Campaign’s PR Faces to Watch 2021 — Melinda Mesiano, PR Account Director, M&C Saatchi
Age: 30
Nominated by AMY BRILL, HEAD OF PR, M&C SAATCHI
When we hired Melinda three years ago as an account manager, we also planned to hire an account director but, quite simply, there was no need. Her passion, skillset, reliability and dedication to the team not only saw her be promoted incredibly quickly but also be trusted with the responsibilities of someone far more senior. As a result, she now plays a fundamental role in the running of the PR business, recently stepping up to cover the maternity leave of the Head of PR, demonstrating, without doubt, she’s one extremely talented PR professional to watch out for.
Bio
With over seven years combined experience in marketing and public relations, I have worked both in-house and as part of global PR agency teams.
At M&C Saatchi, I not only lead a variety of corporate and consumer accounts, but this year I also deputised for the Head of PR. This involved taking on responsibility for the team, client servicing and new business for an extended period while she was on maternity leave.
My work this year has contributed to the team winning an array of PR Gold awards, including Game Changer, Best Use of Crisis Communications and Best Use of B2B, to name but a few.
Guiding principles
Attention to detail, research-based strategy and value-added consultancy; three essential elements for modern PR professionals. In a world of tight deadlines and ‘yes’ people, it’s more important than ever to be at your peak and ensure that every output is really going the extra mile for clients.
How has Covid changed your job?
The way that we collaborate as a team and with clients has changed dramatically since Covid. Whilst I overcame the difficulties in maintaining a ‘human’ touch in a predominantly virtual world, Covid has also allowed me to broaden our horizons, with offshore clients now more comfortable with hiring international consultants.
Side hustle
Philanthropically, in Dubai, I passionately support a collection of clothing and home goods for the less fortunate and those in need.
My financial side hustle is also working toward having a robust investment portfolio in my native Australia, with my first property already seeing good returns.
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