Back“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust
Hello again from Malé.
I wasn’t expecting to be writing to you from here again quite so soon, but work had other plans and I found myself on a plane back to the Maldives last week.
It meant that I had to miss last week’s When It Hits the Fan with David Yelland, but Malé has given me plenty to think and write about instead.
It has also been one of those weeks when quite a lot seems to have been happening back home while I am away. So, from a rather warmer desk than usual, here is this week’s Baduel Brief.
Beyond the Beaches
While I was back in Malé, The Sun in Sri Lanka published a piece I wrote after an earlier visit to Gallery 350, an artist-run contemporary space in the city.
Photographer and author Ismail Abdulla introduced me to Afzal Shaafiu (Afu), whose Ocean Junk series imagines marine creatures shaped by the waste we leave behind, and botanical artist Mary Halym, whose work explores memory, plants and a very personal sense of home.
Afu told me he hopes the Maldives will become known internationally for its art as well as its beaches.
A huge thank you to Rishini Weeraratne for giving me the opportunity to share this piece.
➡️ Read: The Maldives Through the Artist’s Lens
Before the Crisis
I recently joined Katherine Sykes FCIPR Chart.PR, Philippe Borremans, Amanda Coleman and Stephen Waddington for a preview of a new resource from the CIPR Crisis Communications Network and the Institute of Directors (IoD) . It is now officially out: Crisis Communications for Boards: A Handbook for Good Governance.
My contribution focused on horizon scanning and reputational risk.
Communications teams are often among the first to see the warning signs. We are listening to journalists, employees, stakeholders and public sentiment, and can sometimes see an issue gathering momentum before it reaches the boardroom.
The handbook makes a simple but important case: crisis communications should not begin when the crisis does. It should already be part of how organisations understand and manage risk.
Congratulations to Katherine and everyone across the Crisis Communications Network who brought such a substantial piece of work together.
➡️ Read: Crisis Communications for Boards
Building Executive Presence
One event I was sorry to miss while away was the Asian Communications Network’s Executive Presence: Building Influence in the Workplace session in London.
Lornette Harley opened the evening with a keynote on finding your voice in the rooms that matter, followed by a masterclass from Sam Malone, Executive Presence Coach and Voice Lecturer at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
By all accounts, Sam had the room thoroughly involved. His session was highly interactive, exploring voice, public speaking and how we carry ourselves when the pressure is on.
Communications professionals spend a great deal of time thinking about what people should say, but perhaps less about how they say it. The best-written message can still fall flat if the person delivering it lacks confidence or conviction.
Thank you to Tejas Kotecha for stepping in for me, to Santosh Sinha संतोष सिन्हा and Ross Keany at Lloyds Banking Group, and to Sam, Lornette and everyone at ACN who made the evening such a success.
I would have loved to have been in the room.
Have Your Say
Voting is now open for the office of the 2027 President-Elect of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
David Hamilton, Executive Director of Engagement, Marketing and Communications at the British Film Institute (BFI), and Anne-Marie Lacey (Chart.PR FCIPR), Degree Programme Director and Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University, are standing this year. The successful candidate will serve as President-Elect in 2027 before becoming President in 2028.
Having served as President this year, I know how much of the role happens away from the visible moments. You are representing members, helping to shape the direction of the Institute and thinking seriously about where our profession needs to go next.
The hustings took place this week and the recording is available for anyone who missed it. Voting closes at midday on Monday 28 September, with the result due on 1 October.
If you are eligible to vote, please do.
➡️ Watch a replay of the hustings
Reject the Rejections
People Like Us, founded by Sheeraz Gulsher and Darain Faraz, launched a campaign last week that caught my attention. Darain has spoken very openly about changing his own name from Darain to Darren on his CV earlier in his career.
Reject the Rejections looks at the growing role of AI and automation in recruitment and what that means for ethnic minority candidates. Its centrepiece is Dear [Name], a four-minute film directed by Amara Abbas, co-written by Y.A Poet (Yasmin Ali), produced by new—land in partnership with Worth Your While, starring Ebenezer Gyau (Black Mirror, County Lines).
The research behind it is sobering. 70% of ethnically diverse jobseekers surveyed said they had altered or hidden something on their CV, including their name, faith or country of origin, because they feared automated systems might reject them. Three quarters of jobseekers also did not know they may have the right to ask for human review of an automated rejection.
What I particularly liked is that the campaign does not stop at pointing out the problem. People Like Us has also created a simple tool to help rejected candidates ask whether automation was used and request a human review where appropriate.
➡️ Watch: Dear [Name]
Bringing It Home
I enjoyed reading about British designer Saul Nash last week.
Saul grew up in North East London and has now put images from his latest collection on billboards across the same part of the city. Having built an international reputation, he has brought the work back to the streets that shaped him.
The campaign is part of BUILDHOLLYWOOD’s Your Space Or Mine project, which gives artists and creatives public advertising space. Saul wanted the images to be seen by people who might never otherwise encounter his work.
It made me think about how much time we spend in communications trying to reach precisely the “right” audience. Sometimes there is value in putting good work somewhere unexpected and letting people discover it.
Saul is also taking over Dray Walk Gallery during London Fashion Week with a programme exploring the collection, movement and performance.
One to watch.
➡️ Read more: Saul Nash and BUILDHOLLYWOOD
Tickets Are Live
A quick PR Has Talent update: tickets are officially on sale, starting at £44.
On Tuesday 17 November, Graham Goodkind and I will be taking over Soho Theatre for the UK’s first live talent show for the PR industry. From 7:15pm to 10:15pm , the people who usually put everybody else in the spotlight will get the chance to step into it themselves.
Applications close on Wednesday September 30, so there is still a little time if you have been thinking about taking part. Sing, dance, do comedy, play an instrument or surprise us with a talent none of your colleagues knows about.
And if getting on stage sounds like your worst nightmare, come and cheer on the people brave enough to do it.
All proceeds from the evening will support Soho Theatre’s New Writing Programme, helping to discover and develop the next generation of writers and performers.
A big thank you to PRmoment, Curzon PR and Frank, for supporting us pro bono and helping bring the show to life. And a special mention too to Arjun Doraiswami, David Olajide and Solomon Ibeh, who have been doing a huge amount behind the scenes to get us from an idea to an actual stage at Soho Theatre.
➡️ Book tickets: PR Has Talent at Soho Theatre
Until next week,
Farzana
Originally featured in Substack
