by Jane Edwards, Chairman and Chief Executive of BBS Communications Group
I love going to work at BBS every day. The vitality and camaraderie of our staff and the daily challenge of achieving results for our clients never fails to give me a lift. They say, ‘do what you love and you will never work a day in your life’. Well, that summarises my feelings about working at BBS, the communications consultancy I established in Brisbane a quarter of a century ago.While the BBS Communications Group had its genesis in World Expo 88, over the past 25 years, our client base has been a reflection of a vibrant post-Expo Brisbane. Our clients are the city’s construction firms, engineers, architects and town planners who have put in place new hospitals, court buildings, art galleries and public spaces which enhance our lifestyle in modern Brisbane.
Our work, which comes usually through our existing clients and ‘word of mouth’ referrals, now takes us regularly throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to PNG. We have added health, tertiary education and professional services firms to the industry groups we advise today.
Our worldwide staff alumni and our professional and political network of ‘shakers and movers’ have taken us around the world with them as their own careers and businesses have grown.
Many of our clients have gone on to win work and dazzle the world with their expertise on highly significant public projects. I am so proud that these firms are still coming to us for advice and referring us on to their own clients.
The staff we employ always have the BBS X factor. Some of that is intelligence, humour, a capacity for nimble thinking and an appetite for hard work. But more than that, the BBS X factor is vitality and enthusiasm which shines through to our clients no matter what the task.
Over twenty five years the firm has handpicked and coached many bright young stars. To my great satisfaction a good number of them still choose to work at BBS today. Others have developed stellar careers in communications from Buckingham Palace to the United Nations and on to the staff of world leaders in business, while remaining in touch with our firm.
With our mix of dynamic clients and our lively professional staff, it is hard to imagine a richer or more satisfying place to work each day than BBS Communications.
We have survived recessions and shifting sands as industries rise and fall by always being a step ahead of the market and setting the pace for our industry with the most up to date research and by embracing the newest communications trends.
We are just the right size for our clients, large enough to offer experience and resources but small enough to ensure there is a strong personal rapport between our consultants and the firms they look after.
After twenty five years, I know that we have the balance just right. Of course, the future is always full of challenges but the BBS team is approaching it with their usual irreverent good humour and enthusiasm for the tasks ahead.
We are proudly ‘Made in Brisbane’ but the world, as they say, is our oyster. And most importantly, we have created this flourishing business from scratch, creating a fine legacy for a new profession and a solid framework for the coming twenty five years.
