Financial Services PR Consultant
Fishburn Hedges is looking for a PR consultant to work in our financial services team on a range of media relations and reputation management programmes. The candidate must have a proven interest in, and knowledge of, corporate communications, including at least one of the following: banking, asset management, trading and exchanges, financial technology and insurance (life or general). Experience of financial PR (company results and transactions) for quoted UK companies would be useful. A high comfort level with wholesale financial services products and communications issues is essential; experience of dealing with the international media would be very useful.
Time spent in a consultancy environment is important, but not imperative. We also value experience gained in-house in a financial institution, or a trade association, or as a journalist covering these sectors. An acknowledgement of the increasing importance of digital communications is important.
The company
Fishburn Hedges is a full-service communications agency and we apply both an integrated approach to all our communications and deep specialist knowledge. In financial services, what has made us stand out in recent years is our ability to understand the industry and talk its language: of the four directors leading the team, two are former bankers, one a former broker and specialist financial journalist, and one a former City editor.
We have been around since 1991, and have around 120 employees, who are all hands-on. Our integrated structure enables us to put together bespoke teams of specialists for clients, drawing on experience from across the agency. So the financial services team shares knowledge and expertise across disciplines, including corporate reputation, public affairs, crisis communications, employee engagement, and corporate responsibility.
We are at the leading edge of reputation management thinking, with industry knowledge and connections, planning, insights and creativity at the heart of everything we do. That helps our financial services clients to stand out from the crowd, to ensure that their products and messages are the most compelling, and to protect their reputations. We are a company with a global outlook and affiliates, and these roles will involve working closely with our affiliate agencies across Europe and the world.
We recruit people who thrive on meeting the types of challenges that our clients face – that means individuals who want to help companies to protect their reputation, grow their franchise, recruit new customers and build advocacy. All of which makes Fishburn Hedges a great place to work, and a powerful advocate on behalf of our clients.
The job
We are looking for a Consultant. The role incorporate the full breadth of proactive corporate communications programmes and issues management activity across financial services. The work is primarily media relations-driven, including digital communications, but also includes some industry analyst relations and other stakeholder work.
The role will require the candidate to work collaboratively to ensure that the team delivers high-quality work within often tight deadlines. The candidate should therefore be able to use contacts and creative thinking to develop media stories and opportunities. S/he should understand the importance of excellent client service and have developed first-rate journalist relationships in some of the following segments: UK national media, international financial media, financial services trade media, newswires and broadcast.
The portfolio for the successful candidate will depend on the skills and experience they bring, but our current clients include: Barclays; Barclaycard; private equity firms Actis, Harbourvest and Investcorp; financial technology companies SunGard, SWIFT, Wall St Systems and Multifonds; index provider S&P Indices, , consulting actuaries Lane Clark & Peacock, and insurers L&G and Zurich. More widely, Fishburn Hedges works for companies and organisations as varied as Shell, Nestle, Carbon Trust, Nintendo and BT.
The person
Experience
- Agency, in-house or journalistic
- Good, demonstrable communications skills and knowledge
- Passion for the media
- Good knowledge of, and interest in, the financial services industry and financial markets across asset classes, including awareness of regulatory and policy issues
- Able to offer sound advice to clients and understand their business priorities
- Strong writing, presentational and creative thinking ability
- A good degree is desirable, but creative intelligence is essential
- Experience of financial PR (company results and transactions) for quoted UK companies would be useful.
Personality and abilities
- Intellectual rigour, with the ability to grasp quickly the thrust – and weaknesses – of an argument
- Keen to be inspired and challenged, albeit within a supportive atmosphere
- Confident and approachable, with the personal presence, authority and impact to be a credible representative of Fishburn Hedges and our clients
- Excited by digital communications
- Internationally minded – languages are a plus
- Naturally collaborative, someone who enjoys working within multi-disciplinary teams but without losing the ability to be a self-started and work autonomously
- Excited by the prospect of involvement in Fishburn Hedges’ own marketing, including pitching for new business
- Ability to network
The package
A competitive base salary and annual bonus scheme plus contributory pension scheme, medical insurance and life assurance (after six months' service). Holiday allowance is 25 days, rising by a day a year after two years’ service to a maximum of 30 days. Opportunities to contribute to the continued growth of Fishburn Hedges are excellent.