How to Get Ahead in Travel PR
Intent on climbing to the top of the travel PR ladder but need a leg up? This webinar is for everyone from PR rookies on the first rungs through to directors getting close to the summit. We welcomed five top UK agency heads who shared their expertise in navigating a safe path to career success, and avoiding the bumps in the road! Essential viewing for every ambitious person working in travel PR.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Amy Skelding
Managing Partner
FINN Partners Travel UK
Amy’s journey in the travel industry began with a passion for exploration and a keen eye for storytelling. As a precocious pre-teen (Amy’s words…), Amy was the child presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship travel programme Breakaway and reported across the globe, from Paris to New York, on what made these destinations worth visiting for kids. And so, the seed was sown for a lifelong love of travel and the never-ending search for ‘the story’.
Starting as the cocky intern (Amy’s words…) at bgb nearly 20 years ago, Amy moved on from franking the post and spray-mounting coverage to becoming Managing Partner of FINN’s Travel PR team in the UK and was recently included in the 2024 PRWeek Power Book. Amy has worked in every job in a travel PR agency, from news story sell-ins to celebrity activations; with countless crises, proposals, awards, and press trips under her belt – you name it, she has done it and is known for her frank approach and insightful adaptability. She ensures that the stories of every destination and brand the FINN team touches are told with passion, creativity, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world of travel.
Fiona Anderson
Director
GEC PR
Fiona is a Company Director at specialist travel and lifestyle agency GEC PR. Fiona has enjoyed a 25-year PR career, and her travel client experience includes premium tourism brands that include Aitken Spence Hotels, Conrad, Kimpton and Hilton Hotels. Her agency works with tourist boards, hotels, and travel products that span the globe, and Fiona has also represented destinations as diverse as Central America, India, the Maldives, the Philippines, Jamaica, and Kyoto in Japan. Fiona is a Fellow of the UK’s Tourism Society, and is passionate about the transformative power of travel.
James Brooke
Managing Director
Rooster
James is a communications expert with almost 25 years’ experience, predominantly consultancy-side at both specialist and global agencies.
After exploring his passion for the seas, sailing across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and working for the likes of Neilson and Sunsail, James spent five years at the travel PR and marketing agency McCluskey International, during which time the business tripled in size from a team of eight to 30.
Poached by the international consultancy FleishmanHillard to run their travel & tourism practice across EMEA, James managed the Egypt Tourism account globally across 30 markets and helped launch Etihad Airways.
Marking 15 years as Rooster’s MD in April 2023, James leads a team of 30 delivering impactful PR, Representation, Social, Influencer, Experiential, Creative, and Reputation campaigns for diverse clients across the Travel, Property, Consumer, and B2B/Corporate sectors.
James is honoured to be featured again in the PR Week Power Book 2024, the definitive guide to the most influential and respected PR & comms leaders in the UK.
Jim Odoire
Managing Director
Black Diamond
As one of the founders of Black Diamond, Jim has enjoyed a career of nearly 30 years in marketing. Over this time, Jim has helped steer Black Diamond from its roots in extreme sports content production to become a full-service creative marketing and communications agency specialising in travel and tourism. Operating out of offices in central London, Black Diamond’s 40 staff oversee a portfolio of 30+ global destinations. Black Diamond is a member of the International Tourism Group with agency offices across Europe.
Henry Hemming (Moderator)
Global Managing Director
TravMedia
Henry lives in East Sussex, is a keen photographer, nature lover and ardent Beatles fan (yeah, yeah, yeah).
