Trailblazers & leaders: Nicola Miller
Nicola Miller | Director | Hill + Knowlton Strategies
How did you get into marketing/comms?
When I first applied to university, I wanted to be a therapeutic radiographer and visited a handful of universities in Scotland where I grew up and down in the south. Before deciding on which uni, I secured a day of work shadowing at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. I didn’t last the day. I left shell shocked, with huge amounts of respect for the patients, nurses and doctors at the hospital, while knowing I wasn’t capable of dealing with everything cancer throws at people any day of the week. I switched to applying for a place to study Biomedical Sciences ending up at Heriot Watt University, to tweak my course to focus on Microbiology to graduating knowing I was never going to use my degree.
I was proud to graduate, excited by the possibilities yet I had absolutely no idea what to do. My older sister had a friend whose girlfriend worked in PR. Did I want some work experience? Why not. And here we are.
What does an average day look like?
I joined Hill + Knowlton in August having spent over 10 years working in-house, so coming back to the agency has genuinely been energising. I can say, hands down, that I have the best client portfolio of my career. The average day sees me learning something new, being inspired by talented people some with many years under their belt, others with only months. I get thrills from seeing ideas taking shape, campaigns coming together and watching team camaraderie unfold in Teams chats. I’m enjoying building client relationships and teams as we solve problems together. And I’m pretty sure I feel scared at least once a day, wondering if I can do x or y and being pretty chuffed when I find out I can, which helps me to forgive some of the overthinking that was inevitably part of the process.
What advice would you give yourself knowing there was going to be a pandemic?
Just before the pandemic hit I was made redundant which always causes people to take a sharp intake of breath but I was excited, optimistic and ready to see what was out there once I’d had a holiday or two. But then the pandemic hit. In the first week, I thought, better hold off on booking that flight to Botswana. By the second week, people were losing their jobs, having offers of work rescinded and I knew I needed to get my skates on and find a new role quickly. But it took time and my emotions sometimes felt like they were in a Tom Cruise movie: on the up, get knocked down, have a crisis of confidence, only to find new meaning and come out on top for the cycle to repeat in the sequel.
One morning I was listening to the Chris Evans breakfast show and one of his guests, whose name I never got, in amongst all her yoga-babble asked the question “How do you make this the best thing that ever happened to you?” That was a question I wanted to be able to answer. It gave me a focus and always helps me, professional or personal when I’m in a tight spot.
What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started working?
You can’t change your workplace but you can change where you work. I worked for a long time within an organisation that I really wanted to be better. It didn’t and I couldn’t understand why. We only have so much time and energy, it’s best not to waste it. (This can be repurposed as dating advice too! )
What’s your greatest achievement to date?
I have three kids, they are my heart and soul and as the old saying goes it takes a village to raise a child. That “village” of support comes from friends, family, neighbours but also where you work. I spent much of their lives feeling under pressure to work like I didn’t have kids. So, it’s amazing to have a great village.
Is there a particular comms campaign that you’ve seen in your career that you didn’t work on but wish you had? ·
Can I choose two? Gatorade’s Replay campaign. I love the simplicity of the idea, how well it spoke to its audience while capturing the passion around college football and the imagination of a nation. Totally integrated and then to go on and be made into an actual series.
The second perhaps isn’t strictly a comms campaign, but last year Netflix announced it would commit to putting $100million of its cash holdings into black-owned banks and financial institutions. It recently announced that it has fulfilled this pledge, has shared what the organisation has learned during the process so others can replicate and is committed to moving more money. A really simple idea with hugely positive, real-world, life-changing consequences. From an internal comms and employer brand perspective, it speaks volumes about the company culture and its commitment to racial equity. More here.
What’s the key skill you think a successful business comms/ PR person requires?
it’s about being curious enough to be open. Open-minded, open to listening, open to experiences, the world around us, trying something different, giving it a go or letting it go. Being open to new people, different people and new ideas. Just being open.