PR pathway launched for women entering employment after maternity

A pioneering new model for a hybrid recruitment company with the ambition to equip mothers after maternity will be launched this week.

The community hub and events platform - PR Mums - will be going live on July 17 with the ambition to equip mothers with a practical and psychological pathway back into employment after matemity / childcare, enabling them to re-establish their pre-pregnancy career trajectory.

The initiative is helped by Emma Padden (founder and managing director) with a board of 'Founding Mothers' including Alexandra Heybourne (director, Freuds), Ali Maynard-James (managing partner, Manifest), Bethany Pearson (director, Grayling), Jessica Hope (CEO, Wimbart), Jo Vyvyan-Robinson (partner, Freuds), Nicola McKelvey (director, Freelance), and Shilpa Saul (inclusive communications director, The Unmistakables).

They are joined by consultant psychologist Dr Claire Vowell who will help drive the consultancy and training to embed better policy and culture for retuming parents.

PR Mums is supported by a roster of over 45 leading agencies including Manifest, Grayling, Freuds, The Unmistakables, Wimbart, Idea Generation, Stonebridge PR, Rankin Creati, Aduro, AKT Health, blurred, Brazen, Brick, CC Group, CIJ Group, Clarion, Clarity, Definition, Don't Cry Wolf, Fine Lines, Finn Partners, Flint, Folk, Four, Frank, Galibier, Good Shout, Hard Numbers, Hope & Glory, Hunt & Gather, Idea Farm, Kaizo, Performance PR, Phipps, Playtime PR, Portland, Pretty Green, Ready10, RDMR, Shephard Communications, Smoking Gun, Square in the Air, Taylor Herring, The Hoffman Agency, The PR Network, Wild Card and 72 Point among others.

Following eighteen months of consultation and development, with the support and financial backing of industry vets Hector Proud, Rory Scott and the photographer Rankin, PR Mums was born from a need to address the myriad of gender-based inequities in the workplace resulting from parenthood.

Leveraging the revenues from the core recruitment service, PR Mums will reinvest at least 25 per cent of its profits into an ongoing community and events programme, designed to variously, boost confidence, open opportunities; facilitate networking; access training; initiate mentorships and update skills - with the universal ambition to help re establish both the path and trajectory of their former career as quickly as possible.

Further to this, the Founding Mothers role will extend into advocacy and campaigning on issues that impact women in the workplace from substandard parental leave policies; cost and availability of childcare, the lack of flexible or part-time roles, issues of diminished confidence; physical dislocation and isolation, these factors (and many more) intersect to dissuade and obstruct a return to work.

PR Mums founder Emma Padden said: "PR Mums is not driven by a lofty and long-term vision, but instead by an immediate and urgent mission to address clear and present endemic industry challenges and to help increase number of women in senior and leadership positions.

“This is our first-year ambition, but we aim to expand beyond the industand support all parents."

If you want to be part of the growing roster of agencies, join the community, host an event, or be a speaker, email [email protected]