Northern Ireland wins gold at excellence awards
Rumour Mill PR really has something to shout about as Managing Director Samantha Livingstone wins Outstanding Independent Practitioner at the 2015 CIPR Excellence Awards. The first Northern Irish practitioner to ever win this coveted award.
Now in its 31st year, the CIPR Excellence Awards recognise and reward best practice in public relations throughout the UK, and acknowledge personal and team achievement at the highest professional level.
The CIPR Excellence Awards Night, at London’s Old Billingsgate, saw approximately 700 guests gather to celebrate the UK’s leading Public Relations consultancies, teams, and individuals, competing to win 29 prestigious CIPR Excellence Awards.
Reaching the shortlist of these awards is really something to shout about, and award winners are at the top of the Public Relations game.
The President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Sarah Pinch, commented;
“The reputation of public relations is built by the high standards of professionalism, skill, creativity, integrity, and tenacity demonstrated by every winner and finalist at the 2015 CIPR Excellence Awards. As the President of the only chartered body representing this profession I am exceptionally proud of their award-winning expertise.”
And with approximately 600 entries received from public relations teams, consultancies and individuals, which were cut down to a shortlist of over 100 entries by a judging panel of 90 senior industry leaders, competition at the 2015 awards ceremony was fierce.
The Outstanding Independent Practitioner Category was no exception, but Samantha Livingstone, Chair of the Northern Ireland CIPR Committee, and Managing Director of Rumour Mill PR, based on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, fought off the competition to come out victorious as the Outstanding Independent Practitioner of the Year.
Samantha was one of 159 shortlisted entrants invited to an interview with the judging panel. The judges had this to say;
“Samantha showed herself to be both passionate and pragmatic. She has a clear business strategy, defined outcomes and a rigorous approach to measurement. Samantha has a clear commitment to building both formal and informal networks across the business community, as well as an ongoing commitment to mentor and develop herself and others. She’s a great example of everything an independent practitioner should be.”
Speaking on the award, Samantha said;
“I am absolutely thrilled to be awarded this accolade and to receive such high praise from my peers. Over the last 12 years, I have worked with and for some amazing companies and people, all of whom have provided me with invaluable experience. Since opening my own practice, Rumour Mill PR, in the last year and a half, I have been very fortunate to win some great accounts and have gone on to deliver award-winning and results-driven campaigns. This award is testament to the hard work I have put in to get this far, but for me the journey is only just starting. Rumour Mill PR is dedicated to not only representing your brand across all communication channels, but fundamentally breathing life into it, and this award is proof of how we go the extra mile to achieve results for any business.”
Michael Chandler, Owner Michael Chandler Estate Agents, and current client of Rumour Mill PR, had high praise for Samantha;
“Through working with Samantha to increase brand awareness within the market and develop a strategic PR and marketing plan for Michael Chandler Estate Agents, I have found her to be an extremely passionate person about the task in hand. With great determination and dedication, it continues to be a pleasure to work with her on numerous projects that always yield outstanding results. Samantha’s approachable nature makes working with her easy and her openness to new ideas is extremely refreshing. Samantha is an incredibility creative person and hasn’t failed to get us results. I can’t recommend her enough and she is a thoroughly worthy winner of the Outstanding Independent Practitioner Award.”
