Sophie Attwood is Founder and Managing Director of Sophie Attwood Communications, an award-winning Public Relations business consultancy that has curated a portfolio of exceptional brands and trailblazers in the health, wellness, medical aesthetics and surgical industry.
These range from leading cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic doctors, and hormone experts, through to award-winning skincare brands, body sculpting devices and innovative products. She is passionate about leading the way in ethical PR in what can be an unscrupulous industry
- Tell us a little bit about your business…
‘I founded my public relations consultancy in 2017 and have since curated a portfolio of exceptional brands. Myself and my team work to develop creative strategies to enable clients to take their communication strategy to the next level.
We represent the trailblazers within the health, wellness and medical aesthetics industry from the leading cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic doctors, hormone experts, through to award-winning skincare brands and body sculpting devices.
We regularly see our clients featured in Vogue, Tatler, Glamour, Vanity Fair, as well as all of the national digital and print media, broadcast and television channels.
In addition to gaining first-class coverage for our clients, our ethics and integrity are paramount – meaning that I work to advocate industry guidelines and act as a positive influence in a sector which often comes under negative scrutiny.’
- How did you get into the industry?
‘I’ve always been told that I’m a great communicator and enjoyed communicating with people, so after graduating from university with a BA in English Language and Literature I got my first job doing the PR for a local ceramics company. At the young age of 21, it was a total baptism of fire and a steep learning curve but I learned a lot and quickly grew in my role to head up the PR for the global brand. I eventually decided to go freelance but as things grew, and word of mouth meant that more work was coming through, I wanted to start my own PR company managing brands that I loved.’
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
‘The aesthetics industry is one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide and so whenever there is fast growth like this, it always becomes harder to police and regulate. As a result there are a lot of ‘cowboys’ in the industry who give it a bad name. The challenge for us is to set our clients apart from any negativity, and ensure that we work hard to work alongside regulatory bodies and organisations to advocate industry guidelines and use our expertise to act as a positive influence, propagating the importance of choosing the right practitioner, of full 360-care that includes psychological support when necessary and of the importance of giving out the right message, especially to the impressionable younger generation.
It’s a crowded market so the key is in the detail, efficiency and reliability of our team and the messaging that we deliver. Not to mention passion – because that’s always a huge driving factor in any industry, but especially public relations.
We work hard to ensure that the beauty industry is a safe space and, as a result, has worked alongside various leading profiles within the medical aesthetics industry to raise awareness about the risks associated with non-surgical procedures and to continue to campaign for positive change in this area.’
- How would you describe your leadership style?
‘I’m a strong believer in Growth Mindset and how beneficial it can be in business as well as in life in general so I would like to think that I take quite a visionary leadership style, making a strong connection with my team in order to hopefully inspire them.’
- How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
‘To get the most out of people – when it comes to any element of life, it’s vital to lead by example. You simply can’t expect people to work hard if you don’t do the same. Teamwork has the incredible power to increase productivity, job satisfaction, and even each person’s individual performance. If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.
I also try to employ coaching leadership which involves me identifying each person’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their inspirations and motivations. Doing so enables me to instil knowledge to help them progress further and for all of our different strengths to inspire each other.’
- What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
‘There are a number of crucial elements to my business running smoothly. One of these is the strong relationship that I have with both clients and employees. Thanks to this an open dialogue is achieved which ensures that the clients needs are constantly being identified and met. Another crucial element is the efficiency and reliability of the team and the messaging that we deliver. Not to mention passion – because that’s always a huge driving factor in any industry, but especially public relations.’
- How has the past 12 months been for you?
‘The past 12 months have been an exciting time because the company has grown significantly, both in terms of employees and clients. We’ve also opened our bigger office and taken on new clients, some of which are global, household names. The pandemic was a challenging time for most companies however the business has come out the other side of it stronger and more resilient. When your back is against the wall, that tends to be when you find an inner strength, dig a little deeper and come out of it stronger.’
- What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
‘Do you know, it’s something that I’m so incredibly excited about. The next 12 months will be an extremely busy time as we continue to grow and work with our existing and new clients to secure the media opportunities that set them apart from their competition. We’ve bolstered our service offering to offer social media, videography, personal branding photography, product photography and graphic design and we are now a full, 360-degree agency in a position to take a client from a mere concept to the top of their game.’
- What are the highlights of your career so far?
‘There have been so many highlights, from appearing live on ITV’s This Morning, achieving dream coverage for a client, the feeling of pure joy that I feel every time this happens never fades – and I would liken it to the adrenaline rush you get doing an extreme sport (if I ever did them!). On a more personal level moving into a new office with the expanding team and inviting my daughter to come and ‘see the new place where mummy works’ was a pinch-me moment too.’
- What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
‘I think that would have to be trusting people too much. Because I work to such high ethical and moral standards I automatically assume that everyone is the same. Sadly I’ve learnt from experience that that’s not always the case.’
- What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
‘Follow your passion, and the rest will come naturally. And also to surround yourself with likeminded people. It’s a simple one but it makes the difference between success and failure when you’re setting up and running a business. It also makes the day-to-day more enjoyable and inspiring. It’s also important to remember that you’re only as good as your team
