‘Gems in Comms’…with Ronke Lawal

‘Gems in Comms’…with Ronke Lawal

‘Gems in Comms’ is a new podcast series launched by Hanson Search in association with 9to5workrebels, exploring working experiences of Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority talent in the UK PR and Communications industry.

This month for our next ‘ Gems in Comms’ podcast episode we speak to Ronke Lawal, founder of Ariatu PR, a PR and communications business she started in 2004, specialising in PR and communications for clients in a range of B2C industries; including lifestyle, consumer goods & the creative enterprise sector.

In January 2010, Ronke became the Chief Executive of the Islington Chamber of Commerce where she remained until the end of 2012. She joined the board of Trustees of Voluntary Action Islington in 2012 and was on The Employers Panel for the National Employment Savings Trust from 2011-18.  In 2018 she became a director on the board of directors at the Charted Institute of Public Relations. She has been a mentor for The Cherie Blair Foundation, The “Success Looks Like You” Initiative and The BME PR Pros initiative as well as a mentor to entrepreneurs and creatives in a range of sectors.

In 2010 Ronke was named as one of the Top 400 women of the year in the UK for her work with the Islington Chamber of Commerce. In 2011 Ronke was honoured to receive a Precious Award for Inspirational Leadership. In 2019 Ronke received an alumni award from Lancaster University for making a substantial contribution to her field of work and developed an outstanding reputation among her peers.  In 2020 Ronke won the award for PR & Comms Influencer of the Year at the Vuelio online influence awards. 

In 2021 Ronke became a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce).  In 2022 she was appointed as an honorary professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at The Lancaster University Management School. 

She is a passionate advocate for enterprise, equality and equity through diverse and inclusive leadership. She consultants clients on PR strategy and facilitates training in personal branding, PR strategy and media training.  She is regularly invited onto a variety of media platforms to share her insights on pop culture, current affairs, business and more.

Tune in for the podcast here: