88 The PRWeek Power Book 2009
Secretary on a visit to the
Baltic States immediately
following the fall of the
Iron Curtain.
Worst moment of career
As a Department of Health
press officer, when a media
outreach went wrong; a
minister had to address an
angry public meeting at
Luton Town Hall.
Professional inspiration?
Sir Richard Branson.
Media must-haves?
The Spectator, The Economist,
Radio 4 and ScripNews.com.
Most respected journalist
Frank Gardner, BBC.
Most respected politician
Vince Cable, recession guru.
Business or brand to
watch? Pressure group Liberty.
Best advice? Presentation is
half the battle.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of?
‘Man In a Pint Glass’ by Red.
Favourite book The Riddle of
the Sands by Erskine Childers.
Burning career ambition?
To build the most dynamic,
creative healthcare PR team
in the industry.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Skiing.
Pearson, Sara
Chairman and CEO,
SPA Way
Glamourous and
sophisticated,
Pearson founded
and leads one of the
UK’s most
successful consumer
media relations consultancies.
Address 4 Leathermarket
Street, London SE1 3HN
Telephone
020 7403 6900
Born Banbury, 1953.
Lives Chelsea, with children,
dog and others.
Career highlight
Collecting 5,500 pairs of pants
for Crisis at Christmas 2008.
Worst moment of career
Getting locked out of the
office wearing said pants
for the photoshoot.
Professional inspiration?
Winston Churchill.
Media must-haves?
FT, Daily Mail, bbc.co.uk.
Most respected journalist
Jeremy Paxman.
Most respected politician
Boris Johnson.
Business or brand to
watch? Anyone with a budget.
Best advice? Do what it takes.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of?
Getting Boris elected.
Favourite book A Thousand
Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
Burning career ambition?
To do charity work in India.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
The Bentley.
Perkins, Ali
Head of PR, Microsoft
The ex-PR director
EMEA at Siebel
Systems replaced
Hugh Davies (now
at mobile firm 3)
when she joined
Microsoft. Perkins has also
worked in-house at Oracle,
Internet Incubator and Bull
Information Systems.
Address Microsoft Campus,
Thames Valley Park,
Reading RG6 1WG
Telephone 0870 6010100
Born Winnipeg, Canada, 1968.
Lives Hertford, with husband
Justin and young son Kieran.
Career highlight Being made
head of PR for Larry Ellison
(Oracle), based in San Francisco.
Worst moment in career
Taking three months to relocate
for the above job – by which
time a corporate reorganisation
made the position untenable.
Professional inspiration?
Ex-boss Philip Crawford: he
pushed me to realise what I
could achieve.
Media must-haves?
The Economist, FT, BBC News,
Today, The Week, Horse & Hound.
Most respected journalist
John Humphrys.
Most respected politician
Nelson Mandela.
Business or brand to
watch? Aldi and Virgin.
Best advice? Change brings
great opportunity. Embrace
change and you control your
own destiny.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of? Dove’s
‘Real Beauty’ digital campaign.
Burning career ambition?
To be recognised as a strategic
comms adviser who influences
and supports business and isn’t
afraid to question conventional
wisdom.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Champagne.
Phillips, Robert
CEO, Edelman
The hard-working
and fiercely bright
Phillips started his
career promoting
Italian bridalwear,
and then went
on to co-found JCPR with
Jackie Cooper.
Address 105 Victoria Street,
London SW1E 6QT
Telephone 020 3047 2000
Born London, 1964.
Lives Islington, with Venetia,
Gabriel and Gideon.
Career highlight Talking
cricket with Shane Warne while
being paid to work.
Worst moment in career
She knows who she is.
Professional inspiration?
Jackie Cooper, my best friend
and creative partner of 22 years.
Media must-haves?
bbc.co.uk, ft.com, The Sun, The
Week, bobdylan.com, Private Eye,
The Economist,
citizenrenaissance.com.
Most respected journalist
Daniel Finkelstein.
Most respected politician
Tony Benn.
Business or brand to watch?
HM Treasury.
Best advice? Never wear a
silly hat.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of?
The first 48 hours of Sarah Palin.
Favourite book Journey
Through a Small Planet by
Emanuel Litvinoff.
Private members club?
Century, The Hospital, The Union.
Burning career ambition?
To change the world.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Man United time.
Pitt, Johnny
CEO, Launch Group
Suave and sharp,
Pitt has pushed
innovative Launch
towards the top
tier of consumer
agencies.
Address 13–14 Archer Street,
London W1D 7BD
Telephone 020 7758 3900
Born Macclesfield, 1972.
Lives London and
Gloucestershire, with wife
Rebecca and young son.
Career highlight Aside from
seeing how clients and people
have developed at Launch,
waterskiing with Alexander
McQueen in South Africa.
Worst moment in career
Singing Spandau Ballet’s Gold
to Tony Hadley.
Professional inspiration?
Still Richard Branson.
Media must-haves? The Sun,
Google, The Guardian, FT Weekend,
Daily Mail, Management Today,
The Economist.
Most respected journalist
Chris Hope at The Daily Telegraph.
Most respected politician
David Cameron.
Business or brand to
watch? British Airways.
Best advice? Enjoy it.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of? I like what
Travelodge did last year.
Favourite book
Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life
by Richard Branson.
Private members club?
Soho House.
Burning career ambition?
To make Launch the UK’s
leading integrated PR agency.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Sleep.
Pooley, Kath
UK MD, Bite Communications
Fun-loving yet
professional,
Pooley joined the
Bite ranks in 2008
after 12 years at
Lewis PR.
Address The Character
Building, 41b Beavor Lane,
London W6 9BL
Telephone 020 8741 9BL
Born Aylesbury, 1974.
Lives Guildford, with the
‘husband-to-be’.
Career highlight Winning
the PRWeek Young
Communicator Award.
Worst moment of career
Years ago, dealing with an
account manager after he
‘dropped his pants for the
benefit of the journalists’ on
an Asian press trip.
Professional inspiration?
Ken Deeks, founder of Byte Night.
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