MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS
Thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda for that headline!
The one message that came through loud and clear from our annual summit in April was the importance of learning together, not only for the social aspect and our mental well-being but for us also to personally flourish by networking with others who have very different ideas and experiences to our own. And for the opportunity to learn so much from each other.
This can, of course, be reproduced to some extent online but there is always the danger of tuning out in the online environment, not picking up on body language, not maintaining concentration (too tempting to put the washing on when cameras and mics are off) and I would venture to suggest we could be in danger of losing the art of socialising when interacting only online.
The summit led me and several of our speakers to chat about various challenges and, yes, obstacles to our growth:
- Work/life balance? We hear from more and more of our colleagues that they are busier than ever with hybrid working.
- Let’s make sure we are not busy being busy?
- Let’s stop and think where our careers are heading. Do we have the required skill sets required for hybrid working?
- Do we have the required skill sets for the new business environment in which we find ourselves?
- How will we train ourselves to keep ahead of the game?
- How will we train our new team members, some of whom will be in an “office” environment for the first time?
- We have a responsibility to train and nurture young talent
- Being out of sight has a danger of being out of mind
We need to keep ahead of the curve if we really wish to support our internal and external clients and to push our own personal boundaries.
Let’s not get stuck on a different “hybrid” treadmill. Let’s re-ignite our hunger to learn amongst our peers and to take our knowledge to the next level by having those all-important impromptu conversations, even amongst our competitors.
PSMG is well known for creating a safe space for this to happen and I am beyond proud we attract the very best speakers and minds in our sector. I don’t believe anyone else does what we do.
We are continually working on our 2022 (and 2023) calendar and are adding to it as we go along to keep topics relevant and to bring you some of the most enlightened voices in our sector.
Let’s step back a little and re-learn the art of learning together!
Gail Jaffa
Managing Partner
PSMG
“Corporate social responsibility is a hard-edged business decision. Not because it is a nice thing to do or because people are forcing us to do it… because it is good for our business”
Niall Fitzgerald, former CEO, Unilever
08:00 - 17:30
One America Square Conference Centre, 17 One Crosswall, America Square, London EC3N 2LB. Live streaming is available for virtual delegates
Lessons Learned in the Pandemic
January 27, 2021
Innovation in a risk averse environment
January 28, 2021
Professional Services Pricing
March 15 to 23, 2021
Applying business-to-consumer marketing principles to business-business marketing
November 2, 2021
Re-freshing techniques for Thought Leadership – How to generate ongoing authentic and impactful insights
November 9, 2021
The constantly changing vendor landscape in Client Development & Intake
November 10, 2021
Why law firms need to change their approach to thought leadership
November 17, 2021
MEMBERS FREE WEBINAR: Professional Services Marketing & BD: ‘More Essentials’ webinar series Autumn 2021
November 25, 2021
Applying business-to-consumer marketing principles to business-business marketing
November 2, 2021 • 12.00 – 14.00 • FACE-TO-FACE SEMINAR
Venue: White & Case LLP, 5 Old Broad St, London EC2N 1DW
This is a face-to-face seminar with streaming available, with just 20 places available at the venue. This seminar will focus on the learnings and experience of business-to-consumer marketing and how these could be applied to the business-to-business environment in professional services. We are all consumers and have come to expect outstanding levels of customer experience not only from the retail juggernauts such as Amazon, but also when dealing with smaller niche organizations such as Rapha Cycling or Etsy.
In this seminar we will explore some of the techniques used in B2C marketing and discuss how they can be applied in a B2B context and, in particular, how marketing technology can be managed and leveraged to support this.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues should be top concerns of all corporate management and boards.
There was a time when a public stance on ESG issues was a public relations tactic. However, in today's rapidly changing business climate, attention to ESG issues is becoming critical to long-term competitive success.
In this new environment all company performance is being assessed through an ESG lens and professional services firms are not immune to this.
Evidence shows that properly integrated ESG policies widen a firm’s competitive reach compared to other industry players. Those who take steps to improve labour conditions, enhance the diversity of their teams, invest in their communities, and adopt sustainable environmental practices and policies will strengthen their brand and their client offering.
People are interested in the “citizenship” of a brand, and whether it is doing the right things societally, economically, and environmentally.
Organisations that recognise the importance of adapting to changing socio-economic and environmental conditions are better able to identify strategic opportunities and meet competitive challenges.
We must, therefore, reconnect company success with societal progress. Shared value is not social responsibility or even sustainability. It is a new way to achieve economic success. It is not on the outer edge of what we do but rather at the centre.
Those who are truly committed to executing ESG policies, practices and programmes ensure ESG is a senior management priority of the CEO and General Counsel, and increasingly tie compensation to ESG metrics.
They voluntarily report ESG goals, and progress towards meeting them, to all stakeholders via the annual CEO letter, annual reports, internal corporate communications, and/or annual sustainability reports.
Increasingly they are demanding their suppliers and vendors – including their professional advisors - act in the same way.
Jeremy Barton Partner and General Counsel, KPMG UK
Jeremy Barton joined KPMG UK as general counsel in 2015. He is a member of the executive committee and is responsible for the legal affairs of the firm. His team provides strategic and technical advice to the board, the executive committee and partners on matters relating to governance, regulation, practice protection, deals and contracts. His previous positions have been as both regional and global General Counsel in other large international accounting and consulting organisations. Jeremy is married with three children and enjoys running in the African bush.
E. Leigh Dance President of ELD International and Global Counsel Leaders Circle
Leigh Dance leads ELD International and Global Counsel Leaders Circle, working with international corporate legal/compliance leaders and teams to improve performance, increase productivity and demonstrate value. Leigh has long-standing relationships with a vast network of senior corporate legal and compliance leaders worldwide. ELD International projects include advising corporate legal functions on managing remote legal teams, law firm convergence, competency-building and talent retention, legal strategy, business partnering, corporate governance, crisis response and management, best practices, structures, KPIs and communications.
Dan Kayne General Counsel Regions, Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd, Legal Services Founder of The O shaped Lawyer Programme
In the three years since taking up his current role, Dan Kayne and his team have become closely aligned to the needs of the business, placing the customer at the heart of strategy to deliver against a vision of “consistently exceeding customer expectations”. To achieve this, Dan and his team’s focus has been increasingly on how they deliver their service rather than what they deliver. More recently Dan has brought together senior leaders from across the industry to focus on transforming the training and development of lawyers. This is designed to create more all-rounded O Shaped lawyers better equipped to meet the demands placed on them in an increasingly disrupted and changing sector.
Ben Kent Founder, Meridian West
Ben Kent is the founder of Meridian West. He works with a variety of professional firms both large and small, UK and global. His clients include Allen & Overy, Hogan Lovells, PwC, KPMG and Intertrust. He helps firms develop client feedback programmes, thought leadership campaigns, and market strategy research. Ben is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars and, prior to going into research, was a corporate lawyer.
Claire Mason CEO and Founder, Man Bites Dog
Claire Mason is an entrepreneur, NED, CEO and founder of global thought leadership consultancy Man Bites Dog. She develops future thinking for intelligent brands to position them as leaders in the next economy. With 25 years’ experience leading global strategic marcomms programmes, Claire and her team create signature campaigns for technology, professional and financial services firms shaping the future of business. She has developed global thought leadership campaigns on subjects from the future of work and global trade, to financing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Zeronomics (the economics of net zero transition). An established keynote speaker, Claire is an active champion of sustainability, global trade, the knowledge economy, entrepreneurship and diversity and inclusion.
Alexander Rhodes Partner, Head of Purpose, Mishcon de Reya
Alexander Rhodes is Partner and Head of Purpose at Mishcon de Reya. He provides strategic Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to help clients navigate the opportunities and risks presented by a rapidly changing world. Typically, Alexander is a trusted advisor to international clients with more than 15 years’ legal and global consultancy experience. He acts for families in relation to their personal, business and philanthropic interests, as well as those seeking transition to more sustainable and resilient ways of working. Aleander is privileged to have worked closely with governments and global leaders in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. A seasoned litigator, he has particular expertise in the resolution of complex multi-jurisdictional disputes (usually with reputational aspects) and public affairs
We are adding to our events programme all the time so please check the website for the latest news.
Click Here to see the full conference programme and contact Gail Jaffa to book your place - gail.jaffa@psmg.co.uk
Re-freshing techniques for Thought Leadership – How to generate ongoing authentic and impactful insights
November 9, 2021 • 12.00 – 14.00 • FACE-TO-FACE SEMINAR
Venue: Trowers & Hamlins LLP, 3 Bunhill Road, London, EC1Y 8YZ
If you are interested in hosting face-to-face event, then please contact us This is a face-to-face seminar with streaming available.
The recipe for successful thought leadership is constantly evolving, highlighting the need for an ongoing refresh on the best ways of generating authentic and impactful insights.
This session will be particularly useful for individuals responsible for content development at professional and financial services companies looking for new approaches to create impactful and innovative campaigns.
Join Jonathan Litterick and Ben Kent from Meridian West for a discussion on the best tools and techniques.
The constantly changing vendor landscape in Client Development & Intake
November 10, 2021 • 12:00 - 14:00 • FACE-TO-FACE SEMINAR
Venue: Gatehouse Chambers, Gray's Inn, 1 Lady Hale Gate, London WC1X 8BS
This is a face-to-face seminar with streaming available. If you are interested in hosting this event, then please contact us
Over the last three years we’ve seen huge changes in the vendor landscape and advances in the technologies available to target, win and onboard clients. Firms have understood there is a greater need to understand the value clients gain from the services they deliver and success is measured more in terms of the feedback that clients provide than in purely financial performance metrics such as profit, leverage and utilisation.
This more client-centric view of firm management is having a dramatic effect on the strategies for system deployment, integration, data management and reporting. Firms are looking to re-engineer processes to ensure that they capture the right information at the right time and get it in to the hands of those that need it, to better serve their clients.
Why law firms need to change their approach to thought leadership
November 17, 2021 • 12:00 - 13:00 • WEBINAR
Webinar Host: Source Global Research
Attendance at this webinar is for Director/Partner level and is by invitation only.
The thought leadership published by professional services firms—including law firms—is hugely influential, and in the aftermath of the pandemic, this is truer than ever.
Senior executives aren’t just using content to inform themselves about trends in their own areas, but to learn about areas they are less familiar with, with the aim of influencing their peers and colleagues.
Any firm that can understand how its buyers use thought leadership and the types of content they are interested in, and then capitalise on that is likely to find itself standing out in what is becoming an increasingly competitive space.
MEMBERS FREE WEBINAR: Professional Services Marketing & BD: ‘More Essentials’ webinar series Autumn 2021
November 25, 2021 • 2021: 12.00 – 13.00 • WEBINAR 3: Brand Management Masterclass
Webinar Host: Cambridge Marketing College
Non-members pay a nominal charge to attend Over the past year Nigel Clark from Cambridge Marketing College (CMC) has run a successful series of PSMG webinars looking at the essential skills for professional services marketing and BD (MBD).
Nigel is now back with the second half of his ‘More Essentials’ series to explain the key tools and techniques needed by a MBD professional. These webinars draw on the core content of the professional services marketing apprenticeship programmes and qualifications offered by CMC and PSMG. They also challenge MBD professionals to become ‘client champions’ within their firm.
