Member Article

Huddersfield communications expert takes home prestigious PR 'Oscar'

Katie Mallinson, founder of Huddersfield consultancy Scriba PR, has scooped one of her industry’s most prestigious accolades – the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ Outstanding Young Communicator.

Katie, 29 and from Slaithwaite, beat off stiff competition from throughout Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, to pick up what is widely regarded as the PR industry’s ‘Oscar’.

The results were announced by Calendar News star Gaynor Barnes, at a glittering ceremony at Aspire, Leeds, on 26 November.

Open to communications professionals under 30, the award marks Katie’s nine year career in PR. Judges praised her ‘northern soul’, ‘grit and determination’, and a ‘clear set of professional values’. Her commitment to mentoring others, largely through her continued relationship with the University of Huddersfield, was also noted.

Commenting on the news, Katie said: “It sounds clichéd but I honestly didn’t expect to win. The competition in my category was stiff! That probably explains why it took me so long to get up to the stage to collect the trophy, I just froze!

“Shock aside, I am delighted with the result. It’s been a tough journey, setting up a communications business during the recession, when so many potential clients were slashing marketing budgets left right and centre. But I knew I’d spotted a way to do things differently, particularly for technical businesses who have previously struggled to tell their story.”

Indeed the judges also commented on Scriba’s enthusiastic and honest approach to dealing with clients – by becoming valuable members of their team, Scriba is empowering them to turn into better communicators too.

She continues: “Some companies began to tarnish the reputation of PR during the recession, forgetting what good communications is all about – two way dialogue and interesting, worthwhile conversation. This made it hard for many businesses to project their voice. We wanted to address this. Now, by becoming immersed in clients’ businesses, understanding their proposition however complex, and really caring about their future, we’re fuelling the continued success of our own organisation too.”

Based in Heritage Exchange, Scriba has recently recruited a new PR assistant, Louise Jaggar from Lindley, and has its sights set on more staff in early 2016.

“We now have more than 15 clients in our customer base, located in Yorkshire, the wider UK, and even overseas. It’s been a year of very hard graft, but I’ve loved every minute. This award is the icing on the cake!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .