‘Reputation must be proactively managed, not ignored until a crisis’

Name: Kat Harrison-Dibbits

Job title and company: Head of communications, Teenage Cancer Trust

Location: Manchester

Time in PR: 12 years, following nine years in journalism

What does your current role involve?

I lead the storytelling engine (aka the comms team) at Teenage Cancer Trust, so everything from our social channels and editorial content on the website to media relations and internal comms. 

As a charity we provide specialist care and support to teenagers and young people with cancer. It’s really serious work that makes a huge difference to people’s lives. Because we work with young people it’s also key that we do it in a way that’s engaging for them, so we work hard to make sure we’re not being preachy or boring. The stories are incredible and you can run the full gamut of emotions in one day. 

What do you love most about working in public relations?

Now I work at a more senior level I spend a lot of time advising on managing reputational issues and I find it fascinating. That moment when you see someone understand that reputation needs to be proactively managed, not just ignored until there’s a crisis, is always incredibly satisfying. You know you’re making a fundamental difference to an organisation’s sustainability and ability to deliver its mission. 

I also love being able to use my creative muscles in so many different ways, whether that’s talking to my team about how we best use TikTok to deliver sun safety messaging or working with our partners to raise millions through our Royal Albert Hall shows. It’s a cliche, but every day really is different in this profession. 

What's been the highlight of your career so far?

There have been so many but I think the work I did with artists during the pandemic might top it. The arts venue where I worked had to close its doors, but within 48 hours we had launched a series to commission artists to make work from their own homes that could be seen by audiences in lockdown. It was wild – we basically told them that there were no rules about what platform they could use to deliver the work, then we had to work out how to pivot our website, newsletter and social channels to make it actually happen. 

I was building all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff in our CMS; I used the newsletter software to deliver a weekly comic about the Black Death in Eyam and at one point we even built a choose-your-own-adventure video game using our YouTube channel. Because so many people at the organisation were furloughed we just had to sort of make it up as we went along. 

The press coverage was incredible, we kept getting gushing reviews in the Guardian for the weirdest stuff you’ve ever seen. It was such a stressful time for the whole country, but professionally I think it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done.  

How long have you been a CIPR member and what made you join?

I’ve been a member for seven years now. Because I switched from journalism, I didn’t have any formal PR training at the start of my career, other than having my opinion on other people’s work! 

I knew that trying to do more formal training alongside my job wouldn’t work for me but I really liked the CIPR’s CPD model that allows you to follow the trail of things you’re interested in, in your own time and delivered in the way that suits you. 

I also think that being part of a professional body is crucial when it comes to the reputation of PR itself. Sadly people still have the idea that we’re spin doctors focused on protecting reputations at the cost of the truth. Sure, there are PRs out there for whom that’s true but being part of a membership body with a focus on ethics and standards helps tackle that. 

How does the CIPR support your career?

There’s so much to PR that I didn't appreciate when I first started. I thought if you could write a decent press release and pitch well that was basically it. The CIPR really opened my eyes to all the different aspects of the profession. 

Becoming chartered was huge for me. It’s challenging and takes your thinking to a different level. But it helped get rid of any lingering imposter syndrome - not because once you’re chartered you think you know everything, but because it’s a commitment to ethics, strategy and an ongoing curiosity about PR. 

Best piece of career advice you’ve been given?

My old boss, who was from the north-east, once told me ‘shy bairns get nowt’. I repeat it to people constantly - you never know what will happen until you ask.

• Read more from Kat: What PRs need to know about how news formats are changing

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