Edelman during the lockdown: A story of two halves? Justin Westcott, CCO UK and Ireland of Edelman on the PRmoment Podcast

This week on the PRmoment Podcast I’m talking to Justin Westcott, Edelman’s chief operating officer of Edelman UK and Ireland and head of technology, Edelman EMEA.Edelman had a fee income of circa $840 million dollars in 2020, down from about $890m from the previous financial year.So Edelman’s revenues decreased 5.9% in 2020 - which, most observers seem to reckon is a pretty decent result, bearing in mind the tumultuous nature of 2020!Here’s a flavour of what Justin and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed.1.30 mins Justin talks about how, for Edelman, this was a V-shaped dip and recovery.2 mins Edelman had a horrid quarter last year but 8 months into its fiscal year Edelman in the UK has returned to growth.3 mins When looking at the wider economy, is it a bit surreal that PR’s in such a growth mode?8 mins What has Edelman done to reduce the negative impact of lockdown on its staff?11 mins How 10-15% (so 50+ people) of Edelman’s UK workforce have never been to its office, nor met their colleagues face-to-face.14 mins Could this decade be the second Roaring 20s?15 mins Edelman is moving office in the UK next year - how has that new office brief changed in the last 12 months?17 mins What will the new type of office layout and design look like?21 mins As CCO - what's it like managing a 500 person agency virtually?22 mins How Justin is regularly looking at employee data to check that things are working OK across the business.28 mins While last year was challenging, 2020 was also Edelman UK’s most awarded year ever for its creative work.29 mins For a PR firm to have strong tech expertise, can only be an advantage.30 mins Post Chuka Umunna - what does Edelman’s ESG offer look like in the UK?Support the show