FINANCE MONTHLY CEO AWARDS 2014

EUROPE

stepchildren and a passion for sculpting in bronze and stone, I also involved with a number of charities including being Chairman of The Barbican Arts Centre – there is never a dull moment.

Q

How do you manage the relationship with your Board of Directors?

It is very regimented! We have clearly defined what success looks like, how and when it will be delivered and the timetable for me to communicate with them on progress being made against those targets. It is all about ‘no surprises’ which is one of the reasons I never allow ‘Any Other Business’ to be on an agenda of any meeting I have.

Q

What advice do you give to rising CEOs?

Listen – it’s a hugely underrated skill and if you listen you learn a lot; if you are busy talking, you miss valuable nuances. You can hear when the tune has changes you can change the dance steps; otherwise you will be out of sync and however good your moves are, they won’t be successful.

Q

Do you admire another CEO or a leader (current or historical)? Why?

The person I have learnt the most

from, who inspired me to set up my own business and has encouraged me the whole way is my husband, Ian Rosenblatt. He founded his law firm, Rosenblatt Solicitors, in 1989 and is one of the only leading City law firms that has grown organically. In particular, the things I admire are the immense loyalty he has from staff and clients – he has clients and colleagues that have been with him for over 25 years; his ability to read situations and never to over negotiate; the passion he has for achieving stunning results for his clients; and his philanthropic activities such as the Rosenblatt Recitals that bring so much to the lives of others and encourage those around him to share their skills and resources with the wider world.

Q Q

How do you describe your leadership style?

It is probably better to ask other’s how they would describe it but I hope they would say that it is open, collaborative, energetic and motivating…

How do you compete in a global business

environment?

This year, Redleaf Polhill became part of Porta Communications plc – this was part of our strategic plan to

enable us to operate globally whilst being comfortable that the offering could be controlled, consistent and of the highest quality.

Q

How do you compete in a recession?

The only way to compete in a recession is to offer people something that will make a measurable and fundamental difference to their business. Being cheapest is not what it is about but being the best value for money. It is also important to ensure that you have no wastage in your own business so you can invest in people and training.

Q

How do you see the future of your industry?

The communications industry is changing dramatically – in a nutshell,

ABOUT EMMA KANE

Emma Kane, 47, is the Founder and Chief Executive of Redleaf Polhill, the prizewinning communications agency based in the City of London. Her career spans over 25 years both in-house in organisations such as Charles Schwab and in leading PR agencies. The Agency she founded enjoys a particular reputation for its work with ambitious, entrepreneurial

clients for whom it delivers multi- faceted programmes and campaigns, designed around each client’s specific culture, expectations and objectives.

This April 2014, Redleaf Polhill became part of Porta Communications plc – the fastest growing PR group in the UK and the world, when Redleaf shareholders sold an initial 51% stake.

building brand equity for businesses will be more about a mixture of marketing and communications rather than individual disciplines being deployed.

Q

What advice would you give to policy makers to

help the economy and your business?

I would prefer policy makers to focus on what is best for the country as a whole rather than my business and that is to focus much more on what happens outside London and the South East. There are a lot of very talented people in the rest of the country and structural changes and incentives need to be introduced to stimulate growth in the regions.

Email: ek@redleafpr.com l Website: www.redleafpr.com

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