This Spring Term, Polis will host a range of media practitioners on Wednesday lunchtimes to discuss their roles and experiences of the sector. Open to staff, students and the public.

‘Capitalisn’t:  How Capitalism’s toxic assumptions are poisoning the system, and what we can do about it’ with Eve Poole

Date: Wednesday 28 January
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: NAB 1.14

Journalists and public commentators are supposed to know everything, either to give them killer questions or an angle so that their piece gets taken up. Eve Poole’s forthcoming book is a sophisticated bluffer’s guide on that most intractable of the subjects you’re supposed to know about, Capitalism.

Eve teaches leadership and ethics for Ashridge Business School. Her doctorate was in Theology and Capitalism (Cambridge, 2010). . She joined Ashridge in 2002. She has written books on Ethical Leadership and The Church on Capitalism (both Palgrave, 2010), and her book on Capitalism’s Toxic Assumptions is due out in March (Bloomsbury).

evepoole.livejournal.com @evepoole  #Poliscapitalisnt

‘From Spin Doctors to Sporting Heroes: Promoting Olympic and Paralympic Sports’ with Josephine Perry

Date: Wednesday 4 February
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: NAB 1.14

Join Josephine Perry as she shares her insights on the challenges facing PR in sport and future directions of travel for the sector.

Since the National Lottery began in the UK, funding has been given to Olympic and Paralympic athletes to train professionally. This ensured that the number of medals won in recent Olympic and Paralympic games increased significantly. It also means there are now more PR professionals working in high performance sport and promoting the success of these athletes.

Josephine Perry has spent 17 years in the communications industry as a freelance broadcast and print journalist, public affairs manager and more recently external relations, marketing and communications director. She has also completed a part time PhD at the LSE which focused on the role of spin doctors in political journalism and their impact on traditional forth estate democracy.  #PolisSports

‘Stuffocation’ with James Wallman

Date: Wednesday 11 February
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: NAB 2.08

Based on the acclaimed book Stuffocation trend forecaster James Wallman will explain why we’ve had enough of stuff and need experience more than ever.

We have more stuff than we could ever need – clothes we don’t wear, kit we don’t use, and toys we don’t play with. But having everything we thought we wanted isn’t making us happier. It’s bad for the planet. It’s cluttering up our homes. It’s making us feel ‘stuffocated’ and stressed – and it might even be killing us. The solution, as Wallman will show, is “experientialism”. This does not mean giving up all our possessions, but it does mean getting over our obsession with them, and transforming what we value. We have to focus less on possessions and more on experiences.

James Wallman is an author, futurist, journalist, and keynote speaker.  He has given keynote talks from Beijing to Berlin; from a BBC script writer conference in Bristol to a luxury marketing conference in Paris; from the Royal Society of Arts to Google’s HQ in California. He has an MA in Journalism from the University of the Arts London and an MA in Classics from the University of Oxford. @jameswallman #PolisStuffocation

‘The Customer Journey: how people experience brands’ with Melissa Hopkins

Date: Wednesday 18 February
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: NAB 1.14

The understanding of customer needs and goals fearlessly balanced with business objectives and commercial ‘Return on Investment’ is a key theme that runs through Melissa’s career. Hear Melissa’s insights drawing on her extensive global experience across a wide range of sectors and high profile brands ranging from Absolut Vodka, Malibu, Fujitsu, Coca Cola, The British Army and Vodafone. In September 2014 Melissa left the corporate world and set up her own consultancy Brand Collective, where she now provides brand transformation and restarts for global businesses and start-ups.  #PolisBrands

‘Trust Me PR is Dead’ with Robert Phillips

Date: Wednesday 25 February
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: NAB 1.14

In his book Trust Me PR is Dead Robert Phillips- the former EMEA CEO of Edelman the world’s largest PR firm- calls for the end of the PR industry and advocates new models of Public Leadership and Public Value.

Robert is the co-founder of Jericho Chambers – a progressive strategy consultancy described by some as “a much-needed antidote to McKinsey and WPP” – and a Visiting Professor at Cass Business School, London. Robert is co-author of Citizen Renaissance (2008) and the author of Trust Me, PR Is Dead (Unbound, January 2015). He is a columnist for International Business Times.

@CitizenRobert #PolisPR