My Gurus: ‘Nothing is impossible’

Frances Mary Buss – Education pioneer

While I obviously didn’t know Frances Mary Buss, my time at school was imbued with her ethos. A campaigner for women’s rights, Buss founded the North London Collegiate School – which I attended – in 1850, aged just 23.

It was an environment in which we were taught that anything was possible, that women could rise to the top and lead, and that confidence in your own ability was vital. I can’t pretend it wasn’t a pushy place – sometimes challenging – but, for me, it was an environment in which I thrived.

I grew up knowing I could run something, even if I didn’t know what that was. The idea of starting my own business felt most natural, very early on. I had been imbued with skills of public speaking, debate, a sense of leadership, resilience, and sheer bloody mindedness.

Dr Tara Draper-Stumm – Art history researcher

As a teenager, I had a work placement at English Heritage and through my time there I met Tara Draper Stumm of the Heritage of London Trust, a small charity dedicated to helping community groups restore and re-use historic buildings. 

Over twenty years on, Tara remains one of my closest friends. She taught me the importance of accurate and diligent research, of doing all tasks well (even the mundane ones), of being there for other people and, perhaps most crucially, good manners. They were all things I had been brought up, but were interesting to adopt in professional work too.

From my time working with Tara, I understood you should never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself – a principle I follow to this day. She was hugely respected by everyone and demonstrated an admirable work environment.

Clementine Wade – Educational consultant

Theatre has always been a great love of mine, and I have frequently been to the Edinburgh Fringe to soak up the atmosphere and sample the amazing shows. During my first experience doing the PR for a Fringe show – not having done theatre PR before – I thought Clementine was losing the plot.

A fiery and tenacious woman, Clementine was responsible for Back to School, staged at Braidwood Community Centre in partnership with the Pleasance. A truly nostalgic show where you were transported back to school to relive agonising moments of crazy teachers, awkward PE lessons and even the school dance. With super tutor Clementine as school mistress nothing could go wrong; we were reminded that it’s never too late to learn.

The show involved playwright Ranjit Bolt with cameos from Sue Perkins, Pauline McFlynn and Dr Tracey Cox. Living with the company, soaking up the Fringe from this new perspective, was eye opening. The show was a hit, I caught the theatre PR bug – and the Fringe flu – and my business never looked back. This year, we head into our 14th Fringe.

Hobby Limon – Art dealer

When you start a business, you need someone to take a risk on you. For me, that person was director of TAG Fine Arts, Hobby Limon. In 2010, when I was considering setting up CNC, TAG needed PR support for a Rob Ryan exhibition, The Stars Shine All Day Too,in Mayfair. The new works captured the distinctive qualities of hand-crafted papercut, drawing the viewer into the artist’s world.

TAG took a chance, supporting my dream while gambling on somebody with minimal industry experience. The exhibition was a success and achieved coverage in the likes of Another Mag and Stylist.

Working on that exhibition cemented my decision to forge a career in PR, as well as to set up CNC. Through working with Hobby, I’ve learned that having a smile on your face can change the world. Even at difficult moments, Hobby exudes charisma and his energy and exuberance is contagious.

Audrey Hepburn – Actress

One of my favourite inspirational quotes comes from Audrey Hepburn: “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m possible!”

Some days, what you wear is your armour – think power suit or LBD. Audrey’s glamour endures worldwide; she remains one of Hollywood’s great style icons.  Making her stage debut in London 1948 as a chorus girl, small stage parts followed before she travelled to Broadway and went on to capture the world in Roman Holiday in 1953. 

An actress who won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, she also became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and travelled the world to raise awareness of the humanitarian issues facing children. Audrey was inspirational and influential and leaves a legacy to admire.