Nora Senior, Weber Shandwick

Company: Weber Shandwick, Scotland
Company Description: Weber Shandwick Scotland is a full service public relations agency delivering on client’s brand reputation, visibility and preference goals on a Scottish, UK and European level
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive – Service Businesses – up to 100 Employees

Nomination Title: Nora Senior, Managing Director, Weber Shandwick in Scotland

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive
during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

Nora Senior is managing director of public relations consultancy Weber 
Shandwick in Scotland, responsible for the management of over 55 staff and the 
business operations of offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. 

In a career spanning over 20 years in public relations, Nora's determination and 
focus has been on driving standards forward within the industry, both in Scotland 
and the UK, with an emphasis on training and development and strengthening the 
reputation of PR as a credible voice at the boardroom table.  This motivation and 
commitment is reflected by a number of outstanding achievements over the last 12 
months and supported by the respect she has gained within the wider business 
community as a whole. 

Nora has been recognised by a number of leading industry awards.  In 2007, Nora 
was shortlisted as a Finalist in the Association of Scottish Businesswomen 
Outstanding Contribution to Business Awards and nominated for the Scottish 
Woman of Achievement Award.  In late 2006 she was awarded ‘Fellow’ of the 
Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) for outstanding contribution to the 
public relations industry in Scotland.

Her influential position in the Scottish business community led to her recent 
appointment as Regional Adviser to the London Stock Exchange and she was 
also unanimously appointed Vice Chair of Scottish Chambers of Commerce this 
year.

Nora has consistently been involved in planning and implementing campaigns 
which have received industry recognition including a European SABRE Award for 
client NetIDme in Barcelona in May 2007 and a number of wins at the 2006 CIPR 
PRide Awards in Scotland.  Weber Shandwick campaigns in Scotland have also 
made the shortlist in several categories for the 2007 PRide Awards to be 
announced in November of this year.

Nora places great emphasis on the training and development of staff, developing 
and delivering bespoke training courses personally to her teams.  Staff retention 
ratios are among the best of any Weber Shandwick operation globally and the 
committed team and business continue to go from strength to strength.

She has introduced a corporate citizen values programme within Weber 
Shandwick in Scotland where each individual invests time in volunteering across a 
wide range of sectors.  Nora provides mentoring on a one on one basis to 
individuals in both professional, charity and voluntary organisations to enable
them to realise their full potential and is committed to this area of personnel 
development.

List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://business.scotsman.com/economy.cfm?id=288612007 
http://www.sanepr.com/NetIDme-Campaign-Scoops-Major-European-
Award_17703.cfm
http://66.102.9.104/search?
q=cache:mUKfklYxcn0J:www.scottishchambers.org.uk/downloads/newappts22020
7.doc+Nora+Farrell&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=uk

Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 100 words):

Nora’s career includes five years with Saatchi & Saatchi’s Scottish-based PR 
consultancy, Hall Associates, where she was the youngest MD of a plc in the UK 
at the time.  Nora started up a small consultancy business – The PR Centre – in 
1990 and following its merger with Weber Shandwick in 1998 became a director of 
the consultancy’s Edinburgh operation.  She was appointed MD of the Scottish 
business in 2000, and is now one of only two women on Weber Shandwick’s UK 
Management Board.  Under her direction, the business in Scotland has grown 
significantly in terms of turnover, profit, new offices and services.