Student House to Black-Tie Dinner: My First Week with Mearns & Pike

My professional career began at my kitchen table, just four days after hauling the contents of my student room back home through a train station. Freshly out of a university life tainted by numerous lockdowns, I knew I couldn’t wait to get stuck into something bigger and better – which is where Mearns & Pike comes in. Having enjoyed a lot of media and communications tasks throughout my degree, I knew this was an industry I was really interested in, but was keen to retain my scientific background. In the process of browsing through job sites (excellent exam procrastination, if I do say so myself) they instantly stood out from other agencies, and it was obvious how passionate they were about their projects and clients. As their newest addition as a Graduate Account Executive, I was looking forward to getting underway.

Despite this, as my start date neared ever closer, I found myself, as I’m sure is the case with many new graduates, increasingly daunted by the prospect of working life. I was simultaneously so ready to get going, yet apprehensive about what to expect. The fact that it was remote work was also initially a very strange feeling (a sense of me and my laptop against the world!) and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure how I could ever get the hang of things while not in a traditional office environment. I need not have worried; I was instantly made to feel so welcome, and my new team were happy to involve me in anything they had going on. Hearing all about the projects that were in progress reminded me why I was so drawn to Mearns & Pike in the first place. What particularly inspired me is that many seemed to have the individual consumer in mind, striving to improve their experiences with the healthcare industry however this presented itself to them. There was also a great deal more consideration for the social implications that the methods of healthcare communication can have than I had ever considered before. This felt like a very refreshing perspective, especially given the impersonal exterior that I have felt can be commonplace in many scientific industries.

An unexpected highlight to my first week with Mearns & Pike, I finish writing this on my journey home from the Communiqué awards – a prestigious event celebrating the greatest achievements within healthcare communications. Despite a last-minute invitation on just day four of my new position, I dug a dress out of my wardrobe and made my way to London for what turned out to be a fantastic evening, with Mearns & Pike winning one of their nominated categories and receiving a high commendation in the other. Their deserved win was for the incredible work they had undertaken in collaboration with fertility clinic IVI, aiming to boost their recognisability in the medical media landscape as well as targeting the way that fertility struggles are talked about through their ‘Language of Fertility’ campaign. On top of such a successful night for the company, it was an incredibly surreal induction to the industry. Finally getting to meet members of the team face to face, as well as getting to know some of our clients, really allowed a more comprehensive understanding of what I can expect to be involved in in the future. I couldn’t be more excited for what this may bring and am so grateful to have had this experience so early on in my career at Mearns & Pike. I hope that I too am one day able to make such a contribution to the world of healthcare communications.