the Rising Star: Keren McCarron

Posted in Candidates, Corporate Communications

Q? What do you say to a rising star whose career trajectory has taken them from media officer at the Food and Drinks Federation to Corporate Communications Manager at one of the UK’s favourite food brands, United Biscuits in JUST THREE YEARS?
A: Crumbs!

Our jokes may be rubbish but there’s nothing flaky about Keren McCarron’s transformation from journalist to senior corporate communicator. Read on. Be impressed.

Name: Keren McCarron

Position: Corporate Communications Manager

Company: United Biscuits

Can you summarise your career path to date?
I started my career in journalism before starting my comms career as External Relations Manager at the UK Passport Service, which involved all kinds of marcomms work, including a very exciting short secondment to the Home Office Press Office Newsdesk. I then worked for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, looking after their press office, events and the graphic design team. Having decided that I wanted to focus more on press, I went for a press office role with an education charity called the Teacher Support Network. This gave me a great opportunity to build good contacts with the national and trade journalists in the world of education. During these previous roles, I also studied for a part time Diploma in Nutritional Therapy during which I developed a love of all things food and health related. So, when the job came up at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) for a Media Officer, I jumped at the chance. After two years in an incredibly varied role, dealing with all kinds of food issues from food scares to manufacturers’ community initiatives, I was promoted to Media Manager at FDF. I was in that position for a year and have just started at UB.

Describe your role:
My role at UB will involve managing the press office – dealing with national and regional press; leading on campaigns around food issues, for example on sustainability and health and wellbeing; and managing crises, should they occur.

What’s been your career highlight to date?
In 2009 we took on a new project at the Food and Drink Federation, promoting food and drink exports. This provided the perfect opportunity for us to target the national press with a good news story at a time when all of the papers were filled with economic doom and gloom. It’s also a rarity to have the chance to engage with the media about a positive story about the food industry. I worked with FDF’s members, several of whom are Britain’s best loved brands, to get some brilliant case studies to back up the statistics, and managed to land a fantastic news story. We had a full page in The Sun entitled ‘Feed the World!’, a leader column in The Times, and pieces in The Telegraph and Mirror, and a comment in The Guardian.

And greatest challenge?
When I was promoted to Media Manager at FDF it was an opportunity to really shake things up in the press office and change the way we worked. I worked hard with my team to change the way certain things were done to make us a more efficient and proactive office, jumping at every opportunity we had to engage with the media about issues that are key to FDF and building up key relationships. These changes have really made a difference this year – correspondents on our key trade, and some national publications, know me and my team by name, and feel free enough to come to us with their enquiries, even if they’re just speculating; they know we will always do whatever we can to help.

And your ambition?
At the moment I’m just looking forward to getting to grips with the exciting Comms challenges at a big food company like UB.

What advice can you offer to other comms professionals who want to get ahead in the current climate?
I know it sounds like a cliché, but do something you love. If you’re passionate about your work, it’s easier to communicate the right message. Work hard; develop good relationships – both internally and externally with stakeholders such as the media if you work in that area. Always remember – meeting face to face is always better than email – and never forget to have some fun along the way!

How do you feel about what you have achieved so far in your career?
I’m glad that my previous roles have given me a good grounding in the whole marcomms area, which led me to discover that working in PR is what I particularly love. I also love dealing with the variety of issues that the food industry faces day to day – no two days are ever the same, so there’s never any reason to be bored! I feel I’ve come along way since starting at FDF as a Media Officer three years ago, to working for a big food company producing some of Britain’s favourite brands.

What recent current affairs issues are you most interested in, and why?
The challenge of packaging waste reduction is something that has fascinated me during my time at FDF. Food companies have really embraced the challenge of coming up with new ways to address this problem and to come up with some truly innovative solutions such as minimising the packaging that consumers take home.

I am also interested in the area of ethical sourcing. There’s been quite a bit in the news recently about sustainable palm oil and food companies stepping up to the mark in this – for example, UB has just announced it is one of the first food manufacturers to secure a supply of sustainable palm oil to ensure the oil used in their products is from sustainable plantations.

What challenges are you facing in your current position?
Adapting to a role in a big corporate, having worked mainly in smaller government or trade organisations before, will be an interesting challenge – one I’m very much looking forward to!
Do you have an unusual, impressive or inspirational career path? Are you able to offer sage career advice to other communications professionals? If so, we’d love to hear from you! To nominate a colleague or be featured as the next ‘rising star’ yourself, contact us at: sarah@the-works.co.uk or tel. 020 7559 6690. Alternatively, click on our website at: www.the-works.co.uk