Ruth Mortimer

The government are designing a ten-year plan for the UK’s industry. This will set out plans for the country’s economic development over the next decade, create stability for businesses and signal where investors should put their money. They’ve picked sectors that can grow the UK economy: 🥽 advanced manufacturing 🌳 clean energy 🧑‍🎨 creative 💷 financial services 🦠 life sciences 🗃️professional and business services There's never been a better time to study professional and business services and our new courses combining business and creative industries are ahead of curve at Teesside University International Business School https://lnkd.in/eZMCRSQf

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Keir Starmer's lack of "vision" and "narrative" has become a cliche at this point. But this isn't just a PR problem. It has a real cost - in muddled hiring decisions, policy incoherence and Whitehall not knowing what is it the prime minister actually wants to do. Hiring the right people for the right jobs isn't just a case of having good instincts, but also having a clear sense of what it is you want them do once they're in the role. My Sunday Times column from today https://lnkd.in/eyvQf-QF

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As timing goes, this was pretty spot on. Around the same time Andrew Bruce Smith and the Wildfire team were sharing some of the latest AI thinking at our "Insight, Ideas and Impact" AI event in London yesterday — which included a peek at some of our synthetic personas — PRWeek and Boston University released the most comprehensive survey to date on AI in PR. It's almost like we planned it. The results are interesting: * Most PR professionals say their organisations are open to innovation. * But their own day-to-day use of AI remains low. * Many believe their peers are using AI more than they are. * And in-house teams, in particular, report limited access to AI experts, infrastructure or even basic guidance. This mismatch — between enthusiasm and execution — is something we’ve thought hard about at Wildfire. It’s why AI is a core pillar of our strategy: not just to speed up old processes, but increase the value of the insight, strategy and creativity we offer to clients. The PRWeek research clearly shows a sector still figuring it out. But it also shows a moment of real opportunity — if we move beyond experimentation and start building AI into the way we work, every day. I'm lucky to regularly talk to and meet people who are doing some really great work with AI in our sector but there's so much more to learn. Full survey article here: https://lnkd.in/eXA3vuXV Curious to hear from others: What’s the most useful thing you’ve seen (or done) with AI in PR so far — not the flashiest, just the most genuinely helpful? #techpr #b2bpr #ai #pr

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Free speech matters. Impartiality matters. In most workplaces, impartiality is the safer choice. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of honest thinking or measured opinions. Opinions challenge assumptions. There’s no perfect answer, but silence has never moved anything forward. The real tension is how we separate personal opinions and strong perspectives from professional judgement, particularly in an industry where comms sits at the core. The choice is either taking a stance that reflects an organisation’s values or sitting on the fence in the name of appeasement. I prefer the former, as I feel most people do. #pr #comms https://lnkd.in/e9YSNHbA

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Very thoughtful and astute piece John Barnes about both an urgent challenge for journalism-centred brands, and the range of responses and opportunities that publishers have. Fine thoughts from Mel McVeigh Stuart Forrest and Enders Analysis (Claire Holubowskyj, Laura Darcey). Imaginative product development has become as necessary and urgent as it has ever been, and I would add the need for industry collaboration to help design a digital journalism marketplace for publishers to thrive, and that audiences will welcome. PPA Sajeeda Merali

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'ESG is maturing, not dying' PRWeek UK's latest podcast looks at ESG in 2026 and beyond, with expert guests Sarita Shah of Weber Shandwick and Sarah Ogden of Zeno Group. We discuss how approaches to ESG really changed in 2025. This includes looking at regional differences between America, Europe and elsewhere, and asking whether it is ‘performative’ ESG that has been curbed. The role of comms in ESG, and how comms departments are embedding the skills, are also discussed. The duo examine major changes so far this year – and what lies ahead. Thanks to Sarita and Sarah - have a listen https://lnkd.in/eGaUith7

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🙋 Hands up if you're not sure about what goes into an editorial report and whether you should write one! 🎤 In the new episode of The Editing Podcast, Louise Harnby and I dig into the ins and outs of editorial reports, and whether you should provide them to clients. 🎧 Listen to find out more about: — What an editorial report is — Why not all clients need editorial reports — What to include in an editorial report — How long editorial reports take to write — Why editors should create editorial reports — Tips for creating effective editorial reports 👇 The link to the full episode is in the comments

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The UK is well-positioned to become a global leader in the responsible use of AI, but only if it can harness private sector innovation, argues Martin Taylor, co-founder and deputy CEO at Content Guru.

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Another exciting day at Open Journals Collective this time in London! Our new Library Engagement Lead Thomas Shaw met with Rupert Gatti & I to plan the next 3-6 months of web development. We’ll be improving the OJC website & journals catalogue as an immediate priority. Then we’re organising a community consultation about the OJC Library Hub. This will aggregate open data & enable libraries to track usage among their academics. It’ll be designed to integrate with library software so librarians can easily ingest our journals metadata & content. Plenty more updates on this over the coming weeks.

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Something singularly strange is happening in the media industry. Scratch the surface of most organisations, and the biggest challenge is universal: extreme exhaustion. My latest column for The Media Leader UK asks why we are bored of women’s burnout? As the headlines on the much-heralded ‘great resignation’ evaporated, so too did our collective drive to make a meaningful effort to address burnout. This lacklustre approach is killing women’s careers. As Bloom’s groundbreaking research revealed, over half (54%) of women felt overwhelmed by their workload. Work-life balance is a myth in the media. In the stop-start chaos of 2025 across the industry, it is still women who are perpetually placing their plans on pause. As seemingly endless rounds of restructuring continue to confuse and compress their career paths. Over the past months, I have spoken to far too many brilliantly talented women facing impossible choices. So my question is: why are we sidestepping this huge issue? Link to full article in comments LMK what you think ❤️

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