In our Headliners series of conversations, we get under the skin of PR and communications leaders around the world who have made PRovoke Media headlines recently, uncovering the risks they have taken in their career, the people, brands and work they admire, their advice for industry newbies, and their guilty pleasures.

In this week's Q&A, we speak to leading independent crisis communications expert Rod Cartwright, who is also one of the brains, along with The PR Cavalry's Nigel Sarbutts, behind the new Independent Impact 50, a list of the best independent practitioners in the UK PR industry.

What’s the biggest career risk you’ve ever taken? How did it work out?

Lots of them! In fact, I’ve kind of made a career-long habit of periodically jumping from positions of relative security to something new and untested. Leaving a seemingly steady, mid-level job to set up a public affairs unit from scratch at GCI – with no clients or colleagues – is up there. However, there’s little to beat deciding to go independent after 25 years in agency, a matter of weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. While, it all seems to have worked out OK, I’m not sure I’ve got another giant leap in me!

What’s the biggest creative risk you’ve ever taken?

I’m not sure it necessarily classifies as creative per se, but when I became Director of Ketchum’s global corporate practice, I bet our entire first year’s marketing budget on a bit of a hunch. That hunch became the multi-year, annual global study – the Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor – which went on to win a IN2 SABRE three years in a row, including beating the Edelman Trust Barometer in our first year and their 15th!

What do you think are the most important character traits for a great PR person?

As with much in life, this question is all about balance. I wrote a LinkedIn post with lots of thoughts on this question last year, to mark 30 years in PR and comms, and five years as an independent. Distilling that down, it’s probably a combination of ability (and its dogged application); decency (borne of integrity); generosity (with no expectation of return); curiosity (driven by humility); and resilience (even when it feels like all is lost).

Which company or organization do you most admire in terms of PR, branding or reputation management?

I was told, for this feature, not to be boring, so I’m just going to put it out there: Irn Bru is a consistently amazing brand! And I say that not just because my wife of 25 years is Scottish and I was brought up there. It’s a little-known fact that Scotland is the only country in the world where the No.1 soft drink isn’t made by Coca Cola and if you’ve ever seen Irn Bru’s ads, you’ll know why. Pull up your search engine of choice, type in “Irn Bru best adverts” and enjoy. You’re welcome.

Which individual, in any field, do you think exemplifies outstanding leadership or communication skills?

As predictable as it is to default to a great political leader, President Zelensky continues to set a standard globally for remarkable leadership communication. Is he perfect? Of course not. We’re all human. But to have led his country through such unimaginable conditions for over three years – without an apparent pause for breath – is something to behold.

What’s the best campaign you’ve seen recently?

I’m probably not alone here, but Golin’s Misheard Version campaign for Specsavers constantly impresses The simplicity of the core human insight, the direct link to the product, the choice of influencer and the quality of the social execution are the reason why the campaign so deserves the wall of awards it has won.

Is there an industry trend or discussion you think is over-rated or exaggerated or just plain stupid?

It’s certainly neither stupid nor exaggerated, but as with any frontier technology, the conversation about AI – and its application to PR/comms – risks becoming all-consuming. Don’t get me wrong, AI’s potential to act as a genuine partner-in-crime to practitioners at all levels is considerable – in everything from summary and analysis, and insight generation to scenario-building and content creation. Indeed, it’s becoming an increasingly important part of my work, particularly as tools like Perplexity, Sonnet from Claude and Gemini continue to evolve and improve.

However, the focus on “productivity gains” concerns me – particularly in terms of what the major holding groups might do with it – and do I worry about its impact on cognitive development and curiosity, particularly in the earlier stages of practitioners’ career. As long as we never lose what I call the human imperative and view AI as a helpful co-pilot – rather than debating how many jobs will be lost and which specific consulting ‘tasks’ will be replaced – healthy evolution remains possible.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone entering the PR industry today?

I’d go for two related ones. The first was a brilliant piece of advice from my boss when I moved on from my first agency job in London: actively set out to learn one new thing from someone every single day. I’ve tried to actively apply that throughout my career and it’s been invaluable.

The second – almost in return – is to think of your career as actually being a lifelong baton-pass. As my friend and former boss, David Gallagher once said: “Learn to give and receive in equal measure, and in that order”. Gold dust.

What’s your guilty pleasure when you need to unwind from the high pressure of PR?

I’m not sure it counts as a guilty pleasure, but spending a disproportionate amount of time in South Africa since going independent has become a fundamental part of our life. Good food and wine, of course, with a shameful binge of Married at First Sight when the going gets really tough!