In April of 2018, Anthony Ou, a graduate of our Public Relations – Corporate Communications program, made a momentous decision to move to London, England, to work at one of the largest PR agencies in the world. He quit his job in Canada, sold his car, packed all his belongings into two suitcases and started a brand-new chapter. This significant step Anthony took, which he describes as the best decision he ever made, has led to some phenomenal accomplishments, such as being recently selected for PRWeek UK’s 30 Under 30 and short-listed for Young Game Changer of the Year at the annual PRWeek UK Awards.
But what led him to this exciting point of his life? You can find glimpses of his adventurous nature from childhood. He shares, “I've always been curious and creative. Growing up, I remember my mom often called me her ‘little question child’ (in Cantonese, my mother tongue) as I asked a plethora of questions and wanted to know about how everything in the world worked.”
Before pursuing PR, Anthony initially wanted to be an urban planner, which he studied during his undergrad at the University of Toronto. He says, “Like many other comms and PR professionals, I 'fell into' comms; I did a co-op placement as part of my undergrad and landed a comms role. A colleague at that time, and now someone I'm lucky to be able to call my mentor and friend, inspired me to re-evaluate what I wanted to do. As I always had a passion for writing and being curious and creative, I decided to pursue comms and PR once I finished at uni.” This is what he says led him to explore the top post-grad PR programs in Canada.
After applying to a couple of schools and going through the interview stages for each, Anthony says he ultimately felt that the people and faculty at Centennial were the most personable. “Centennial was also the first to come back to me with a decision on my application, and I was blown away by their tailored approach with their students,” he explains. A smaller intake of students during the year he applied, the fact that faculty would know each student by name, and the chance for some fantastic opportunities from the field placement part of the program all contributed to his decision to pursue Centennial for his post-grad certificate. “My sister also completed a post-grad program at Centennial a few years ago and had a very positive experience, so the choice was easy,” he adds.
One of his favourite parts of the program were the people. As he says, it felt like everyone became a family by the end of the program. “We saw each other every day, and it felt like we were in high school again – such a different culture than being a small fish in a big pond like I was at uni. I'll always cherish the bond we had and the social outings. I still keep in touch with people from the programme. The faculty was also so personable and approachable, which made the experience all the better.”
Anthony still turns to several key lessons from the program in his career today, such as that he builds communication plans based on the method he was taught in the program. He adds, “The Business course was also really useful to help cement a strategic and business-oriented mindset. Last but not least, I can still hear Donna Lindell telling us how much she hates the word ‘buzz’ – to date, that still lives in my head rent-free.”
After graduating, Anthony completed his field placement at Strategic Objectives, Canada’s most-award-winning PR agency, and then went on to work at Environics (now Proof) to gain experience at another agency where he was conducting consumer PR work for some of the top FMCG brands in the world.
“I am so grateful for the experience I gained at both agencies. I won't lie, it was very tough, and a steep learning curve, but it helped me build a strong foundation early on in my career preparing me for the world of comms. However, I didn't feel a sense of purpose. Why was I PR-ing toilet paper? Around the same time, my mom was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. This really made me open my eyes and think about how quickly life can change at any point. It also made me rethink my priorities and how I wanted to use my privilege and skills to help others in need. If I wanted to make a change, there's no time like the present - pedal to the metal! So, I reached out to a former colleague who, at the time, coincidentally worked at the Canadian Cancer Society, and she was able to put a good word in for me, eventually leading me to secure a role there that was tailored to my skills and experience,” he shares.
Fast forward to 2017, Anthony was in his mid-twenties and says he felt stuck in his professional and personal life and was looking to make a big change. “I had travelled to London as a tourist before and always thought if I could move anywhere in the world, it would be there. I've always wanted to live and travel abroad and had the privilege of being able to do so. I also wanted to see more of Europe as well, so naturally, being able to speak English, I settled on London as a good 'basecamp.' So, in a span of four wee months, I applied for a visa, updated my LinkedIn, interviewed with a few agencies based in London using my shower curtains as the Zoom background, and got a job at BCW, one of the largest PR agencies in the world… and started a new life in London in April 2018.”
Now at BCW, Anthony shares that he gets to work with some of the largest global pharmaceutical companies to create purposeful and positive health impacts for patients around the world, especially those disproportionately affected by health inequalities. He adds, “I lead accounts for a variety of clients in the pharma space, working closely with a team of communicators. I could be working on a disease awareness and anti-stigma campaign helping people living with HIV one day, pitching a patient case study story to the media in the morning, writing policy issue briefs in the afternoon, to enlisting high-level speakers to participate in a symposium about health inequalities at an upcoming medical congress. My favourite part of the role is being able to travel and meet these inspiring high-level stakeholders and patients in person. Whilst at BCW, I've also had the privilege of doing two secondments so far - one with AstraZeneca and another with Gilead Sciences - where I get to offer my consultancy and expertise in an in-house capacity.
All in all, I love how much purpose and fulfillment I get from being able to work on projects that truly make a positive difference and help people. The people at BCW have really looked out for me, harnessed my potential and inspired a growth mindset. The culture here is fantastic, and I can see how much I've grown, professionally and personally, since moving to London.”
Each year, PRWeek UK awards 30 talented PR professionals under 30 years old who are selected by an esteemed panel of judges within the industry. Just a couple of months ago, Anthony found out he was selected! “I genuinely screamed. This is such a huge honour and a true career highlight. What a lovely recognition, especially having only been in the UK for four years! I feel so grateful and can't thank all the mentors I've had the privilege of working with so far in my career. The BCW team and my clients have also been true champions for my growth,” he shares.
Anthony has also been able to join the 2022 PRWeek Awards judging panel, which he says was his first time being able to judge an industry award. “It's a coveted opportunity. I had the privilege of getting together with some very respectable communicators in the industry to judge a series of categories. I was truly blown away by the calibre of entries.” But this is not the only involvement Anthony has had with PRWeek UK’s annual awards – he was recently short-listed for their Young Game Changer of the Year award. The ceremony will take place in October of this year, but this is already such an incredible accomplishment.
If you are interested in pursuing the PR industry, Anthony says, “If you are passionate about using the power of comms to make a positive difference for people around the world, follow your heart and go for it. I tried it out and fell in love. I would recommend a field placement or internship to get your foot in the door. Remember that growth is rarely linear, so one rejection should not be the end all and be all. Also, network, network, network (regardless of what industry you're in, really) – whether an in-person or Zoom coffee chat or over LinkedIn – just do it! If it's not the right fit, it's not a loss. There are many transferrable skills that you build as a communicator, and you will meet some amazing people in the industry.”
As for where he sees the PR industry progressing in the future, Anthony shares, “Digital innovation is the future. A buzzword for many, but if there's anything we learned over the past few years as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, digital will be key to reaching various audiences. How you harness digital as a communicator and what this means for your particular business is an exciting challenge. I would also like to see more people of colour enter the industry and get to senior-level positions. The industry needs to reflect the world around us. I'm a huge champion of diversity and inclusion.”
Anthony adds, “Outside of work, I've also been lucky enough to be able to use my privilege to educate people about issues impacting Asian and LGBTQ+ communities. Going back to my passion for finding purpose in everything that I do, I've taken up the art of drag (being a drag queen, not a drag racer!) to have a platform to raise awareness of key issues (and to spread queer joy). Additionally, I've been involved as a mentor for a programme in the UK called No Turning Back 2020, which inspires people from BAME backgrounds to pursue careers in comms and marketing and to retain them to senior-level positions.”
Congratulations, Anthony, on the incredible work you have accomplished to date. We look forward to following along in your journey as you progress further into the PR industry.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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