There is nothing that gives us more pleasure than to see a team member grow and flourish at Packer Forbes. Our team is our greatest asset and so the development of your career is of paramount importance if we are to ensure a happy and motivated team that can contribute to the growth and development of the agency into the future.
I started with Packer Forbes in May 2005 as a Senior Account Executive and have progressed to the role of Senior Account Director during this time. My rapid career progression has been thanks to the dedicated training and personal development opportunities the agency provides which, coupled with personal determination and drive to succeed, mean that the sky’s the limit in terms of reaching my career goals.
In addition to working on accounts, every member of staff is actively encouraged to participate in internal Packer Forbes work-streams to improve personal competencies, but also to keep the rest of the Packer Forbes team up-to-date with changes taking place in our working environment.
In terms of promotion opportunities, you are in charge of your own destiny, full in the knowledge that we provide consistent and unstinting support along the way. Promotions are earned; not awarded. We have no restrictions on promotions – when you are ready and you have demonstrated that you have mastered all your core competencies at whatever level you are operating at, you will be promoted.
As a Senior Account Executive up to Senior Account Manager at Packer Forbes, you will automatically be invited to participate in the Junior Management Forum (JMF). The JMF reports to the Senior Management Team (SMT) and helps to advise on a number of different aspects of agency operations, including capacity planning and marketing.
As a senior team member (Account Director and above) you will be expected to actively help drive the agency forward to ensure we achieve our company vision. As we are an independent agency, the Senior Management Team (SMT) makes all strategic decisions and, on the assumption that you meet your professional and personal objectives, there are opportunities to become a member of the SMT. The SMT members drive new business and oversee the Marketing, Human Resources, Finance and Training delivery within the agency.
A new senior level has recently been created, Associate Director, to reflect the fact that Packer Forbes is growing and to ensure its senior team members continue to be challenged and stretched. In addition, a share option scheme is potentially available for long serving and senior team members.
CONNECT
Every team member has the opportunity to join one of the two following internal committees:
- CONNECT media: an internal committee that runs free educational events for medical journalists and organises talks and lunches with print and broadcast journalists working in the healthcare arena for the benefit of all of staff. This activity ensures our UK media contacts are current and that every Packer Forbes team member has an opportunity to establish a working relationship with key UK journalists.
- CONNECT Access: our team monitors changes taking place in the NHS and how this may affect how we operate and what advice we might give to our UK clients. It also monitors the operating environment to ensure our whole team is aware of current opportunities and potential restrictions to communications practice with the wide range of UK stakeholders.
Investor in People accreditation
We are one of the very few healthcare communications agencies that is accredited with Investor in People status. This means that we take the professional and personal development of our staff incredibly seriously.
As an Investor in People accredited organisation, we are committed to the professional and personal development of every one of our team members. Every new junior member of staff is allocated a mentor and everyone has a line manager, whom they meet every month to discuss both professional and personal development progress and any challenges they’ve encountered they need to talk through.
Here is an excerpt from our latest IIP report (2009); the following are recognised as being good practice characteristics for an organisation or exceeding the requirements of the Investors in People Standard:
- Packer Forbes has a clear vision with a business plan and specific targets and goals that support it. This makes people understand how they contribute to the performance of the business.
- People at all levels are very professional and motivated. Interviewees spoke about their pride in the company and its values and their sense of belonging.
- Packer Forbes is to be commended for its commitment to learning and development. The company has implemented a robust strategy to support staff development and help individuals grow. Training opportunities are abundant, helping people develop a wide range of skills across the business. Managers support this process by encouraging people to put the new skills into practice.
- The company’s culture is very consistent, well embedded and considered very important by the staff. It is this culture which has attracted people to the organisation and which keeps them there.
- The management team are good role models of the culture of the business. They also display good practice in people management, leadership and development.
- The company is very proactive at recognising people for their contribution and celebrating success. This has created a culture of high performance where people feel motivated to contribute to the business.
- Continuous improvement is a key feature of the culture of the organisation. This helps Packer Forbes embrace change and ensure the effectiveness of the company.
