In Conversation with Stephen Waddington

In this exclusive interview with Reputation Today, Stephen Waddington, Founder and Managing Partner, Wadds Inc, shares insights on the evolving definitions of Public Relations, the key to successful PR counsel, the work of CIPR UK, and his inspiration for creating Wadds Inc. 

During his recent India visit, Hemant Gaule, Dean of the School of Communications and Reputation Today got a chance to discuss these ideas with Stephen. 

Hemant Gaule: How do you define public relations practice?

Stephen Waddington: Public relations is a management function that supports organisations with planning and decision making related to stakeholder management. It helps build relationships, reputation and trust. This is the basis of my keynote at #PRAXIS10 and my doctoral research at Leeds Business School in the UK.

HG: Please share a recent public relations campaign that you think is exceptional?

SW: The work by public relations practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioners were elevated into a management function in every organisation. We helped public sector organisations deal with the public health emergency and private sector organisations manage radical changes to supply chains and workflow.

HG: What is the most important aspect of public relations planning?

SW: Listening is the most underrated aspect of public relations practice. It should be the fundamental cornerstone of practice. It is challenging because it is hard to do well and is impossible to scale, but it is critical to understanding and engaging with an audience or public.

HG: You are active in thinking about the contribution of AI to public relations. What impact do you think that it will have on public relations practise?

SW: AI has the potential to help organisations improve efficiency and effectiveness, but it also gives rise to several areas of risk. This includes bias, copyright, privacy, and misinformation. Wadds Inc. recently published a management paper for practitioners about the impact of AI on public relations practice.

HG: How have you seen changes in public relations practice during your career?

SW: My career has benefited from disruption in media and technology at every stage. Initially I worked for an agency supporting companies that were building the internet. Then new channels and media with web sites, mobile and social media. The latest trend is artificial intelligence as you have noted.

HG: Please explain your role and contribution to the CIPR in the UK?

SW: The Chartered Institute of Public Relations is a professional membership body for public relations practitioners in the UK. It promotes education, best practice, and ethics. I was honoured to serve as its President in 2014. I continue to contribute to its work as a Fellow, speaking at events, contributing to reports, and sharing best practice.

HG: What has been your inspiration behind starting Wadds Inc. and your guiding philosophy to ensure that your advisory to your stakeholders is valuable?

SW: Wadds Inc. is a professional advisory firm for agencies and communications teams. We provide data, insight, and management expertise to support sustainable growth. It was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising the opportunity for new ways to stakeholder value for organisations and means of working.

You can connect with Stephen via LinkedIn and Twitter – and sign-up for his weekly newsletter about management and public relations.


The responses above are from Stephen Waddington as shared with Reputation Today

Hemant Gaule
Hemant is an education leader based in Mumbai, India, and is passionate about education, policy, and media. After graduating from the Indian Institute of Management -Ahmedabad, he has counselled several private, social, political & government initiatives. He was a Co-founder & Director of Citizens of Accountable Governance, a team that spearheaded the national election campaign of India’s current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in 2014. After that, he has Co-founded (and is Dean of) India’s only institute dedicated to education and research in public relations – School of Communications & Reputation. In 2019 he became the first Indian to be conferred as a Fellow Accredited Public Relations Practitioners by ASEAN PR Network. In 2022, he was named among 40 Young Turks of India by Reputation Today Magazine. He can be reached at @HemantGaule on Twitter.

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