The PRNetwork Exchange: Where East Meets West

Penn Leung, account director at Hong Kong-based Creative Consulting Group, spent two weeks working at Prova. Following her time in the UK, Penn discusses what insights she’ll be taking home to share with the CCG team.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job as the account director at Creative Consulting Group is having the opportunity to participate in the many development activities on offer within our affiliate agencies body The PRNetwork. Some months ago, I was lucky enough to have spent two weeks with the amazing Prova PR team in the UK through the PRNetwork exchange programme. I couldn’t be more inspired by the bright, talented and creative talents coming into the communications field.  

When I arrived at Prova for my first day, it was like I was a celebrity. Everyone at Prova wanted to get to know me and help me get the most out of this incredible experience. I had meetings with different project teams, learned their creative process, and I was honoured to share my insights on strategic communications in Asia.

Perfect pitch: changing paradigms of media landscape

As much as the global media landscape has broadened in recent years, so too has the challenges facing clients. They now need and expect to be presented with a much wider choice of creative solutions. The same goes for the UK or Hong Kong, albeit having some differences in our approaches.

I could definitely see how the media landscape in the UK is more competitive than ever before – not just in terms of there being such an extensive range of outlets to reach and engage audiences, but also in terms of the number of organisations vying to get their messages ‘out there.’ One thing we know for sure is the changing media landscape will continue to shift, regardless of location. 

Get creative with work-life balance

Immersing yourself in the culture of another office challenges you to rethink positively how you do everything at your home office. As an exchange ambassador I also had the good fortune of attending the industry seminar “PRCA -Today’s account manager in the PR & Comms industry: what drives a positive mindset?”.

By participating in team meetings, listening in on client calls and shadowing other team members in their account work, you can’t help but take in different work styles and leave with a refreshed lens to apply to how you could be a better leader. I was extremely impressed by Prova’s approach.

Employee recognition is the purest form of motivation. Prova is indeed an expert in employee satisfaction that the agency truly values employees’ talents, expertise and opinions. I saw with my own eyes that the Prova people were so engaged that they found their work fulfilling and satisfying.

Another key takeaway is: Work Smart; Play Smart. Balancing work and family is more important than salary for many employees. Prova’s managers truly value their people by acknowledging that their employees have priorities outside the workplace. Workplace flexibility is one of the many ways for Prova to show they respect employees’ time and commitment.

The way forward

It’s an amazing benefit to have access to industry practitioners across the globe with the PRNetwork exchange programme, all of whom have precise areas of specialty and immense talents to learn from and weave into your client work. 

It’s a gratifying experience when you realise that your company is dedicated to investing in you, encouraging your interests and supporting your development into a stronger and well-rounded counsellor for your clients.

As the saying goes: “Never be complacent about the current steps; don’t agree and follow the status quo. Be determined that you are making an indelible impact with great change.”