24th August 2021 Dominic Dawes is appointed as Head of Communications

After an impressive career spanning journalism, copywriting, editorial roles and owning his own PR agency, congratulations to Dominic Dawes who has been appointed as Head of Communications for Exertis UK.

We caught up with Dom about his career to date, his highlight of 2021 so far and to share an interesting fact about himself…

How long have you been at Exertis?

I started at Exertis in November 2018, so almost three years.

Tell us a bit about your history in communications prior to your time at Exertis.

I was a journalist and copywriter starting in 2000, then I became a senior magazine and website editor. I was the Editor at What Hi-Fi for three years until I left to run my own PR agency in 2012.

Then I ran PR campaigns for a host of big tech and audio brands including Dolby Labs, KEF and Ministry of Sound, before landing the Senior PR Manager role at Exertis in 2018.

How has journalism and communications changed during your time in the industry?

It has transformed completely. Social media, and the whole influencer space, along with seismic changes in ‘traditional’ media, have created a kind of ‘wild west’ media landscape. All the old filters and barriers to entry are gone: if you have an audience, brands will want to connect with them via your content. That makes for a kind of chaos, but also a hugely exciting world of opportunity.

What is an interesting fact about you?

I probably know more about experimental and avant-garde 20th century music than could possibly be considered sane in one individual. Though I’m not sure that qualifies as ‘interesting’…

What has been your highlight of 2021?

With Covid, It’s been a tough year for most of us, I think. Professionally, the way my comms team has developed over the year is hugely gratifying, and a credit to everyone in the team. I’m really proud of where we’re headed together. On a more personal note, getting a Fender Jaguar guitar as a birthday gift from my wife was a definite highlight.

Do you have a hobby?

As you can probably tell, music, music and more music. Also, reading. Then, more music.

What was the first thing you did when lockdown restrictions eased?

I invited some friends round for dinner. Booked tickets for a few upcoming gigs and DJ nights. And breathed a massive sigh of relief.

What does 2022 hold for you?

I’ve got ambitious plans for the comms team, so my main aim is to lead that progress, so that a year from now we’ll look back and hopefully be surprised at how far we’ve travelled. In more concrete terms, that means: more vendor PR clients, bigger media advertising campaigns, become a go-to agency for influencer marketing, grow a seamless narrative approach to Exertis’ internal and external comms, and organically grow the profile of the business, especially around the work we’re doing to drive our people-first agenda, sustainability, diversity & inclusion and more.

So there’s quite a lot to do – I’d better get on!