KETCHUM UK’S INCLUSION COUNCIL ‘SPOTLIGHT SERIES’ WITH RAMONA ANING

Ketchum UK’s Inclusion Council returns with another ‘spotlight series’, this month featuring Ramona Aning, Senior Account Director, who sheds light on her journey into PR and her role at Ketchum.

1. Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

People-person; positive; talkative; curious; adventurous

2. Describe your role within Ketchum in 10 words or less.

SAD (Senior Account Director) in the Health community, with diverse experience*

*I tend to work on cross-community projects which have a focus or require specific knowledge about consumer health. I see myself very much as an ‘external communications/ PR’ person who can be plugged into various pieces of work and therefore act like the ‘glue’ or ‘link’ between the health team and other communities across Ketchum.

3. How did you get into PR/comms?

By coincidence! It was always clear that communication was a natural skill of mine, but I didn’t quite understand or appreciate this when I was younger. I spend a lot of time outside the classroom when I was at school as my teachers felt that I was being ‘disruptive’ because I ‘talk too much.’ Writing and languages came quite naturally to me, I did French, English and German Literature A-levels alongside, philosophy and others.  I grew up in Germany and our school system is slightly different, we tend to do a total of 11-12 A-levels but have speciality subjects that count more. The only job I knew of at the time that might appreciate my talkative nature was journalism, so I packed my bags, moved to London and did a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Human Rights. As part of my degree, I did a very short internship at a local paper and realised it wasn’t for me, but I still loved creating stories, writing and seeing my story in the news. It was pure coincidence that I was headhunted by a recruitment agency for a Communications Officer role at the London Fire Brigade, which was my first real introduction to communications and PR. It was a great first role as I was able to dip into many different elements of communication, including PR, media relations, social media management and internal comms. Since then, I’ve held various external communications roles in the non-profit and public sector, until I took the leap to go agency-side in 2022 for the very first time.

4. What energises you most about your role?

I love the variety of my role. It was important to me to not be pigeonholed into one particular PR or communications speciality, and it’s what attracted me to Ketchum. I love being pushed out of my comfort zone and using my skills wherever they can be an asset. Whether that’s working with the health team on specialist science accounts, with Ketchum’s  Brand community on consumer lifestyle campaigns, the Ketchum Create a community or Social & Influence. There’s always something to learn and contribute and that’s what keeps me going!

5. What has been your most memorable moment at Ketchum so far…

There are a few, but I keep going back to my very first pitch, 4 weeks into the job. I suffered from imposter syndrome at the time, asking myself over and over why I was put on the pitch team because surely someone else would have been better, but it was such a great experience and taught me a lot about myself.

6. What do you wish you knew before starting your career in PR/comms?

That there are many ways to get into PR & comms. I very much thought that there is one straight line to get into the sector, but there are so many different routes as many skills are needed to be an effective communicator and PR professional. And the reality is the skills needed change all the time as society and technology change.

7. What do you think is the most vital skill for comms professionals?

Being curious and keeping an open mind. Comms changes so rapidly. When I started you barely even had the job of a social media manager, and it’s so important that we move with the times and communicate with our audiences in a way that reaches and engages them. Just because we’ve done things a certain way in the past doesn’t mean that we have to continue doing it. I’m all for trial and error to find out what works best now to achieve the desired result.

8. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Be yourself. I know that sounds very cliché, but it’s not a given, especially at the start of your career. I tried very hard to assimilate and it took me many years to realise that I have a unique selling point no one else has- and that’s simply being me!

9. What can the sector do to encourage diversity?

I think there is still a barrier when it comes to recruiting into our sector. For example, many agencies don’t like to recruit individuals who have an in-house background and vice versa, even though skills are very transferrable. I also think it’s important that we open PR up to young people from diverse backgrounds and show them how their skills are exactly what we need in the industry. Many might not know what PR is and how their skills can be an asset so I am a big believer in outreach, mentoring and building relationships with organisations and individuals who understand that diversity in the sector is beneficial for everyone- clients, businesses and individuals.

10. When I’m not at my desk you’ll find me…

I’d usually say at the gym, or in the kitchen as I love cooking and baking, but these days I’m busy baking a baby girl due in early July. So my days are now spent prepping for the new arrival and going for very slow, waddling walks.