Women in PR Summit 2022, a Masterclass Par Excellence

This year’s women in PR Ghana Summit was more than a Communications Masterclass. From Speaker selection to topics and structure, this year’s summit was a great learning experience.

The two-day summit was on the theme, PR Women as Agents of Change in the Competitive Corporate World.

I picked up some few nuggets and I thought I’d share with you

DAY 1.
Topic: Using Social Currency to build a global network.
Speakers:
Ronke Lawal (Founder, Ariatu PR), Iretomiwa Akitunde Johnson (Lead PR & Communications Advisor, ID Africa) and Adisa Amanor Wilks (Director, Abjel Communications)

*Your level of influence is not tied to the number of followers your have
* Build a credible footprint as soon as you can
* It’s important that as PR professionals we are very deliberate
*There must be a balance between your presence online and offline.

Uche Ofodile, Group Chief Executive of MTN Benin spoke on the topic, Increasing Female Leadership in PR through Mentorship.

Uche encouraged PR Professionals not to downplay the essence of mentorship. She encouraged Professionals seeking to be mentored to have a structured plan in place while asking  the question,  “What am I trying to achieve”?

Here are Some key highlights I picked from her presentation

* We need more women who are willing to take more risks by putting themselves forward. -Take up new roles
                 -Travel out for new assignments etc

*The younger you are, the more ability and time you have to experiment with what you are passionate about.

*Technology gives you access to experienced mentors. Have a structure in place, be bold, connect and bloom to be the best of yourself

*Your career journey is a long one, don’t throw people away

*You can be a mentor at any level

* Less is more when it comes to interactions with your mentor- don’t bombard them with calls and messages

Honestly, I was in awe as I listed to Uche and her story about her career journey. You could tell her resilience and quest for excellence and adventure has contributed to her current position.

Day 2 (In Person)

Asiedua Addae (Head Corporate Affairs Brands & Marketing-Standard Chartered Bank Ghana) started off the discussion on the topic, Transforming the PR landscape through Digital Storytelling.

Key Points

*Public Relations today revolves around 3 Cs – Content, Channels & Consumer Analytics

* Data is a powerful tool for PR and Comms professionals to convince their clients & organisations for campaign planning

*Understand your audience and Channels to make impact with your Content. Don’t post same content across board.

*Influence is a currency, use it wisely

There was also a Panel Discussion on the topic, The Value of Executive Visibility in Corporate Communications.
Speakers were, Anne Sackey (Marketing & Comms Manager) , Odelia Ntiamoah (CEO SNB Group) and Georgina Asare Fiagbenu (Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, MTN Ghana).

Key Points
*There has to be an alignment between what Business Executives represent and what PR Professionals are seeking to promote.

*PR Practitioners must drive the agenda for Executive Influence, however in doing this, don’t fake it- It will show through.

*To effectively run an executive visibility plan, you need a communications policy that outlines who speaks on what issues/subject within the organization

*Your internal stakeholders, communication channels and audience are key when designing an Executive strategy

There was also an insightful session on PR Women as Strong Advocates for Sustainable Development and it was presented by Amaka Onyemelukwe (Director Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca Cola-Nigeria)

Key Points

*PR Professionals need to know and understand what happens in every department within the organisation.
*A good Sustainability plan is essential for every organisation. It could save your company from crisis, customer compliants and any potentials issues.
* We have moved from just talking about CSR to communicating  Sustainability.
* Organisations will not invest money in a plan if it does not support the bottomline.
*Sustainability goals must align with company goals
*The only way you can drive partnerships is about being vocal about who (the organisation) you are and what drives you.

I want to congratulate the Founder, Faith Senam April and the team who supported in making this year’s summit a success.

Special thanks to the sponsors, MTN, Vivo Energy, AH Hotel, GTP, Adubea Jensen, Hollard Insurance, Total Energies, E’ April PR, Excelsis

I’m already excited about Women in PR Summit 2023

I’m a Proud Woman In PR

Check out some of the photos from this year’s summit.