Career wise: the highlights of working at The PC Agency
Are you considering a career in luxury travel PR and marketing and wondering what it’s like to work at one of the world’s most prestigious luxury travel communications agencies? Our longest standing team members have clocked up a combined and highly impressive 40 years’ work at The PC Agency. This impressive track record accounts for a huge amount of experience in terms of both delivering first-class client services and navigating the fast-paced and ever-evolving travel industry.
So, we asked our longest-serving members of staff about the biggest highlights of their time at the agency. Here, they share some of their most memorable moments, their proudest professional achievements, and their best advice for anyone keen to work in the dynamic luxury travel sector.
Most memorable moment
For Anastasia Mills, Associate Director for the Luxury Hospitality pod, a favourite moment was a trip to the Maldives, which marked a welcome return to long-haul travel for her after an enforced travel hiatus during the pandemic.
Anastasia said: “I had never been before and I was finally able to see a client I had worked with for two years. It was incredible — I have never seen waters so blue and clear and going scuba diving there was an utterly amazing experience.”
Frankie Matthews, Creative Director, and Sophie Holloway, Head of Trade Partnerships, both recall fond memories of trips to Kenya and Rwanda. It was Frankie’s first time on safari with so many “wow” moments, it’s a trip she won’t ever forget. And for Sophie, the chance to see gorillas in the wild in Rwanda was a once in a lifetime opportunity she feels privileged to have taken.
Travelling to visit clients in destination is a huge perk but the team are also experts at bringing stories to life closer to home. Michael Johnson, Director of Crisis and News, worked with oneworld to celebrate their 20th anniversary, bringing together CEOs from the alliance airlines in one room at the top of the Leadenhall Building in London. It was no mean feat to bring these senior leaders together in one place but Mike’s team rose to the challenge and crafted a highly successful media event.
Heather Rhodes, Head of Culture and HR, recalled a pitch we did for our client, Tourism Ireland, showcasing our creative flair by bringing the sounds and tastes of Ireland to our then-offices in Notting Hill. The office was dressed with green balloon arches, the whole company stood on ceremony to receive our distinguished guests and a delicious menu full of Irish delicacies was served.
It is working with the rest of the team that stands out for Katie Moine, our COO and longest-standing employee of The PC Agency with nine years of service.
Katie said: “All my favourite memories are related to my colleagues. We’ve always had some fantastic personalities in the team and not a day goes by that we don’t have a laugh in the office.”
Proudest achievements
From winning new business, coordinating broadcast opportunities, building a stronger agency or progressing through the ranks to become senior leaders in the business, the team have many achievements to be proud of.
For Michael and Sophie, bringing in new clients is a rewarding part of their role. In particular, 2023 was a record year for new business across all sectors and The PC Agency now represents more airlines than any other agency in Europe.
The team excel in identifying and securing broadcast opportunities for their clients. This year, Anastasia secured a coveted slot for her client, Glenapp Castle, in the latest series of BBC Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby — the only UK hotel to feature this year. For Katie, helping Visit Finland host The Apprentice in 2019 was very rewarding, with a whole episode crafted around their key messaging to reposition Finland as a summer destination.
All of our team have enjoyed multiple promotions. Perhaps the most impressive show of growth within the agency can be demonstrated by Anastasia and Frankie who have risen to key roles within the senior team since joining as Account Executives.
Words of wisdom
And for those seeking a fulfilling career in travel PR and marketing? The resounding piece of advice that came from each member of our team was to have a passion for your work.
Frankie and Sophie both agreed that being open to new ideas and volunteering your time to further your own experience is really important. As Frankie says, “inspiration can come from unexpected places and times whether that’s reading the news, social media, your daily commute or just being out and about in your social life —you never know when that next big idea is going to come to you!”
As much as it is about looking outside of the agency for inspiration, learning from the experience of colleagues can be just as beneficial. Anastasia’s advice for anyone wanting to get into this industry would be to “find a mentor or person that you respect and want to work for, as they will teach you and help you grow your career.”
The final words have to go to Katie, who after nine years, is still as passionate as ever about her role and the experiences she gets to enjoy at The PC Agency every day.
“My advice would be to just do it! It is a fascinating industry and no two days are the same, which I absolutely love. Why wouldn’t you want to work in an industry where you’re constantly challenged, learning new things, and given the opportunity to grow and develop?”