By Holly Skelton, Business Partner, Communications Team, West Northamptonshire Council, and LGcomms Future Leader
After a lively evening of drinks and networking on a barge moored in the heart of Bristol’s Floating Harbour, the first day of LGcomms Academy 2025 was buzzing with energy, new and old connections, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Located at We the Curious with the theme: Curiouser and Curiouser, the packed Thursday agenda brought together hundreds of public sector comms professionals from across the country, all ready to share, learn and tackle the ever-evolving challenges of our industry. From coordinating comms around community cohesion and tackling misinformation, to discussing the complexities of Local Government Reorganisation and being your authentic self at work – the sessions offered something for everyone – whether you’re deep in the data or storytelling from the frontline.
One of the standout moments of the day was the keynote session delivered by Dawn Carter-McDonald, Chief Executive of Hackney Council, who spoke powerfully about values-based leadership. She shared how her experience across legal, housing and local government roles has shaped her approach to leading with integrity, authenticity and people at the heart and how we as communications professionals can make the industry more attractive to people from diverse backgrounds – a message that clearly resonated across the room.
Another highlight was Ruby Bhattal’s session around coaching which shared practical tactics for setting achievable, measurable life goals – something many of us overlook. The session highlighted how many of the strategic tools we use at work can – and should – be applied to ourselves. The session was a truly insightful experience that left the room feeling inspired to think more intentionally about our own journeys.
Later in the day, the spotlight turned to the next generation of comms leaders, and I had the privilege of taking part in the Future Leaders panel alongside Harshil Shah, Zhen Yang, Moynaa Aparajit and our mentors Alix Macfarlane and Chris Oates. We each reflected on our time so far on the programme – a journey that’s helped build confidence, resilience and networks that will last a lifetime. We talked about the importance of mentoring, of finding your voice (and using it!), and how we’re learning what it truly means to be effective leaders by embedding both new and established behaviours and practices into our day-to-day roles.
As the sessions wrapped up, the day’s learning gave way to laughter and entertainment with an evening of cocktails and karaoke giving everyone the chance to unwind and belt out a few classics. A well-earned reward after a full-on day of insight, discussion and inspiration.
With more to follow on day two, there’s no doubt LGcomms Academy 2025 delivered on its promise to inform, challenge and connect the very best of public sector comms professionals.