In a world where the news-cycle is one, big, constant loop of doom and gloom, and in the spirit of International Week of Happiness in the Workplace, I wanted to highlight a few happy things that have happened this year.* 1. Artemis II flew around the Moon. On 6th April, four astronauts travelled 252,760 miles…

As a keen florist, I attended multiple flower shows last year, the most notable of these being Chelsea Flower Show. In the humid tent full of carefully pruned sweet peas, roses and squeaky-clean vegetable displays there was a little stand purely dedicated to bees, specifically those native to the UK. It felt surprising that at…

When you work across regions and languages like we do, you quickly notice that even if reputational and communications challenges are similar, the attitude and approach to tackle them can be quite different. This makes our work much more interesting and engaging, but it also means we need to stay adaptable and flexible and never…

By Dexter Hastie It was a Monday morning when I first entered the Haggie Partners office. I was filled with nerves with no idea what to expect. Despite that, those nerves disappeared instantly when Emma welcomed me with a smile and took the time to introduce me to all the people behind Haggie Partners, who…

With the increase in popularity of large language models (LLMs) the communication landscape is starting to shift. We no longer have to consider only our human readers, but there is a case to be made for the significance of our robo-readers as well. With that in mind, I wanted to spend a little bit of…

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that specialist trade publications are less worthy of attention that mass media. Last week the Telegraph complained bitterly in an article that Lloyd’s of London had “shunned” the newspaper and its national competitors following the publication of its annual results. Instead, the Telegraph wrote that Lloyd’s had focused on…

Some figures (or brands) become permanently linked in public imagination. Before my visit to Tate Britain’s Turner & Constable rivals & originals exhibition (ends 12 April 2026), I didn’t know these two great artists had been compared so often. Coming from an international background, I was definitely more familiar with Turner’s work. It was a…

International Women’s Day is a global celebration dedicated to the advancement of women worldwide and belongs to all who care about gender equality. This year marks 115 years of collective action, advocacy, and progress towards gender equality with the theme #GiveToGain. Building on the foundations laid by those who showed courage before us, this year’s…

As the new year is now upon us, many will be starting a year of self-improvement, taking on new hobbies or skills. One of the most common new year’s resolutions is learning a new language, one that I too fell for in 2022. Of all the milestones I have achieved, none solicits a louder gasp…

I recently participated in two thought provoking events on the same day: one was an in-person Insider Progress event hosted by EY with breakfast and networking thrown in, while the other was an online webinar run by the Insurance Supper Club (ISC) Working Parents Forum. Quite different forums but similar in the way that they…

While most people mourn the slow death of summer, the long days and the warm nights, I feel a quiet thrill as September arrives. I am a July baby, born in the heart of summer, yet my soul belongs to autumn. For most, January is the beginning of the year. But for me, September is…

All my life, I believed there was only one side to my dad. The side of a fun, relaxed (unless there is a cushion on the floor) nice but seemingly not incredibly hard-working man. But after doing a week’s work experience with him and his PR company Haggie Partners, I have not only learned about…

I’m not really sure what came over me, or what my colleagues thought had come over me, when one day during a Wednesday afternoon CSR meeting, I proposed an idea. After this year’s expected unsuccessful ballot attempts in both the London full and half marathons, and a wait to discover whether my charity applications had…

The summer solstice is arguably my favourite day of the year. I may not be banging a drum and frolicking around Stonehenge with a bunch of hippies, but I take it as a day to appreciate tradition, history and the height of summer – something I also urge others to consider. One thing I find…

The other day, I was doing my usual post-work doom scroll through social media, reviewing posts from friends, reading headlines of articles published by the New York Times and SF Chronicle, and catching up on the odd meme. Instagram’s new(ish) algorithm means a lot of what I scroll through is either suggested posts by accounts…

The work of PR and comms specialists has evolved in recent years to include new formats. But among the abundance of options to choose from when putting a message out into the world, such as video, infographics and social media posts, there’s a classic that endures: the good old press release. This format is timeless…

Earth Day comes as a timely reminder of the urgent need to care for our planet—but it’s also an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and find gratitude. While planting trees and picking up litter are valiant acts, with the pace of modern life it can be difficult to carve out the time for ecological heroism.…

In February I went skiing with my family. It was a salutary experience, reminding me that I am not as young, fit or flexible as I once was.  And yet I still bring something to the table. Despite the fact that on our second morning, my daughter stopped half way down the slope and enquired…

Schlepping into the city is a grind that the winter months do little to improve. Why train operators struggle to deliver on time is seemingly one of life’s great mysteries, caught out as they so often are by insurmountable challenges such as rain and leaves. Commuting is an imposition, yet one with which we’ve all…

Half of adults in the UK don’t regularly read for pleasure* and while the importance of reading is often highlighted in children, adults sometimes forget how powerful picking up a book can be – whether its for personal growth, relaxation, or gaining a deeper understanding of the world around them. As a rule, I read…

Brand reputation is an intangible asset for organisations. Similar to other attributes like top talent or intellectual property, quantifying its significance is challenging for companies. However, when it all goes wrong there’s nothing abstract about it: balance sheets feel the pinch and financial consequences of a reputational event can last for years. Reputational events are…

Imagine being told you could save a life. That was what faced me when I got a call earlier this year telling me that I was a match for stem cell donation.  Initially, my head filled with questions: Will it hurt? And of course, what actually is a stem cell…?!  You may be asking yourself…

What is it with companies, especially in the insurance market, and capital letters? Here is a taste from a website from a well-known Lloyd’s insurer: We have a number of underwriting teams… each specialising in different categories – e.g., Property, Marine, Cargo, Casualty, Energy, Terrorism, Accident & Health, and Contingency. Here is another, anonymised, from…

After several years of remotely supporting colleagues attending the (re)insurance meeting in Monte Carlo, this year we finally had the opportunity to attend in person for the first time. As people who need quiet time after work to recharge, we were a bit daunted by the prospect of numerous meetings and socialising. However, despite the…