celebrating of perspectives and diversity leads individuals to be more understanding about the world we live in, helping to dispel the many stereotypes that are alive today. No matter where you grow up or how you’re raised, we’re all uniquely human and there’s so much we can learn from one another. FleishmanHillard is a successful global company, and when we work together and understand one another, we’re all better off.

Q: Why is it important to represent diverse and contemporary Native American voices, experiences and perspectives?

A: Native Americans are ultimately a very underrepresented group in America today and have one of the highest unemployment rates among all races and ethnic groups. These statistics alone are why it is important to engage with and represent this community. While Native American history is something that everyone should learn about, there are still millions of Native Americans – many who live in cities – with very powerful and unique stories to share. They can provide a lot of insight into what it means to be Native American today.

Q: How has maintaining your Native American heritage enriched your personal and/or professional life?

A: I didn’t grow up on a reservation; I grew up in a typical midwestern town with very little diversity and I could have ended up a lot different had it not been for my heritage and upbringing. Some of my greatest memories are ones spent with my grandfather, listening to his stories about growing up on the reservation and learning all about the Sioux Native Americans and my heritage. Our family reunions in Nebraska will always be some of my fondest memories. I’m lucky that I was able to grow up where I did but still have the opportunity to learn and experience Native American culture. These experiences, along with doing my best to continue to immerse myself in Native American culture, have made me a better, more empathetic and understanding person.

Q: How does FleishmanHillard allow you to be your authentic self?

A: The company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I), along with the wonderful people I work with allow me to be myself. The D&I and OPEN Pride committees are two that make me feel especially welcomed and seen. I’ve never felt like I had to pretend to be someone I’m not.

Q: What made you decide you wanted to work in communications?

A: I’ve always loved meeting and talking with new people. Every job I’ve had has allowed me to speak with and learn from others; it’s one of the reasons I knew I wanted to work in communications. That, along with my understanding of others, is why I felt PR especially was the route for me.

Q: What would you say is your proudest professional achievement?

A: Honestly, this job is my proudest achievement. I took a chance moving here from Michigan and I’m so glad to say it’s worked out and that I love it here. My experiences at FleishmanHillard are ones I never dreamed I’d be able to have and have helped fuel my aspirations moving forward.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to other members of the Native American community looking to pursue a career in communications?

A: My advice would be to not sell yourself short and be proud of who you are. You have unique perspectives and experiences that are valuable in the workplace – you should promote them.

Q: Who inspires you the most and why?

A: I have many people in my life who inspire me in many ways. But when it comes to my professional life, my grandfather is one of my biggest inspirations. He left the reservation at a young age to find better work and ended up owning multiple businesses. His drive to build a better life and take risks has inspired me over the years to work hard and not be afraid to take risks. I’m thankful I had him in my life to guide me throughout the years both personally and professionally.

September is Self-Improvement Month, an observance designed to encourage people to make empowering changes to reach their goals. At FleishmanHillard, we encourage our teams to never settle. This month we’ll highlight employees across our global network who embody our bold approach and strive to grow professionally and personally. Responses will be shared in Q&A format featuring their unique perspectives.

We’ll conclude our content series with Naoko Nakayama, Gina Simonis and Kentaro Hitoshi.

Naoko Nakayama, senior account manager, supporting our Brand Marketing practice in Tokyo

Q: Who is someone that inspired you to be where you are today and how?

A: It was my fortune that I met so many impressive people in my career. Among them, I learned a lot through working with a digital creative director when I worked at an ad agency. At that time, the digital field was emerging, and his deep knowledge was inspiring. However, the most impressive thing about him was that he had the ability to develop a dynamic communication strategy whether the campaign utilized digital or traditional tactics. While I’ve mostly worked in traditional PR, I try to keep in mind the dynamic communication ideas that I learned from him.

Q: What do you do when you experience a setback? How do you overcome it?

A: The most important thing when I have a setback is how I can manage my negative emotions caused by the setback. I would say the most effective solution is to meet and ask people – seniors, friends and colleagues – their advice about how they overcome their setbacks and what kinds of options I could take so that I can turn the setback into a learning experience.

Q: What do you think is the best thing someone can do to advance their career?

A: I think it is important to stop what we are doing and try to do different things. After 10 years of experience in traditional PR, I became a student again and went to New York to study. There was no guarantee I’d get a better job after coming back to Japan, but I took the risk. I can say it was the right decision now and my career today is based on this experience.

Gina Simonis, managing supervisor, supporting our Financial & Professional Services sector in New York 

Q: How do you stay up-to-date with new offerings in your industry, practice group and/or sector? 

A: I make it a priority to stay connected with my colleagues and network with professionals in the industry. Establishing and fostering a network is an asset I obtained while studying at Penn State. It has proven to be an asset throughout my career and was the catalyst that sparked my career in public relations. Furthermore, I think it is imperative to allot time each day to consume the news related to your sector; I subscribe to a plethora of newsletters and podcasts to keep myself informed on current events and trends around the world.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you can give to others working on their own professional development?

A: I would encourage everyone to establish a relationship with a mentor. Ideally, identify someone you can share your goals with and brainstorm innovative solutions to the challenges you are facing. It is important to keep in mind that your mentor could be someone inside or outside your industry. I have had a few mentors throughout my career, and it has helped me make strides towards my professional goals.

Q: How do you seek and implement feedback?

A: I establish an open line of communication both up and down the organization. I make it clear that I welcome constructive criticism and consistently seek valuable feedback from my managers and peers. I thrive off performance-based feedback and leverage it to constantly improve all facets of my life. I don’t think anyone should be afraid of asking for feedback, it only helps you learn and improve upon yourself.

Kentaro Hitoshi, senior account manager, supporting our Brand Marketing practice in Tokyo

Q: What’s a specific area of your career you want to develop over the next year? How do you plan to do so?

A: I am aiming to develop my career by creating social content. There is an emerging demand for this in Japan and companies are eager to learn how they can create better social channels that will contribute to their business. Because my former job was at a broadcasting company creating TV programs, I am also eager to learn to develop efficient and powerful content across channels. I will accomplish this by remaining passionate and discussing with my impressive colleagues who encourage me. A special thanks to the global Social and Innovation team and my great colleague Laura Snearly.

Q: What do you think is the best thing someone can do to advance their career?

A: I am still unsure if I should be a specialist in one field or become a generalist who is engaged in many fields. I am trying to develop the latter. I recently read the book “Multiply Your Career.” Multiplying your career means experiencing various occupations that inspire you in order to differentiate yourself. As just a PR account manager, I might not be unique. But I stand out as a former broadcasting program director, a person who was raised in New York and Paris, an individual who worked with the London/Rio/PyeongChang Paralympics and an expert with B2B technology in Japan

Q: How do you seek and implement feedback?

A: Ask questions. People may get sick of me but learning from individuals’ various ways of thinking is the best teacher. I always receive feedback which I never thought of, and that is a way to get inspired.

September is Self-Improvement Month, an observance designed to encourage people to make empowering changes to reach their goals. At FleishmanHillard, we encourage our teams to never settle. This month we’ll highlight employees across our global network who embody our bold approach and strive to grow professionally and personally. Responses will be shared in Q&A format featuring their unique perspectives.

This week, we’ll highlight Julie Sculley, Charlotte Nicholds and Brandy Geers.

Julie Sculley, vice president, supporting our Media Relations practice in Boston

Q: What’s a specific area of your career you want to develop over the next year? How do you plan to do so?

A: PR has evolved so much since I first started working in the field. I’ve always been at agencies where our work was concentrated on “media relations” specifically. That used to mean mostly earned media, especially articles written by staff reporters. Contributed articles then started becoming a bigger part of the landscape, followed by owned media-like blogs. Until recently, paid media was not even in the discussion for most of my clients – but things are changing. It’s important that we learn more about the various paid opportunities that exist and can make strategic recommendations to clients for capitalizing on those channels within our programs and campaigns. I plan to learn more about both video and print paid media through colleagues who have that expertise and have also requested a group training on this topic at the local level.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you can give to others working on their own professional development?

A: Don’t compare yourself to a colleague — everyone is different! We are individuals with different interests and abilities, and we grow at our own pace. You may be stronger at pitching while Jenny may be better at content work. And that’s ok! I strongly feel that PR is often best learned by doing. If you’re not the strongest writer — you need to do more writing! And while we shouldn’t compare ourselves to our colleagues, I do believe we can really learn a lot from each other. Listen to one another in meetings, bounce ideas off your peers and ask for their opinions — soak up all the collective knowledge that’s around you!

Q: What is your proudest career moment so far and how do you aim to build on it?

A: This is a hard one to answer! There are many different reasons to feel proud, whether it’s through personal accomplishment or as part of a larger team effort. One that comes to mind is when I secured a USA Today Snapshot for my client after three years of pitching it! Getting the hit resulted from a mix of perseverance and pitching the right data at the right time in the right way. One of the biggest lessons was understanding that the data point needed to be able to stand on its own with little explanation. Seeing the data with a cute illustration in full color was exhilarating! I build on past individual successes by using those experiences to help my teams achieve success on behalf of our clients, or for the agency in new business pitches. I find tremendous satisfaction in seeing my team members succeed. Receiving kudos from a client when a team member gets a great placement really makes me feel like a proud mama bear!

Charlotte Nicholds, associate director, supporting our Reputation Management practice in London

Q: How do you set short- and long-term career goals?

A: Throughout the year I find myself regularly reflecting on my career goals with September and January being my key months to review my achievements and think about what I still want to aim for in the short-term. Not only do I write these goals down but I also share them with those closest to me so that they can help keep me accountable. I’m someone who loves to have a roadmap and an idea of where I want to head longer-term too so I use friends, family and colleagues at work to bounce off career aspirations and work out a path for getting there. It doesn’t matter if you change your mind or you decide to take a different direction – the important thing is having something to strive for in the first place and have the support of others who believe you can get there.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you can give to others working on their own professional development?

A: Seek input from lots of different individuals that you admire – this doesn’t just have to include people within your company or that you know. For example, I really enjoy finding inspiration through people’s autobiographies, podcasts and feature articles. Understanding people’s background story and where they came from can give you a boost and ideas for your own career development.

Q: What do you think is the best thing someone can do to advance their career?

A: I am a big believer in letting the results you produce speak for themselves. You cannot underestimate the value of hard work when it comes to advancing your career. By proving yourself to deliver excellent work, on time and within budget so many more opportunities will be presented to you as you’ll be seen as a trusted and valuable member of the team.

Brandy Geers, senior vice president, supporting our Public Affairs practice in St. Louis

Q: What do you do when you experience a setback? How do you overcome it?

A: I’ve always been a “persevere and charge the hill” type of person. It’s so easy to get frustrated and feel that setbacks are unfair. Some of them are, but I think the best thing you can do is to dust yourself off, take a deep breath and find an alternate route. There’s rarely only one way to get somewhere. Enlist help if you need it. Don’t feel like you have to do everything or figure it all out yourself.

Q: How do you seek and implement feedback?

A: I ask – those I manage, those who manage me, those who work on the same team. If you don’t ask for feedback you won’t get it – and if you don’t get it, you’ll wonder why you’re having issues in your career. Listening with an open mind to multiple points of view not only helps make you a better colleague, but also a better person. I may not agree with everything I hear, but I find that the candid discussions help build deeper trust and respect between my colleagues and me and set the stage for more productive personal and professional conversations in the future. Plus, tackling a potentially challenging conversation is always good for personal and professional growth.

Q: What is your proudest career moment so far and how do you aim to build on it?

A: This is a hard one to answer because there are so many moments over my 15+ years that add up to a proud career at FleishmanHillard. In general, my proudest moments are making a positive community impact through our work – helping people live better lives, relieve some pressure, build a better future for themselves and their community. For me to maintain a career that I am proud of, I intend to continue to pour myself into my work, focus on doing work that has that bigger purpose and keep pushing myself to do the best I can on each and every project each and every time.

As we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight and celebrate one of our rising stars in San Francisco. Jessica Yah Lira is an account executive in our Social and Innovation team, and a graduate of the University of San Diego with a B.A. in International Relations and Marketing. Jessica joined FleishmanHillard in 2017 after a successful internship with our firm.

Q: Why is celebrating unique perspectives and diversity important to you? To FleishmanHillard?

A: Diversity is what makes storytelling thrive because having people from different backgrounds is what allows us to see the world differently. Being able to see the world through different lenses – whether it be through a professional or personal one – allows us as counselors to bring forth our best thinking and creativity to help authentically tell our clients’ stories.

Q: How does FleishmanHillard allow you to be your authentic self? 

A: One of the turning points that made me feel like I belonged with the “FHamily” was during my intern days back in 2016. In the beginning, you could say that I wasn’t very comfortable speaking up in the fear that my opinions wouldn’t be valued. But having a manager and mentors that believed in me made me realize that being in this industry, especially as a Latina, is a very empowering thing. Having different perspectives is what makes you special and I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some of the best people that celebrate that every day.

Q: What made you decide you wanted to work in communications?

A: If I’m being honest, I had no idea what public relations was until my best friend introduced me to it when I was looking for a career change. After some digging, I became fascinated with the idea of storytelling. Big or small, everyone has a story to tell. Every company was started because of someone’s mission and fearlessness to make a change. Being able to bring those stories to life is so rewarding.

Q: What would you say is your proudest professional achievement?

A: Working for one of the most notable PR firms in the world is a proud achievement in itself. I get to come to work every day and learn from some of the most inspiring people. But if I could pick one exact professional moment, I would say my proudest achievement was being part of a new business pitch during my first two months as an assistant account executive. I had just been hired after completing my internship so I was still transitioning to the full-time role. I was asked to help with an RFP, which then led to participating in the new business pitch development process. In the final round, I was part of the small group asked to present to the potential clients. I remember being completely overwhelmed with nerves but knew that if I didn’t speak up I would be letting my team down. Maybe it was the fifth cup of coffee that I had at 8 a.m., but I ended up speaking up and even had the company’s CMO say it was his favorite part of the whole meeting. We ended up winning the business!

Q: What does your Hispanic heritage mean to you? 

When I think of what it means to be Hispanic or Latina, the first thing that pops into my mind is family. It means honoring their hard work and struggles that helped open doors for my brothers and me. It means having those big family gatherings where you meet a new cousin every time because the family just keeps growing. It means never missing family Sundays or movie nights with my brothers. It means attempting to learn (big emphasis on attempting) mom’s home-cooked meals so you can carry on the legacy. It means being yourself with color, style and pride.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to other members of the Hispanic community looking to pursue a career in communications?

A: Network, network, network! Be part of PR organizations on campus, reach out to college classmates who have a career in communications or even reach out to folks on LinkedIn. It might be scary at first, but you never know where that can lead you.

Q: If you could go back five years, what is something you would tell your younger self?

A: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. It’s what makes you stand out and be a valuable team member.

Q: Who inspires you the most and why?

A: My mother’s work ethic and life as a Mexican immigrant has always been my motivation. Being able to pursue a higher education and professional career has not only been a dream, but it is a way of thanking my mother for all the obstacles she has so valiantly overcome. Her continuous ambition has taught me that life is filled with endless opportunities for us to undertake. There are infinite possibilities but we, ourselves, have to have the zest to make our dreams a reality no matter how arduous the journey may be.

September is Self-Improvement Month, an observance designed to encourage people to make empowering changes to reach their goals. At FleishmanHillard, we encourage our teams to never settle. This month we’ll highlight employees across our global network who embody our bold approach and strive to grow professionally and personally. Responses will be shared in Q&A format featuring their unique perspectives.

This week, we’re featuring Marguerite Pinheiro, Andrea Myers and Rachel Coleman.

Marguerite Pinheiro, account supervisor, supporting our Technology sector in New York

Q: How do you stay up-to-date with new offerings in your industry, practice group and/or sector?

A: The best way to stay up-to-date with new offerings in the technology industry is by always being plugged into the news. My favorite way to get my news is through newsletters in the morning – like the WSJ, Quartz and Axios. Staying up-to-date across practice groups at FleishmanHillard is easy because everyone is so collaborative and we’re always sharing news with one another – from breaking stories to new analytics offerings. My favorite part about being on the technology team here is our weekly tech team meetings. It’s in those meetings that I am reminded of how intelligent my colleagues are and how lucky I am to work alongside all of them.

Q: What do you think is the best thing someone can do to advance their career?

 A: The best thing someone can do to advance their career is to get out of their comfort zone. Whether that is experimenting with a new specialty or practice group, meeting new people and/or taking on projects that you wouldn’t normally do, it will only take you to the next level. Some of the most rewarding accounts or projects that I’ve worked on are the ones that weren’t the obvious choices. Having a voice in that decision and advocating for yourself for that chance is brave and will inevitably allow you to take your career to the next level.

Q: What is your proudest career moment so far and how do you aim to build on it?

 A: I have proud career moments every time a coworker or client has something positive to say about me, whether it’s to me directly or to someone else. I take my career very seriously and am always trying to be the best I can be so when that is recognized, it truly means a lot and I will never stop trying to build on that, especially as I continue to evolve and grow. To master PR, it’s crucial to have excellent people and media relations skills, so as long as I never lose sight of that, I hope to keep expanding as a professional.

Andrea Myers, senior vice president, supporting the Talent and Transformation team in St. Louis

Q: What do you think is the best thing someone can do to advance their career?

A: Be open. The best things that have happened in my career aren’t because I set out a goal to achieve that specific thing. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but then stayed open to experience as much as possible. Also, say yes to the stuff you don’t want to do sometimes. When I know an opportunity is a good chance to learn, I try and say yes even if I’m scared and know I’ll dread it up until the moment I have to do it. But then it’ll be done, I will have learned something and I can say I did it.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you can give to others working on their own professional development?

A: Think outside your profession. Professional development doesn’t have to mean attending a conference specific to your line of work. Maybe it’s attending an improv class to think on your feet better during presentations. Maybe it’s chairing a nonprofit committee to get experience leading others. And, follow your curiosity. Taking on a new hobby you’re passionate about, for example, can be a surprising way to gain experience that will make you better at your day job.

Q: If you could go back five years, what is something you would tell your younger self?

A: Keep perspective. Sometimes when you’re in the middle of a project, it can be all-encompassing and you get swept up in the drama. All the sudden, a project that’s pretty innocuous can start to feel like life or death – and that’s almost never the case. Keeping things in perspective will help you stay calm, not over-react and ultimately, help you make better decisions in the moment. The bonus of that is while others are swirling, you are the voice of reason and they’ll respect you for it.

Rachel Coleman, managing supervisor, supporting our Reputation Management practice in Chicago 

Q: What’s a specific area of your career you want to develop over the next year? How do you plan to do so?

A: Over the course of my career, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a variety of accounts, which has allowed me to learn about different industries and gain experience supporting a wide range of communications initiatives. I tried to be a sponge earlier in my career, and everything I’ve had a chance to work on has not only contributed to the counselor that I am today, but also helped guide me as I continue to grow. Looking ahead, I’m starting to focus on better understanding the type of work I’m passionate about and identifying opportunities to raise my hand for more of that work.

Q: What do you do when you experience a setback? How do you overcome it?

A: I let myself privately process the emotion. Whether it’s frustration, anger, disappointment, etc., I think it’s important to take the time to understand what happened and why I feel the way I do before I reflect on what I can do better in the future. Sometimes I just need to take a walk or vent to a colleague. Other times, depending on the issue, I sit on it for a night and regroup with a fresh mind the next day. I also find it’s helpful to talk through setbacks with my supervisor and my mentors when I need another perspective or want help thinking through a solution.

Q: How do you seek and implement feedback?

A: When giving feedback, I’m a fan of sharing it in real time. I think everyone reacts to feedback differently, so my approach may differ slightly from person to person, but I focus on being direct and having a rationale. I also think feedback is best when it’s constructive and there’s a clear action item for the person on the receiving end.

We’re never too old or too young – or too anything – to reinvent ourselves or make an impact on the world.

Since day one at FleishmanHillard, I’ve felt encouraged to treat my work – for our clients, our teams and our business – as an open invitation to make something better, and to make a difference bigger than ourselves.

As professional problem solvers and creative makers, it’s second nature to always keep our heads up. Stay alert to trends and spot contradictions, injustices, needs and gaps in society. We don’t look away. Our instinct is to get involved. Figure out new ways to smooth the world’s wrinkles.

When it comes to women’s equality, for example, there’s been encouraging progress. Yet – no matter where in the world you sit – there’s still much work to be done.

After my sons reached school age, one issue I could no longer ignore is the need for greater diversity on boards.

The gender gap remains massive. And the pace of change, glacial. In Hong Kong, representation of women on boards of its leading listed companies rose only 0.1% to a mere 13.9% last year. Even less in Japan at 5.3%. Higher in the West – 27.5% in the UK, 22% in the US and 19.4% in Canada, for example – but the global average of 17.9% is still far from equal.

The consequences?  According to the McKinsey Global Institute’s “The Power of Parity” report, if countries in Asia worked harder to further women’s equality and raise female participation in its workforce, $4.5 trillion would be added to its annual GDP in 2025, a 12 percent increase over the business-as-usual trajectory.

My first step was completing the Financial Times’ Board Director Program to fully understand the responsibilities and skills required to uphold strict corporate governance. It opened up a path for me to help address another gap too massive to ignore: access to tertiary education for women in Asia’s most marginalized communities.

In 2015, I became a founding member and board chair of the Hong Kong Support Foundation of the Asian University for Women (AUW) based in Bangladesh. AUW is an independent, liberal arts university providing top-quality education to students from 15 different countries across Asia and the Middle East, representing 35 ethnicities and five religions.

We raise AUW scholarship funds to educate high-potential women regardless of means and prepare them to lead positive change in their communities. They include displaced women from the Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar, the factory floors of the garment manufacturers, rural mountain villages out of reach of health and other services, as well as conflict zones such as Yemen and Syria, for example.

They overcome enormous cultural barriers to go abroad for university when a large majority are the first in their family to attend university and child marriage and other repressive customs are so well rooted. These students spend their first year learning English. Go on to master the Socratic method for critical thinking in undergrad. Some go on to pursue master’s degrees at Cambridge and Stanford. Ultimately, they prove that talent and excellence is just as prevalent in underserved communities as in any other group.

The transformative power of education is undeniable. I’ve seen how these AUW students emerge confident, articulate, highly capable women ready to fiercely challenge norms and lead from the front in places where they will be the first to do so. Places where women are far from considered equal. Where they do not have the same rights.

Change in these corners of our region must be hard fought. Even the smallest degrees of progress are hard won. It requires unwavering courage.

AUW graduates return home to tackle many of the toughest, most daunting social issues facing the world today, equipped to make a difference.

Albert Einstein put it best: “we can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Today’s problems demand new answers and fresh points of view. Having more women in positions of authority to lead change where it is needed most will make all the difference in the world.

It makes me proud that through FH4Inclusion our firm actively advances the missions of transformative organizations like AUW by generously donating our expertise and resources to shape more tolerant, diverse communities where we operate. With our clients we’re also making great strides in improving society and creating shared value.

Too many questions need new answers. Our opportunity to do the most meaningful work of our lives is rooted in enlisting the full strength of our influence and resources to move progress faster and keep aiming as far as forever – where the future is bright.

For nearly 30 years, our Dublin team has maintained a relationship with Special Olympics and other causes supporting people with intellectual disabilities. In 2003, the team was immensely proud to have played an important role in the hugely successful Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland – the first time the Games had been held outside of the United States.

When FH4Inclusion launched in 2016, members of FleishmanHillard’s Dublin office looked at a number of causes to support but we were drawn to a unique organisation responsible for many of Ireland’s Special Olympians – Lakers.

Lakers, so named because their founder, Claire Brady, loved the Los Angeles Lakers, began as a vibrant sports club but has transformed into so much more. The organization now offers cookery, art, music and drama, in addition to various sports, as part of the weekly programme . Lakers is almost entirely run and organised by volunteers from the local community who give up their time to ensure services are available for members, seven days a week. The unique sports club differentiates itself by allowing its members to choose the provided program activities.

In October 2018, a devastating fire ripped through the Lakers’ clubhouse, rendering the facility unsafe for use. The fire also destroyed Lakers’ fleet of four buses, which were essential for transporting members to and from the club. From what appeared to be a situation where Lakers very existence was in jeopardy, began an extraordinary community response. Within hours of the fire, the community’s response was extraordinary.  Locals rallied to find a temporary location and busses for transportation, so the program could continue.

We were one of the local organizations that connected with Lakers after the fire to offer our support. Initially, their focus was to find a new permanent location as the fire had completely destroyed the old clubhouse and left no possibility to rebuild on that location. Fortunately, a local church had recently and offered its old facilities to Lakers as a new long-term home. Over the past six months, this location has been redeveloped into a magnificent new home for Lakers, equipped with meeting rooms, an art room, kitchen, sports and recreation hall, an outdoor five-a-side soccer pitch, a golf putting green and a spacious garden with a barbeque and outdoor stage.

Apart from very small state support, all the funding comes from local fundraising – hence Lakers’ success and sustainability is dependent on awareness of the services they provide. Their first ask of us was to help them drive publicity for the relaunch of their new location. We devised an integrated communications programme to help deliver on this, but first we invited several members and volunteers to come to our offices for one of our regular ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions to tell their story first hand.

On the day of the Lakers’ clubhouse grand opening, our Dublin office was on-site from beginning to end and ensured the Lakers received the media attention the organization deserved. The launch was even attended by Ireland’s Minister for Health, Simon Harris, as well as other local dignitaries.

In addition to supporting the Lakers with the kick-off celebrations of their new home, we’ve also had the pleasure to support them with other non-communication efforts since our partnership began. This includes volunteering time to events and participating in special activities, including sports, cooking and music. Our last big opportunity to support Lakers was at their annual Summer Barbeque and Awards Day. A large team of FleishmanHillard employees, family members and friends volunteered during the event. We prepared the venue, cooked and served food for more than 400 members and their families.

Later this year, we’ll host a fundraising Celebrity Table Quiz Night where FleishmanHillard staff, friends and clients can play alongside local celebrities and sports personalities. Our plan is to raise €5,000 – bring it on!

Lakers is a truly unique club. There is no other member-run club supported by the community in this country. For all of us in our Dublin office, it has been a privilege and a true learning experience. We hope our work and service for Lakers continues into the years to come because we have formed a bond that we don’t plan to let go of any time soon.

Julian Davis helps lead the social and innovation practice in FleishmanHillard’s Dublin office.