Walpole: What does your role entail and how long have you been doing it?
Sam Cole: I am responsible for global public relations and events at Cunard. I started just over 18 months ago – when we laid the keel for our new ship, Queen Anne – and it’s been an exciting journey ever since!
In May, we will launch Queen Anne and my team are organising a number of high profile launch events which will be supported with extensive media relations and stakeholder engagement. This launch is a major milestone for everyone at Cunard as it’s our first new ship in 14 years. It will also offer us the opportunity to engage new audiences and drive brand reappraisal.
Cunard is such an iconic British luxury brand, yet – as with so many heritage brands – there are some misperceptions about it. We will harness the experiential launch events to showcase the true Cunard experience through new entertainment, incredible food, great service, a selection of exquisite staterooms and spaces that our guests will enjoy during their travels with us.
What is your career background?
I started my career in corporate communications at Unilever in 2002, where I worked in a variety of different communication roles within different marketing and media functional teams globally. I spent my early years there working for some well-known beauty and personal care brands before moving across to head up consumer PR for food, ice-cream, household and personal care across the UK and Ireland.
Unilever's broad portfolio helped me to understand different audience demographics, how best to adapt storytelling and how to measure the impact of PR – something that I’m still really passionate about as I think PR value and effectiveness is still underrated!
Just over five years ago, I joined Cunard and I have worked in different roles in communications, commercial and product development before becoming PR & Events Director at the end of 2022.
Can you tell me about a woman who you look up to regarding your work?
I’ve had the pleasure of working for some extraordinarily talented women leaders throughout my career. They all seem to have one thing in common: an ability to bring out the very best in people and to create a thriving and dynamic team environment. I should also add that I’ve worked for some remarkable men leaders who have also had an extremely positive impact on my career.
In terms of an individual whom I look up to, I would have to say my mum. We lost my dad when I was very young so my mum was a working single mum who passed on her ‘how hard can it be?’ gene, essentially imparting the belief that if you approach everything with a positive mindset and a belief that you can, you will.
What is a significant obstacle for women in your industry or the wider luxury sector that you feel isn’t talked about enough - and why it is important to highlight?
I think the challenges that come with juggling children and work, which I faced ten years ago when my eldest child was young, remain. Flexibility in the workplace – for all working parents – and affordable childcare are essential to retaining talent in the workforce. The current cost of living crisis is making it even more difficult for working parents at the moment and I’m worried that it will start forcing working parents to make difficult choices, particularly when they don't have the option to work flexibly.
What advice would you have for other women following your career path that would have helped you when starting out?
Like many others, I learn a lot through osmosis. Early on in my career I identified colleagues and leaders who displayed the qualities or skills that I wanted to develop and spent as much time as I could observing them in a work environment. I also completed two different courses which remain relevant to me even now. One was a course with the Authentic Leadership Institute which helped me to understand myself, to know how and when to ask others for help and to appreciate that leading with kindness and compassion can be a strength. The other course was focussed on mindfulness in a business environment and how you can reflect and respond to situations to maximise productivity and minimise negativity and overthinking. Finally, I would tell my younger self to put more faith in myself and to speak up – there are no such things as bad ideas, just ideas that no one else has thought of yet!
What does success look like to you?
Aside from the standout launch of our beautiful new ship, Queen Anne, success is all about what I can do to best help the team around me to reach its full potential. For me personally, success is continuing to work with brilliant people, having lots of laughs at work, learning new perspectives from new people and experiences, and having enough balance to ensure some quality time with my family.
