Lucy Hume, Head of Content, Debrett’s

I am responsible for our content and publications, which includes our books, website and marketing material, as well as content partnerships such as our recent Guide to British Style with Bicester Village. I also field the press enquiries that come our way on a myriad of subjects, ranging from parliamentary dress codes to manners for Millennials (watch this space on the last one!).

Working for a company that has been in the business of publishing for almost 250 years, a major priority for me is ensuring that our messaging and information is up-to-date, relevant and engaging. That often means researching new subjects in conjunction with our expert tutors, whose areas of expertise range from behavioural science to cross-cultural business etiquette. Recent topics of modern etiquette we’ve covered have included vaping, homesharing, and emoticon usage. If something causes a lot of discussion in the office, we tend to know that it will be of interest to our readers and clients, too.

I love working with a fantastic team – I’m always learning from my colleagues. We’re lucky that some of our coaches work in-house, so if I ever need to practise a presentation or get a rehearsed grilling before a media interview, I can try to book a quick video session with Rupert, our academy director. It can be painful watching myself back on camera, but he tells me it’s the only way to improve!

On the publications front, I love seeing ideas come to life. Our head of design, John, has a real ability to translate words into a witty and eloquent visual. Whether it’s for a newsletter, book, blog post or content campaign, I can send him a few paragraphs of text and he completely transforms it.

I also really enjoy the range of tasks that come under my remit. There are not many places where I’d be working on a digital campaign for a major car company while also overseeing the production of the 100th edition of a 250-year-old book (the 2019 Peerage & Baronetage, due to be published next year). There really is never a dull moment at Debrett’s!