Jon Howard is the Strategy Director at Bud Communications. Specialising in company reputation management, he’s directed full corporate rebrands, delivered multi-year B2B comms strategies and has worked with and reported to multiple C-suite types.
Howard originally hails from the UK’s south coast and worked in Germany and Finland before moving to Singapore. After studying journalism, his big break in PR came managing a press office for one of the UK’s biggest consumer lobby groups.
He is a regular contributor of articles for e27 (you can read his thought leadership articles here).
In this candid interview, he talks about his personal and professional life.
How would you explain what you do to a five-year-old?
We create and share interesting stories with journalists and other famous internet people at Bud Communications. That’s because we think they’ll also find these story ideas exciting and want to tell more people about them. These stories are about technology and focus on exciting inventions, smart business people and teams that want to do good things for the world.
What has been the biggest highlight/challenge of your career so far?
The biggest challenge was getting into the communications and PR industry in the first place. Back in 2008, I was finishing up a Master’s degree, and every role I applied for required prior work experience. All I had to show was several internships, some unpaid freelance writing and significant bar/pub work to pay for my studies.
Luckily two great hiring managers looked past my lack of experience and gave me a shot. In the present day, it serves as a constant reminder to pay it forward if an entry-level applicant has a lot of passion and hunger to learn but not necessarily the roll-call of big names on their CV (yet).
How do you envision the next five years of your career?
I want to find myself within a compassionate team who speaks plainly and always has each other’s backs.
Also Read: It is your passion, not education, that drives your future: Meghan Bridges of Rainmaking Innovation
What are some of your favourite work tools?
I’m a big fan of the likes of EdX and Udemy. They have some top-notch courses that are budget-friendly and curated by top-class academics and educators.
On the specific note of workplace tools, this year we’ve introduced the HR platform 15Five, which is fantastic to see how team members are feeling weekly, as well as being able to schedule line management meetings and even 360 reviews and annual appraisals.
Regarding finance matters, Spenmo was recently added to our toolset, which has simplified our team’s corporate expenses and made the reimbursement process more frictionless.
What’s something about you or your job that would surprise us?
One major misconception about being a great communications/PR pro is that you need to be the dominant voice at parties, always leading conversations and giving people “aha moments” with every sentence.
The truth is, being a first-class listener and the one asking thoughtful questions will serve you best. Practise active listening skills, always be curious about the other person’s perspective and don’t worry about whether or not you’re the smartest person in the room.
Do you prefer WFH or WFO, or hybrid?
I need a degree of routine and consistency, so I’m in the office almost daily. I’m also much more productive in an office environment. That probably sounds weird to many people, but thankfully commuting in Singapore is far more painless than, e.g. London.
If I still lived there, my answer would probably be quite different. I don’t lose a lot of time travelling to work in Singapore, and internet connectivity is good regardless of the mode of transport.
What would you tell your younger self?
“Don’t worry; adults are also making it up as they go along. Be kinder to yourself.”
This line would have gone a long way to helping my perpetual feelings of imposter syndrome, especially earlier in my career.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Work in progress.
Also Read: Consistency is key in life: Baradhwaj R of MoEngage
What are you most likely to be doing if not working?
While living in Finland, I picked up padel tennis, a cross between tennis and squash and now slowly growing in Singapore, with new-ish courts in Jurong. I’m also kickstarting a homebrewing side gig, which I hope can become a mega business empire one day.
Learning languages is also perfect for mental stimulation, and I am a heavy Duolingo user. Lastly, one of the biggest habits I picked up during the COVID-19 lockdown in Europe was learning piano and sustaining a habit of playing for around 15-20 minutes daily.
What are you currently reading/listening to/ watching?
Reading – Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed is all about failure, why it’s healthy and how to learn from mistakes.
Listening – Up until England was knocked out of the World Cup, and I felt sad, I listened to The Guardian’s Football Daily podcast first thing each morning.
Watching – I’ve been sucked into The White Lotus “whodunnit” hype over on HBO. Meanwhile, for some of the best content on YouTube, shoutout to travel vlogger Indigo Traveller, who puts himself in extremely dangerous situations to tell important stories in conflict-ridden areas.
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