ACTIVIST
Sarah is a longstanding activist and volunteer. She is passionate about diverse representation and above all about social mobility, based on her own childhood experience of life within a single parent family.
She is vocal about the change that is needed within our communities to support those most in need and single minded about societal give back. Her focus on voluntary work and advocacy for the public relations industry resulted in Sarah being awarded a CBE for services to public relations and the voluntary sectors in June 2021.
Sarah’s greatest belief is that education is the most powerful leveller in life and in 2015 she created #FuturePRoof, a community with two key objectives; the first to reassert the value of public relations to business and the second to improve social mobility within the PR industry by making thought leadership and best practice accessible to all.
This obsession with creating a level playing field led her to then co-found a community interest company called Socially Mobile with her husband Stephen in 2021. A not-for-profit PR school, Socially Mobile is aimed at helping practitioners from lower socio-economic backgrounds, as well as under-represented and under-served groups, to increase their earning potential through an intense ten-week executive education training programme.
President of the CIPR
Sarah spent a significant part of her career volunteering with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). As its President in 2018, she established a joint initiative between the CIPR, PRCA and Career Ready to improve social mobility in public relations. She also introduced strategic alliances with the CBI and FSB to improve understanding of public relations among business and an ‘I am Chartered’ campaign to encourage more members to develop professionally and increase their career and earnings potential.
During her tenure on Board, the Institute experienced its best year to date with an income rising to £4.3m and profit of almost £200,000 - its largest surplus since 2013.
Prior to her work as President, Sarah spearheaded and led the CIPR's gender policy work from 2014 onwards, which included a focus on closing the gender pay gap and improving workplace opportunities for women returners.
“2018 was a stimulating and challenging year for the CIPR during which we clarified our purpose, reasserted the value of public relations to business and implemented an office move, which left us in a much stronger financial position and able to reinvest in the member offer. As President, Sarah provided clear leadership and articulate direction, which stretched us and enabled us to achieve more than we have previously. The Institute is in better shape now than we have been for some time.”
Alastair McCapra | CEO | Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Further give back
One of the greatest privileges of Sarah’s career has been to volunteer with the NHS’s Organ Donation Advisory Panel. This secured Royal Assent for a change in the law in April 2020 and today organ donation operates on an opt out system, allowing more people to save more lives.
She was also proud to be a Trustee of the Sunshine Fund for four years, during which she worked with the Board to set a new strategic direction for the charity, leading to a 40% uplift in income through Trust grants and donations.