Inside the Circle - Ant Gould

Get the lowdown on our newest team member, Ant Gould as we take you… Inside the Circle

How did you get into insurance journalism and why?

I first entered the world of insurance journalism as editor of Post Magazine way back in 1999 having previously been news editor of The Engineer. At the time I had two job offers – one as editor of a weekly about the furniture industry and one about insurance; neither of which I knew anything about.  

I would love to say that the insurance title appealed to me because of the stimulating subject matter and the chance to make a difference; but the truth is much more basic. Post was based in the heart of Covent Garden in a swish office right above the Donmar Warehouse – the other title was in East Croydon. Simples. I did not however regret my decision – and I really do find insurance, and its fundamental role in enabling personal and business activity, to be a continually interesting and challenging sector – other than the odd wistful thought on how many free sofas and soft-furnishings I may have missed out on.

What has been one of the most memorable experiences of your career so far?

I could say driving across the desert for four days for a car launch, taking a helicopter ride over the channel tunnel construction site, skiing across the Alps, or countless other press adventures, but I think it would really have to be covering the aftermath of the 11th September terrorist attacks.

It was a Tuesday, press day at Post, and that afternoon we only ran a small front-page story in the printed edition due out on the Thursday, as events were still unfolding. When I finally got home and saw the horrendous TV images, I regretted not going bigger on it. However, my then rival title went for a much more dramatic headline – the day insurance almost died – or something along those lines, and in retrospect I was glad I had erred on the side of caution. 

The big challenge though was how to respond the following week as many of our readers had lost friends or colleagues in the attack on the twin towers, and at the same time the financial implications for the market were very real. In the end, after a week of hardly sleeping, and a lot of thought, I ran with an issue which was very finely balanced between stories and analysis around the personal and human cost and the more hard-nosed analysis of the financial impacts and likely impacts on the market. I think we set the right tone in the end - and the event also helped underline for me the responsibility inherent in trade magazines to not only drive change, highlight good practice and expose poor practice, but to have an affinity with your readers and support them both professionally and where relevant, emotionally.

Post Covid – how do you see the role of corporate communications evolving?

I’m not sure evolving is the right word although clearly the lockdown in particular has helped raise clients’, and their chosen audience’s, acceptance of, and perhaps more importantly familiarity with, online-based interactions and social media. This may not last – as many seem to crave more traditional forms of communication and human connection, but I am sure it has accelerated penetration into parts of the market previously resistant.

I think the main thing the coronavirus pandemic has done is highlight how corporations that have real insights into their end users and supply chains/partners, and understand what matters to them, have got it right. Adversely, I think others have not, and have just exposed their lack of customer focus or understanding. No names obviously as I am in PR now. I also think that some businesses, whilst trying to meet the news agenda head on, have made some basic, if well-meaning errors. Personally, for example, I think that some of the corporations making very public Black Lives Matter statements missed the mark if they did not include what they were going to do to address the issue in their own businesses. But maybe I am wrong and just talking the talk and not walking the walk is at least a step in the right direction. Otherwise, for me, it is just words. And don’t get me started on the business interruption debate…

What does PR+ mean to you?

I could regurgitate the very thoughtful explanation on our website, and I would encourage anyone reading this to check it out, but for me it is really all about active listening – listening to what clients are trying to do, who they are trying to reach and then providing them with insights to help them engage with their audience. In other words, to help ensure messages resonate, have impact and ultimately have a point. If you can answer the so what? question when thinking about your corporate communications, you are already halfway there.

If you’d like to find out more about us and how our PR+ approach can help your messages to resonate with your audience, please get in touch with us HERE