With 2020 almost in the rear view mirror, it is award season with companies coming together to celebrate resilience and survival. Like many industries, communications and public relations have faced their fair share of troubles as events were cancelled, conferences mothballed, and clients cautious amid a pandemic.
There have been casualties, but there have been successes too within an unforgettable 12 months and these were celebrated in Dubai at the recent Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) awards. Among a host of winners across the industry, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) was named Large Agency of the Year for the second time in three years, as well as taking home a further 36 honours. The 37 wins were the most for any organisation on the evening and the most successful in H+K’s long history in the region, including 15 gold awards for work with clients including Instagram, Dolby and sporting events such as UFC’s Fight Island and Clash on the Dunes – the world heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr.
As the dust settled on the night before, Arabian Business sat down (virtually) with H+K’s CEO for EMEAx, Bashar AlKadhi, to discuss whether the optimism of the evening is reflected in the business landscape of the region.
AB: We’re hearing things from a lot of businesses saying ‘I believe in Dubai, I believe in the UAE, we’re benefiting from the early strong action’ is that a statement you agree with and is that something you’re seeing across your network? And how is landscape different to other countries?
100 percent. I’m a strong believer in the UAE. I you look back to the crisis of the Lehman Brothers in 2008/2009, much has been learnt. The infrastructure in Dubai is much more advanced across all the vital sectors. Education, healthcare, the judiciary, to name a few. The country has matured, it’s much more robust. I certainly am a believer in the UAE and I think those who think differently are wrong.
In terms of differences, I look after a geography that stretches from India to Sweden, and includes Africa, Turkey, Continental Europe and the Middle East. What’s surprising is the commonality, as opposed to the differences because you’re dealing with companies and organisations whose people are facing similar challenges. There are obviously varying levels of difficulties caused by the pandemic and how the respective authorities have handled it, but I think many of the challenges are common.
AB: How has 2020 changed the way you work, has it accelerated business practices you were looking at in the beginning of the year?
We always operated flexible work, but frankly it wasn’t structured or institutionalised. We were always flexible with our colleagues if they had a certain family circumstance. If COVID has taught us anything in this context, its is we need to adopt a more structured approach – whether it’s a four plus one or three plus two days per week from the office; we haven’t quite landed on that yet. But there will certainly be a change.
I’m not a fan of everything has to go offline now. Creating and maintaining a community spirit, and the creative process happen much more naturally when we’re together. One very important aspect is that because everyone’s been focused on managing the situation, I don’t think we’ve fully grasped the emotional and mental impact that the pandemic has had on people. We need to step back a little and not rush into things. Doubtless a lot of research will be carried which I am personally very interested in to see the impact the pandemic has had people’s mindsets and productivity.
As for the type of work moving forward, I believe we have a roust, fit-for-purpose set up. That’s why we created a studio a few years ago to deliver integrated content, which has certainly been accelerated in terms of. Almost counterintuitive to that, we’ve noticed that when it comes to in sources of information, the needle has moved back a little bit to TV and traditional media. It’s really an interesting dichotomy because when there’s a crisis or a global pandemic people want have turned to more traditional sources of information, which are viewed as more credible.
AB: Where are you are on 2021. Are you bullish on particular areas do you think live events will come back?
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of large, global crises, there are always winners and losers, and I think the public relations industry has been a winner. The PR discipline has played a pivotal role in how organisations have communicated with their constituents. so I think the industry is well placed. While no one could have anticipated such a global pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in the volume and variety of work, not just for H+K, but for the industry as a whole. So yes, so I’m extremely bullish about prospects for our industry, for sure, in places like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Egypt too.
We are already seeing some events coming back. A couple of days ago I attended Gitex, which was a significant milestone. Gitex that’s how the conferencing sector took off in Dubai so it’s a bit poetic that it is leading the way back. I think that was a good psychological moment for us I’m very bullish about events. Clearly, authorities are assessing the situation closely, but as we head into Q1 of 2021, we’re already noticing movement on that front.
AB: Is the communications industry still an industry that young people should aspire to work in?
It is one of the most exciting industries to work in. It allows people the opportunity to work indifferent sectors and countries. So I think it’s a amazing industry for young people who are curious. We always talk about purpose being at the heart of what we do., and more and more young people are looking for companies with a purpose
AB: Large Agency of the Year for second time in a three years, the first in 2018, but does this mean more perhaps after an unprecedented 12 months?
That’s the most fulfilling aspect for me. Back in March and April, no one could have been certain of anything, but we continued to do really good work, which were reflected in a very good financial performance which is a consequence of the work. The 2018 Win was very special for me, because it was my first time for me, but this feels a little bit more special.
AB: What did you say to the team the morning after the big awards night?
That this is not an overnight success. The awards are a result of months and years of work which has culminated in that wonderful Mepra night. I asked the team to be feel proud and remain humble. they should be extremely proud of each other, and grateful to our clients who allow us to do this work. Accolades such as these place even more responsibility on us because expectations are heightened, and rightly so – we want that. We want our clients’ expectations to be higher. We want the expectations from our team to be higher of me and of our senior leadership team.
AB: You’ve won large agency of the year, 37 awards, 15 golds, what’s next for H+K?
Well, the direction of travel remains the same. If you look at H+K globally, our CEO AnnaMaria Desalva has been in the role 18 months and has done a marvelous job. H+K is the star performer within the WPP PR stable and we’re quite happy about that. Whether in the US, Europe, China or the Middle East, we are trusted client advisors with innovation and bold thinking at the heart of everything that we do. That will continue to be the case. Our focus will continue to be on doing great work, to be the best we can be and have some fun along the way;
AB: What is exciting you most about next year?
Meeting people again. We should never forget that our business is built by sitting across the table from our client, or chatting with a colleague over a cup of coffee. Having those spontaneous relationship moments that spark great ideas. I’m also excited to see how we evolve and how the team continues to react to the inevitable surprises which will come along in a post COVID world.
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