Industry: Public Relations
Roleshare: Senior Leadership
"Our roleshare has set the tone for the culture of our organisation. We’re proud to be a family-first business. Our team can blend their work and family life to ensure that like us they are able to be active parents and have rewarding roles."
- George (Gerogina) Blizzard and Nicky Regazzoni, Co-Founders, The PR Network.
George (Georgina) Blizzard and Nicky Regazzoni, Co-Founders, The PR Network, recently celebrated their 15-year role sharing partnership. The PR Network connects freelance PR consultants with clients looking for external PR support.
What has sharing a role helped enabled in your personal life and at work?
George - By having someone else to share the role, it has allowed me to be able to flex and be there for all my children’s key milestones (I have 3 girls 6, 13, 15) and attend the assemblies, the plays and sports days that go hand-in-hand with parenting – without compromising on having a fulfilling career. Having someone to share the responsibility of running a business has been invaluable – sharing the emotional load and making tricky decisions or facing difficult situations together has made working through a recession and a pandemic much easier!
Nicky - It’s brilliant to know that when I’m focusing on my home life (two kids, three stepkids) there is someone else driving forward important work projects. I’m not having to always choose between the two and feel like I’m compromising. From a business perspective, it’s great because we bring two different perspectives and skills to the table - and also more energy than if it was one person juggling a big job with bringing up a family.
What has it brought to your greater team, manager, organization, stakeholders?
Our roleshare has set the tone for the culture of our organisation. Together the PRN team has 16 children, and we’re proud to be a family-first business. Our team can blend their work and family life to ensure that like us they are able to be active parents and have rewarding roles. We have a great team ethos and all flex to support each other.
What has it done for your performance at work and how does it compare to previous roles you’ve had?
When you work in a way that suits you and your family you are even more motivated and committed to make it work. All of our team feel passionately about the culture we’ve built at The PR Network and we are keen to demonstrate to others in our industry that the way we work adds value to the organisation, the clients – and the bottom line!
How did you secure and set up your job share?
We met on a hen do many years ago and just clicked! We both worked in PR and both had similar experiences and careers. Over the next year or so we brainstormed a new idea for a new type of PR business and when George went on her first maternity leave the time was right to set up The PR Network. With both of us on the path of having families, setting up as a job-share from the beginning was a no brainer!
What do you do to make your roleshare successful?
We have very similar personal values and share a strong work ethic. This is essential as while everyone has the odd off day, it means we are both equally committed to delivering excellent work and we never let the other one down. Trust is also key - we have each other’s backs and this has enabled us to shoulder ups and downs in our personal lives without worrying about work. We speak most days and we copy each other on all emails which means one can pick up where the other left off without needing a time consuming handover each week.
How do you handle your personal growth?
We’ve invested a lot in coaches and NEDs over the years in order to keep learning and developing. We are big believers in getting help from experts in the areas we are not expert in! When we set up The PR Network 15 years ago we had lots of PR experience but no experience running a business, so we’ve had to learn that on the job.
"George and Nicky demonstrate just how successful a job share can actually be in allowing them both to have a successful career without having to compromise their family lives. That really sets the tone for the rest of our team who are able to deliver their best work, but in a flexible way whenever and from wherever they like. On a personal level, their partnership is hugely inspiring in just how you can be a committed business leader but also be present for your children. Plus the business benefits from two people’s experiences and perspectives, instead of just one, which is win/win for all of us.-Eileen Boydell, Client Services Director at The PR Network
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