We’ll be supporting Elly Hoult’s ‘Choose Housing’ CIH presidential campaign by rolling out a series of blogs, written by our friends and comms contacts from in the housing sector.
We want to show how great a career in housing comms can be, as well as provide tips and insights for anyone considering a career in the sector.
Nick Keyden, PR and Media Manager at Stonewater
My route into the housing sector was a little different to most – although a tale many in Public Relations and Public Affairs may find familiar. I’ve always had a passion for writing and storytelling since my days at school, with a keen interest in politics. Couple this with the backdrop of the Scottish National Party’s rise to power in the late 2000s, I was certain a career reporting on Holyrood beckoned. But after leaving university, I started in a trainee role at the Daily Record newspaper, covering everything from crime to entertainment, with a dash of political scandal thrown in for good measure.
Speaking to the more vulnerable members of our society, particularly those struggling to maintain safe, warm and comfortable accommodation, opened my eyes to the challenges the housing sector faced. Many of the stories I would cover centred on damp and mould, but I became more and more aware of how easily these issues were sensationalised. In the war for clicks, what mattered to the residents was often left behind.
The opportunity to join Stonewater as its PR and Media Manager came along exactly at the right time.
I’d always been interested in transitioning to a public relations/communications role but for an organisation with a strong social purpose. Another part of the role that jumped off the page for me was the opportunity to be involved in leading their public affairs activity. Engaging with MPs, supporting our senior leadership teams with our political strategies and helping unlock tools that will help deliver more homes for those who need them most, have been some of the more rewarding elements of my time in housing (while of course scratching that political itch).
I can safely say it’s been an incredibly fulfilling year since joining the housing sector. No two days are ever the same and there is always something to learn. I’ve been able to work on large projects, like Rural Housing Week and Stonewater’s Thought Leadership initiatives, but being able to tell the stories of how our work helps customers thrive will always be the highlight. I couldn’t recommend a career in housing to communications professionals more. My one piece of advice for anyone whose path mirrors my own would be to act like a sponge – soak it all up as there is so very much to learn and get involved in.
