19th September 2025
I’m the director of KBPR, a PR and marketing communications company specialising in pensions and investments. I founded the business 17 years ago to offer a more personal, distinctive service to brands that wanted to go beyond simply “raising their profile”. We work with clients to shape narratives, lead the conversation, and educate the market, not just follow it.
My role is mainly strategic, focused on client positioning, connections and new business, but I love to keep close to the hands-on work too.
With two kids, a dog, a horse, and a company to run, I’m up by 5:20am. If I want to make it to the gym, I need to be there by 6.00am. It’s a non-negotiable part of my routine and helps get my brain in gear. With no travel this week, I kick off my day with a review of deadlines and an optimistic weekly to-do list. If I get through half, I’ll be lucky, and that’s what I love about the job. The unexpected is always just around the corner. We are a fully remote company so once the team is online, we have a planning call to align on priorities and identify where support might be needed. As it’s the start of the month, we’re finalising bespoke monthly client reports across PR, social, and content. But it’s not just about chasing numbers – it’s about reputation, education, and connection. Capturing that on paper can be challenging. With no travel, I get the added bonus of a daily beach walk with the dog, the perfect midday reset in a heavy reporting and objective planning day.
Fresh from the 2025 award season, we’re already planning 2026. Awards play a big role in our clients’ PR and marketing strategies. They’re a brilliant way to showcase achievements and shine a spotlight on standout people and initiatives. This morning, I lead two brainstorming sessions to kick-start submissions. We take on the heavy lifting – drafting, designing and helping clients present the strongest version of their achievements. In the afternoon, I brain dump my thoughts from the sessions, then get stuck into final press release sign-offs. Some are straightforward, others require co-ordination with multiple teams. Today everything flows through the pipeline smoothly.
The day starts with a planning call with one of our pension fund clients to shape their next member newsletter and forum. We review content and programme ideas and discuss how to drive engagement and attendance. We agree to take on full management of both projects. The afternoon is full on. Several urgent press requests come in from trade and national titles, so we coordinate with our clients’ thought leaders to secure interviews and comments. Later, it’s straight into reviewing afternoon news alerts and monitoring social media to stay on top of what’s being discussed.
Day four … school run fatigue is real! After three months of school summer holidays here in Ireland, getting back into a routine is a shock to the system. Once the kids are in, it’s straight into monthly client PR meetings. These regular check-ins are vital, beyond daily deliverables these are where the real insights emerge – what’s happening inside their business, how they’re feeling, what their clients are saying, what trends they’re noticing. It’s where our best ideas come from. Later, I meet with our marketing manager to review social content for KBPR and our clients. Balancing visuals, tone and substance across different platforms can be a challenge in such a noisy space, we love experimenting with new (sometimes disruptive) ideas to get people talking.
I wrap up the week with some writing. I like to tackle content on Fridays when emails are a little quieter. I review client blogs and map out some first draft releases. After lunch I finalise travel plans for a busy few weeks ahead including the Pensions Age Autumn Conference in London and the Pensions UK event in Manchester. Staying connected to the industry is essential for building and maintaining relationships, and learning. Conferences, events and awards evenings are a big part of that. We’re lucky to work in such a collaborative industry, full of brilliant people so I really enjoy these commitments, as well as a night away in a nice hotel! To acknowledge a successful week, I encourage the team to log off a little early. We’ve earned it. I’m off to the yard to spend time with our horse – the perfect way to close out the week.
Click here to view the Pensions Age September Digital Edition.
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