50 YEARS IN PR - my thanks to the students who mentored me
Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR FHEA
Visiting Fellow, Leeds Beckett University. Governor, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. Fellow, CIPR. Member, PR & Communications Council, PRCA. Inset pic: Me with my saviour, oncologist Dr Ganesan Jeyasangar.
I’ve been looking back these past few weeks over my long career in public relations (PR). This year will represent my 50 years in the PR business. But if truth be told that, although I’ve worked on a myriad of clients in virtually every conceivable sector (see below), I still have so much to learn.
I don’t know what it is about growing older, but at 74 and 11 months I seem to know much less nowadays than I ever did. Or perhaps it’s my faltering memory?.
My biggest learning period - apart from learning how to ask awkward questions and crafting stories in my first career as a journalist - wasn’t during my years in consultancy, or in-house or as a freelance, but what I learnt from the students that I had the honour to teach. You can’t be serious I hear senior industry PR executives say, but actually it’s true!
I have learnt so much more about the countries, the cultures and the backgrounds that the students have come from and their approach to life as a senior university lecturer for 24 years than I did in the previous 26 years as a PR practitioner.
To be honest, if I had known then as a board director of an international PR agency what I know now from my students, I think I would have made a better PR person – because it was in the international sphere rather than the domestic UK scene where I mainly worked for my clients.
Yes, I know teenage students have a lot to learn, but university lecturers sometimes don’t give them the credit they deserve for their sheer inventiveness, creativity and bravado in exploring different ways in tackling issues that confront them.
Many of the students I taught, not only graduated with great degrees, but they are now senior communications managers and directors within companies or are with leading respected PR agencies – some of them even founded their own agencies. How is that for their enterprise and initiative! Never dish young people. They can still teach old timers like me a thing or two.
What makes me really happy though is seeing and hearing that the people I taught have reached such great heights in the profession and put so much back into the industry they serve.
So a big thank you to the 1500+ plus students I met at Leeds Beckett University. You’ve did a great in mentoring me.
ROBERT MINTON-TAYLOR'S PR CLIENTS 1973-2023 BY INDUSTRY SECTOR - in some kind of A-Z order
THE ARTS
GALLERIES - Bankside Galleries (London)
THEATRES - Major Road (Bradford-based theatre production company), Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (London)
FESTIVALS - Spirit of Bradford (1997 Bradford Centenary Celebrations)
COMPUTING - Aes Wordplex
CONGLOMERATES - Rockwell International (USA), The United Africa Company (UAC)
CONSTRUCTION - Kerr McKee USA), Portakabin (UK)
COUNTY COUNCILS - Harrogate Economic Development Unit, Lincolnshire County Council
EDUCATION - Moorfield School (Ilkley, West Yorkshire)
FINANCIAL
CREDIT & CHARGE CARD - Airplus Charge Card, American Express, Diners Club, Visa International
BANKS & BUILDING SOCIETIES - American Express (Travellers Cheques and Banking), National & Provincial Building Society
INSURANCE - Commercial Union, Co-op Insurance
HEALTHCARE - Charing Cross Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Riverside Hospitals, Westminster Hospital and Westminster Children's Hospital
TRAVEL INDUSTRY
PASSENGER AIRLINES - American Airlines, British Midland Airways, Delta Airlines, Invicta International Airlines, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), United Airlines
CRUISE LINES - Holland America
CAR RENTAL - Avis Car Rental and Avis Car Leasing (Europe & UK), Hertz (UK & Europe)
TOURIST BOARDS - British Tourist Authority, English Tourist Board, Portuguese National Tourist Office, Yorkshire & Humberside Tourist Board
TRAVEL AGENTS - American Express, Hogg Robinson, Thomas Cook, Wakefield Fortune Travel
TRAVEL RESERVATION SYSTEMS - Galileo
CONVENTION CENTRES - Atlanta Convention Centre
TRADE FAIRS - Expo ‘88 (Brisbane), Taejon (Korea) Expo ‘93, World Expo Seville ‘92
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & CATERING
HOTELS - Hilton, Holiday Inn, Peninsula Hotel (Hong Kong), Sheraton Hotels,
Trusthouse Forte (now Forte)
Forte Heritage - The Old England Hotel (Windermere), Berystede(Ascot), Burford Bridge Hotel (Box Hill), The Swan (Lavenham), The Bull (Long Melford), Grand Atlantic (Weston Super Mare), Marine Hotel (North Berwick), Imperial Hotel (Exmouth), Dart Marina Hotel (Dartmouth) and Brudenell Hotel (Aldeburgh)
Forte Grand - Waldorf Hotel (London), Westbury Hotel (London), Hotel Russell (London), Balmoral Hotel (Edinburgh), Bath Spa Hotel (Bath), Leeming House (Ullswater), The Randolph Hotel (Oxford), The Majestic Hotel (Harrogate), Compleat Angler (Marlow), The Rusacks Hotel (St Andrews) and Imperial Hotel (Torquay)
Forte Exclusive Hotels - H?tel George-V (Paris), Plaza Athénée (Paris), Brown's (London), Grosvenor House (London), Hyde Park Hotel (London), The Ritz (Madrid), The Westbury (New York), Plaza Athénée (New York), Hotel des Bergues (Geneva), Hotel Eden (Rome), Sandy Lane Hotel (Barbados)
领英推荐
Other Forte Hotels - Little Chef Lodges,Travelodge
Forte Catering - Gardner Merchant
Forte Fast Food Restaurants - Happy Eater, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Little Chef
?Motorway Service Areas - Welcome Break
CHEFS - Roux Brothers, Anton Moissan
DRINKS INDUSTRY - Guinness
MANUFACTURING
AIRCRAFT MAKERS - Boeing Corporation, General Electric (USA), McDonnell Douglas
CAR MAKERS - Nissan Motor Corporation, Saab, SEAT, Volvo
EXTILES - International Wool Secretariat
I-FI - Wharfedale Speakers
STEEL MAKERS - British Steel Travel
FOOD MANUFACTURING & PACKAGING - Alliance of Beverage Carton Manufacturers, The Can Makers, Northern Foods
INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MAKERS - Kew Industri (Denmark)
CONSTRUCTION & FARM EQUIPMENT MAKERS - Caterpillar, International Harvester, John Deere
CHEMICAL MAKERS - SCM Chemicals
PETROLEUM - KPI (Kuwait Petroleum), Occidental Petroleum, SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation)
PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS - British Printing Corporation, Sidgwick & Jackson
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
ACCOUNTANTS -Eversheds (Leeds), G L Barker & Co LLP, Robson Rhodes (Leeds)
LAW - No.6 Chambers (Leeds-based barristers practice)?
PR AGENCIES - The Principles Partnership (Leeds public relations agency)
TRAINING - IMPACT Development Training
RETAIL STORES - Rawcliffes (Yorkshire-based sports retail stores), Lillywhite’s (sports retail store)
SUPERMARKETS - J Sainsbury
TOBACCO - Philip Morris
TRANSPORT
AIRLINES (FREIGHT) - Federal Express, Flying Tigers, DHL
RAIL - British Railfreight, British Rail Intercity, Freightliners
ROAD & COURIERS - Hogg Robinson Freight, Richard Lawson Autologistics, Securicor
LINER SHIPPING - Atlantic Steam Navigation Company, Atlantic Container Line, Cunard Ellerman, Cunard Steamship Co, European Ferries, Townsend Thorsen Car Ferries, United European Car Carriers (UECC), Wallenius Lines AB, Wallenius Wilhelmsen AS
PORTS - Cairnryan Harbour, Larne Harbour, Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company
TELECOMS - BellSouth International, British Telecom
UTILITIES - Yorkshire Water plc
VOLUNTEERING & CHARITIES - Business in the Community, The Jewish Agency for Israel, HRH Prince of Wales' Princes’ Youth Business Trust PYBT (Now Princes’ Trust)
ROYALTY (odd one out!) - The late HM King Constantine II of Greece?
? Apart from a few physical and mental quirks the NHS did miracles in saving my life and rehabilitating me to live a near normal life. But don’t get me going on the appalling way our NHS is being handled by our current political leaders. As a governor of a NHS Trust it really riles me. But that’s for another blog post].
Robert - lovely post and congratulations on the half century in PR. Totally agree about the rewards in academia being relationships with students (or as Kevin Moloney always said, colleagues) as shared learning encounters. I'm not sure if I've ever told you that I remember meeting you as a senior PR consultant at a global agency coming to pitch at National Breakdown in Pudsey where I was the PR Manager early 1990s, before getting to know you better through MIPAA. Hope retirement is treating you well.
Director at Altitude PR and Counter Context. Unlocking business growth through smart, flexible and creative PR services.
2 年Inspirational stuff Robert and blimey…what a client list over the years. Loved reading your reflections.
Board Advisor and Independent Counsellor on Reputation, Crisis, Risk and Resilience. FRSA, FPRCA. Visiting Fellow, Cardiff University. PRovoke Media 2023 EMEA Innovator25. rodcartwrightconsulting.com
2 年We've not met, Robert (and yes, I owe you an email reply!), but from all I've seen and heard, you embody all of the principles and practices in this article, which has had a huge influence on my own trajectory. Don't be put off by the title of the first three quarters of the piece - the kicker at the end is remarkable.
PR Futurist | AI and technology for PR, Comms and Corporate Affairs | Measurement and Analytics | Reputation and Crisis Comms
2 年What can I say that hasn't already been said? You've been a great support throughout my career. I thoroughly enjoy teaching, training and mentoring. I'll confess my reason for enjoying it so much is a little selfish. It's the buzz I get from marvelling at what people go on to achieve and after teaching them how much I subsequently learn from them.
Professor Emeritus, University of Huddersfield
2 年Paul Amourdedieu has said it all.....and how do you stay looking so young Robert?