Meet The Committee – Andrew Daniels

 
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Current role: Corporate Communications and Engagement Manager at Sefton Council

What are your interests? 
My life tends to revolve around football – I love watching it, I am a National Group Assistant Referee (that covers the National League, League One and League Two) and really enjoy watching one of my daughters play. Beyond that I enjoy catching up on all the news that’s happening (part of the job I suppose) and getting outdoors for fresh air and exercise.

What sets your heart on fire? 
Seeing my two youngish children (they are aged 13 and 9) enjoying the activities they do. Whether it’s standing on a touchline or sitting around a swimming pool for hours it is a privilege to see them develop and achieve their goals.

How did you get into PR? 
I trained as a journalist and worked at The Westmorland Gazette, in Cumbria, for 3 years after university. I’d seen a job opportunity closer to home in local government communications that was essentially doing the job of a journalist for the council. I got this and haven’t looked back. While at the time it was media-focussed a lot of work done in local authority communications is PR. That’s how I got started and I haven’t looked back since.

What do you love most about PR? 
In the local government sector I work in it is the ability to play your part in improving people’s lives/the local community. I also enjoy the variety as we are involved in absolutely everything the organisation does so it is really interesting.

What PR campaign or project are you particularly proud of? 
It’s hard to pick one but I’d say the work we have done as a council to support the local community following the tragic incident in Southport in the summer of 2024 stands out. We played an important role in helping the community to come together and I hope we helped in some small way.

If you weren’t in PR, what could you see yourself doing? 
My dream was to be a professional footballer (but that failed fairly early on!) I always wanted to work in the type of roles I have done so if anything it would probably be working back as a journalist but covering football.

Describe your role in the committee and what it involves. 
I’ve just joined the North West Committee – my role is to be a link between that and the Lancashire sub-committee, which I co-chair and hopefully provide some useful insight and expertise in planning events for our members. I’m keen to try and make sure what we do through the CIPR is as beneficial as it can be for members. 

What do you think makes this committee unique?  
As I say, I am brand new to the committee so it is hard for me to answer this but I’d probably say the mix of knowledge and experience, which when put together is pretty awesome.

What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting in PR? 
There are two things that stand out for me – one is to take the opportunities that come your way. I’ve really benefitted from taking opportunities that have been outside my normal scope of work and have really challenged me. These opportunities are a way of demonstrating your ability and will lead to career development. Secondly, take time to network and get to know people within the industry. We are all here to help each other and we can’t do things on our own. This is one of the reasons why I joined the CIPR and it has been invaluable for learning from others and for keeping sane – you’ll find many people are facing the same challenges as you.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy day?
It’s probably what I’ve mentioned in my interests above – watching or taking part in football and taking my children to their various activities. When I do get time to myself it is meeting up with friends or getting outdoors for a nice scenic walk.