Community News
Behind the Headlines with Mary-Clare Gribbon
7 August 2012

Mary-Clare Gribbon, director at LUCA by LUCHFORD APM, on sticking to new year's resolutions, the future of social commerce and owning a camel called Rocket.

The thing that gets me up in the morning is...
My new morning meditation routine. 2012's new year’s resolution is, I am pleased to say, still going strong. Going into work to do a job that I love helps a great deal too.

What made me want to get into PR was...
A life-long love of both talking and travel (I have always worked in this sector) made the decision a no-brainer for me. I love that this job demands intuition; I studied Psychology at university and at the time underestimated how much of it is to do with people skills.

If I could change one thing about the industry it would be...
Get rid of those who harp on about all the people they know, but don't get anything done.

My greatest inspiration is...
My parents. They have both had successful careers as lawyers since we were born but have always been there for us and encourage us to get the most out of life. They also get on amazingly well, which is impressive after being married for so long.

The three things I demand in my colleagues...
Enthusiasm, loyalty and creativity (and love of tea making).

The character I most dislike in people is...
A massively inflated ego, which is often covering up for a lack of something.

I laugh most at...
My friends.

The PR figure I most admire is...
It's too hard to pick one as I've been lucky enough to work with so many fantastic people, from junior account executive up to CEO level. That's the best thing about working in PR agencies; they attract a diverse range of characters, approaches and skills.

The one website I always check is...
Twitter @MCGribbon_LUCA

The most interesting fact about me is...
I own a camel called Rocket in Rajasthan.

My daily newspaper of choice is...
Weekends are almost always The Times, but during the week it's Radio 4 in the mornings with Twitter keeping me updated throughout the day.

The finest moment in my career so far is...
Winning employee of the year at my last agency and my first client win at LUCA by LUCHFORD APM; Ocean Sky Private Jet Group.

My most embarrassing moment was...
Stuttering on the word 'communicating', when saying how good I was at it in my very first interview.

I've got a secret...
But if I told you I’d have to kill you.

If I won the Euromillions I would...
Buy a train of camels.

The next big thing in social media will be...
Social commerce. Sites such as thefancy.com meeting the likes of Stylist Online, which will be bad news for the purse strings.

In five years' time PR will be... Even more integrated into other areas of the marketing mix as boundaries continue to blur.

If you'd like to feature in a Behind the Headlines interview please email celina.maguire@gorkana.com.