December 2024

Welcome to the team Craig!

This week we’re welcoming Craig McHugh, the latest addition to our growing team at Schon&Co

This week we’re welcoming Craig McHugh, the latest addition to our growing team at Schon&Co!! 🥳

Craig joins us as a Consultant, bringing plenty of experience across the world of PR and public affairs; working across a range of sectors including financial services, logistics, and across major corporate clients. Craig previously worked as a Parliamentary Advisor and has worked within the NGO sector, where he honed his expertise in shaping public policy and communications. 

We caught up with Craig to learn more about his background and what he is most looking forward to as he begins his new journey with Schon&Co.

Tell us about how your career so far has brought you to Schon&Co

Having previously worked as Head of Campaigns for the Union of Students in Ireland, communications has been a key part of my career since the very beginning. Getting the message right when trying to reach thousands of people from various different angles is integral to success.
After this, I worked at the Irish Parliament for a leading politician where I worked across a number of issues and managed their communications across various media platforms as well as helping to revitalise their presence across social media. Upon landing in London, I worked for a leading PR firm where I helped to secure impactful media coverage for clients across a number of sectors from financial services to leading technology companies.

Is there a particular area of corporate B2B communications that you enjoy doing?

I'm a big fan of identifying topical hooks for clients; so whether that is keeping an eye out for a big story that's just come out in the press or monitoring what's on the government's agenda, I’m always keen to see where we can make sure our voice is heard at the right time - having our fingers on the pulse for our clients and being ready to react to the latest news hooks is crucial.

 

What attracted you to join the team at Schon&Co? 

The team and the culture at Schon&Co is what attracted me most. After doing just a little research about Schon&Co and the credentials of the team, I was immediately drawn to the company.  Having only worked here two weeks, I can already attest to the fact that Jess and the team live and breathe their values on a daily basis through their work. Jess looks to harness everyone's talents and also allows the right levels of freedom to make these talents grow and reach their full potential.

What company values are important to you? 

Integrity is really important to me. Saying the right thing as opposed to what one may want to hear is so important for helping clients in the long run. The straight talking nature of Schon&Co is very inspiring and it means we can deliver real results for clients over a realistic time frame as opposed to promising the stars and delivering peanuts. Establishing the presence of brands across the media landscape is not an overnight task, especially if it is to be done correctly.

What are you most looking forward to working on? 

We are working with some really interesting clients at the moment. I think what I'm most excited about is sinking my teeth into these and getting to understand their objectives properly so I can deliver a real result.

What does 'good' communications look like to you? 

To me, ‘good’ communications are clear, consistent and relevant. The PR space is saturated and journalists are bombarded with pitches, press releases and news on a daily basis. Speaking to the people who spill rivers of ink every year, should always come with a sense of respect. That means adjusting pitches to their areas of specialty and building relationships with them. We should not see communications as a transactional relationship, we should be looking to learn from one another.
In addition to this, I think being consistent with messaging is also very important, so that even if the first few pitches or releases don't land, we are still making our presence known with those in the media. The more we can get a clear and consistent message in front of the press, the more likely they are to remember us and what we have to say.

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