Claudine Moore

Founder

C Moore Media, International PR
Africa/US/UK

“There is no going back to the way things were. I am thinking about evolving forwards and that is supremely exciting."

Born in the UK, based out of New York and working in African markets, Claudine Moore is a truly global leader in the communications industry. Her experience has ranged from leadership roles at McCann-Erickson, Grey and H+K Strategies – where she was the first Black professional to hold a regional leadership position in the agency’s history – to launching her own agency, and from leading regional communications for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton to working with Africa-focused tech start-ups such as WorldRemit, Konga and WorldCover. Moore’s focus is on corporate responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and African business, and she is leading the way in shaping the African narrative. Moore has worked with African leaders including Tony Elumelu and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and is a vocal advocate of African women, from moderating a panel of 41 African first ladies at the UN General Assembly to launching mentoring programme ‘The Future is Female,’ a PR and communications initiative dedicated to African female tech founders that is the first programme of its kind in Africa.

Where is the most urgent need for innovation within the PR/communications industry?
Creating even more engaging and relevant content and amplifying to target audiences is important now more than ever before. As a result of the global pandemic – with more audiences glued to a screen or device as we collectively navigate waves of stay at home orders – standing out and connecting is more important than ever before.

How have the events of 2020 impacted innovation in the PR and communications industry?
I think that the impact is still being felt and we are all still finding out feet. I think now more than ever we have to quickly find out the shifting needs of our audiences. We have to understand these dynamics and how this affects audience priorities, thinking and decision-making this is the same for internal audiences as well as external. The key thing is how are we discovering the shifting needs (not assuming) in a virtual world.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry's level of innovation compared to other marketing disciplines?
About the same.

Where is the PR industry’s greatest opportunity for taking the lead on innovation?
Creating and amplifying content in creative ways that scale.

Has 2020 changed the way you define/approach innovation? How?
I am bolder and take more risks. If it has not been done before I don’t shy away I lean into that opportunity. 

What is the most innovative comms/marketing initiative you've seen this year?
Ancestry.com’s ‘Railway Ties’.

What is the most important lesson you've learned this year?
You can create deep and important relationships virtually and we have all the tools available to help us do this. Imagine what living through this pandemic would have been like if we did not have mobile phones, FaceTime, Zoom, Houseparty and all the other platforms that are now part of how we stay connected. 

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider innovative.
When we launched The Future is Female Mentorship Program earlier this year. The initiative is dedicated to supporting exclusively African female tech founders in leveraging PR and comms to help with the development of their tech startup.

Any habit/activity that you have added to your life this year that you hope to take forward post-pandemic?
Checking in with my clients beyond work deliverables.

How can the PR industry make real progress in diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and what is the biggest obstacle?
Having diverse boards and c-suites. This is where decisions are made and until this happens, nothing will really change.

What are you thinking about most these days?
What the new normal will be in 2021 and beyond. There is no going back to the way things were. I am thinking about evolving forwards and that is supremely exciting. 

Your bold prediction for 2021…
Due to the pandemic, distance will cease to exist.