Interview with Dara Busch from United States

I manage the overall growth, direction, and day-to-day business of the agency alongside my Co-CEO, in addition to overseeing our Human Resources and Marketing teams. I also oversee the Consumer Practice, leading teams building award-winning campaigns, developing successful strategic media and influencer relations programs, and executing large-scale events across a variety of consumer industries including Travel & Entertainment, Apparel & Accessories, Non-Profits, Home & Housewares, Health & Wellness, Parent, Child & Baby, Beauty & Grooming, and Consumer Packaged Goods.

5WPR, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the U.S, is a full-service agency that partners with both established and emerging brands – corporations, global interests, national organizations, consumer companies, start-ups and unicorn technology companies, high-profile individuals, regional businesses, and others – to help them define and achieve their strategic PR goals.

Founded in 2003, 5WPR is celebrating 20 years in business! Our team of 300 passionate and creative public relations and digital experts work across the consumer, tech, and B2B industries from our offices in New York City and Florida.

As a full-service marketing & PR firm, 5W specializes in several practice areas, including B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Technology, Travel & Hospitality); B2B (Corporate & Internal Communications); Digital Media (Content Creation, SEO & Graphic Design), Public Affairs; Government Relations; and Crisis Communications. Across all our practice areas, we also offer a range of services, including Reputation Management, Influencer Marketing, and Paid Social Support, to name a few.

It’s an honor to be named the category winner for Female Executive of the Year - PR & Communication, especially in my first year as CEO. In my position, I always hope to lead by example to empower women both within my agency and the PR industry to continue challenging themselves. This distinction reminds me that our hard work does not go unnoticed, and I owe an enormous part of my success to my team and the agency at large, for allowing me to guide them but also for the support they provide me.

It always feels incredible to receive recognition for the work we execute on behalf of our clients. Winning an international award is especially rewarding because while 5W is a US-based agency, we have international reach with the work we produce for our clients and even work with amazing international client partners. It feels fulfilling to be recognized at the same magnitude in which we work, and we hope we continue to grow our international impact.

It can be so difficult to represent over a year’s worth of work, challenges, and triumphs in a single entry. Reflecting on the last year in my position, I know that even the smallest decisions played a large role in getting the agency to the place of success we have today. As a CEO and leader, I’m so proud of the work we do as an agency, and it spans so many industries and categories that it’s hard not to share every detail!

My definition of a successful team is a group of people who genuinely enjoy being around each other. Of course, it’s important they can work well together but as co-workers, we spend more time together than we often do with our families during the week together. I believe a successful team is made up of individuals who want to get to know each other beyond their 9-to-5, not to say they have to spend time together outside of work but they want to know about and celebrate each other's personal wins as well as professional ones.

There have been many growth and learning opportunities over the last twenty years. The industry is nothing like it was when I first started — media has changed along with how we consume it. Our success comes from not fighting these changes, but rather embracing them and learning how to work them in our, and our clients', favor.

I think brands trying to break into the American market know how competitive it is – our clients rely on us as experts to help them compete in a crowded market. 5W works with many brands trying to break into the U.S. market for the first time, so understanding the nuances of our media and communications landscapes is important This has encouraged everyone to become more creative and push more boundaries than ever before, keeping the space competitive and advancing our work and the industry.

Our work culture was shattered in just days when offices closed in 2020. At 5W, we were kicking off an incredible year of growth, welcoming new employees, and executing incredible work for our clients. When we transitioned into working from home, for longer than anyone could have imagined, we had to figure out how to maintain this momentum, learning how to connect with and secure new business while also building back the morale and culture of our agency's workforce during a scary and confusing time.

In the early days of working from home, we kept very open channels of communication with our employees and clients and listened to feedback on what they felt they needed to help them adjust to the unprecedented changes.

Research and analytics play an important role within the PR industry, and as an agency, we’ve emphasized building out our in-house team this last year. Now, everything we do is flanked by data and it’s so exciting for me to see the success of our clients and be able to prove against this data that our work is making an impact within the industries we work.

Networking is always a great starting point to build confidence within your industry. Business connections can later become mentors as well and are resources for sharing experiences and receiving advice. Joining leadership organizations for your industry, especially local chapters, are networking opportunities, but often can also provide educational resources and classes you can take to build your industry knowledge and success.

If you would have asked me this question five years ago, I never would have known how significantly the workforce would be changed. Who knows what the next five to ten years may bring when we certainly were not expecting these last three.

My mom is an incredible influence on who I am today and she has played a large part in my success. Growing up, my mom always worked and still found the time to raise and run a family. Through her, I learned the importance of finding the necessary balance between a flourishing career and my personal relationships and family time. I have always admired her and set out to emulate who she was in my own professional career. She is a reliable source of support and encouragement for me.

Run your own race. It is of little benefit to compare your journey against someone else’s or set arbitrary goals you feel you must meet before you can accomplish the next one. Focus on yourself and do not compare your success to that of another!