Peter Lawlor

I am lucky enough to work with some of the brightest people you could wish to meet, and the most challenging (in a good way!). As Dean of The Hub, our internal skills academy, I am responsible for the training needs of more than 160 colleagues.

My role also has an external aspect as I facilitate meetings and workshops for clients.

You could say Hill+Knowlton Strategies is in my blood. Apart from a short spell in the mid-1980s I have spent my whole PR career here; or, more precisely three careers. The first was in Marketing Communications where I worked on brands such as B&Q, Vauxhall, American Express and adidas.

My second ‘career’ stemmed from a passion for creativity and brainstorming. In 2000 I was appointed Creative Director. Over the next ten years I worked across the agency, helping clients and colleagues to think ‘out of the box’. This also gave me valuable insight into a wide range of business sectors which is extremely useful in my current role.

I leapt at the chance to set up The Hub, in late 2009, because I saw it as the culmination of all my experience to date. This included being a trainer of writing and creative thinking and a brief stint lecturing in PR for an American university. It’s a demanding but highly rewarding role that offers something different every day.

I graduated from Durham University with a BA (Hons) degree in English which included a subsidiary in Italian (now rather rusty). I also have a reasonable knowledge of French. In my spare time I enjoy books, music and films and keep telling myself I should rejoin a choir.