LONDON — Nearly 50 UK agencies have backed the launch of PR Mums, a recruitment, community hub and events platform to support mothers in the industry who want to return to work.

PR Mums will be going live later this month, with the aim of equipping mothers with a practical and psychological pathway back into employment after maternity or childcare, enabling them to re-establish their pre-pregnancy career trajectory.

The co-founder and managing director of PR Mums is former FleishmanHillard, Edelman and M&C Saatchi PR director Emma Padden, supported by a board of seven ‘founding mothers’ (pictured): Alexandra Heybourne (director, Freuds); Ali Maynard-James (managing partner, Manifest); Bethany Pearson (director, Grayling); Jessica Hope (CEO, Wimbart); Jo Vyvyan-Robinson(partner, Freuds); Nicola McKelvey (freelance director); and Shilpa Saul (inclusive communications director, The Unmistakables).

In addition, consultant psychologist Dr Claire Vowell will help drive the consultancy and training to embed better policy and culture for returning parents. PR Mums also has the support and financial backing of veteran brand consultants Hector Proud and Rory Scott, and photographer Rankin.

At launch, PR Mums is already supported by a roster of nearly 50 agencies including Manifest, Grayling, Freuds, The Unmistakables, Wimbart, Aduro, Blurred, Brick, CCGroup, Clarion, Clarity, Don’t Cry Wolf, Fine Lines, Finn Partners, Folk, Four, Frank, Hard Numbers, Hope & Glory, Kaizo, Phipps, Playtime PR, Portland, Pretty Green, Ready10, Smoking Gun, Taylor Herring, The PR Network, Wild Card and 72Point.

Padden said PR Mums had been in development for 18 months, driven by an “immediate and urgent mission to address clear and present endemic industry challenges” and to help increase number of women in senior and leadership positions.

She told PRovoke Media: “Hector and Rory were struggling to find good people to work with them on a freelance or contract basis and knew there were so many talented women who had left PR because of lack of flexibility and childcare issues. They started talking to agency heads and it developed from there – PR Mums was originally conceived as a recruitment business but the idea expanded into tailored training, consultancy to help agencies around policies, and a community.

“We’re building an online platform for women to share their experiences and challenges, to pick each other up and build confidence. There are brilliant organisations like Women in PR that are having some of these conversations already, and we want to support those things. I’ve been blown away by the support and – talking to women in leadership roles and potential candidates, as well as male agency heads who want to do more – by how many women have had challenges and have had to battle to get things to work for them or had to sacrifice something along the way.”

Leveraging revenue from the recruitment service, PR Mums will reinvest at least 25% of its profits into a community, training and events programme, designed to boost returning women’s confidence, open opportunities, facilitate networking, initiate mentorships and update skills.

Beyond this, the organisation will expand into advocacy and campaigning on issues that impact women in the workplace and dissuade them from returning to work after having children, such as substandard parental leave policies, the cost and availability of childcare, the lack of flexible or part-time roles, diminished confidence and isolation.

Manifest UK managing partner Ali Maynard-James, one of PR Mums’ founding mothers, said: “The UK PR sector is over 65 % female. But for far too many female PRs who choose to have a baby, when their family starts, their career stops. The harsh reality is that there is no established pathway back into employment for mothers who wish to spend longer than a year bringing up their child. Even after a typically ‘normal’ mat leave of 6–12 months some people can feel out of the loop with diminished confidence trying to balance their career and family life. We want to provide guidance and support.”

At PR Mums supporter Ready10, managing partner Sophie Diner added: “Ready10 is passionate about supporting women’s career progression, whether or not they have a family. We practice what we preach: our nine-person senior team consists of seven women, six of whom are working mums. PR Mums is a much-needed and welcome initiative and we are thrilled to be involved in helping to further drive change in the industry.”