Wise Words: Kate Gresswell
The PR director Kate Gresswell has an extraordinary opening line about her background. She explains her parents met in a psychiatric unit and then explains with a laugh that they were both nurses there.
She was born and raised in East Markham, near Worksop, in the ‘80s when her father began working at Rampton High Secure Hospital.
Kate said: “There was always an emphasis on learning in my home and I loved reading the classics. In fact, I was named after the What Katy Did character.
My mother was a punk and went on anti-racism marches. She is a strong character and instilled in me a deep sense of being able to achieve anything I wanted. There was also the expectation I needed to work hard so I got really stuck in to my school work.
“An English teacher, Mr Baker suggested I try for Oxbridge. No-one at my school had ever gone there but he was brilliant and researched the whole process for me. The school was in a very deprived area surrounded by former mining communities so the thought of going to such elite universities was a real leap.”
Kate decided to apply for Oxford as like most teenagers going away, she wanted to be the furthest away from home. Mr Baker helped her research the entrance exam and interview and off she went but the experience was more daunting that she had envisaged.
“Every single person at the interview knew each other from their private schools and I was the only candidate from outside London. When I got my place, to study history, (which again proves how big-hearted Mr Baker was as he taught English), it was life-changing.
“The first term was terrifying as there was so much jargon I didn’t understand and protocols. There were gowns but they weren’t called gowns, they were called sub-fusc, which just added to my feelings of unease. But gradually I grew in confidence and the training I received in how to present an argument was fantastic.”
After graduating Kate moved to London and worked for the Independent newspaper in the sales team as she wanted to learn how the whole organisation worked. Then she moved on to a PR agency also based in the capital, where she specialised in B2B PR. Her clients included Newcastle University Business School and she got to know the North East.
After visiting Alnwick and having lovely memories of the Northumberland coast she decided to try and work in the region.
She said: “I found London was becoming more and more unaffordable and I really enjoyed the sense of community in the North East, the beaches, countryside and the cities. In all my time I have never felt like an outsider. There were also so many exciting projects.”
She lives with her husband Arlen, son Kit and baby Birdie in Whitley Bay and is an account director with McBryde & Co where she also sits on the senior leadership team.
Her wise words for other women, looking to develop their careers is to live by the region’s famous phrase, ‘shy bairns get nowt!.’ She encourages women to make sure they have financial and career independence.
Kate’s advice is to not be shy about asking for help from your partner. Her husband, Arlen is a strong feminist and they share childcare and domestic tasks equally. She believes women are sometimes held back as they take on most of the emotional labour compared to men.
She said: “I’m very career-orientated and ambitious. But I am also very ambitious to be a role model to other women. I urge them to have confidence and not to let anxiety hold back potential. It is a very helpful to ask for opportunities if you know a profession that appeals to you, say like accountancy. Ask a local firm if you can have a coffee and learn more about it.”
Kate’s current reading reflects her long-standing love of history. She is half-way through C J Sansom’s book Dissolution. One of her favourite novels is Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt which she describes as very frightening. It unpacks female friendship through supernatural and real-world horror.
She also enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, about a lesbian couple one of whom works on a submarine mission and the impact it has on their relationship.
The Stand-Up Mam includes funny family stories, these are Kate’s examples.
We used to often go to the Isle of Wight for holidays when I was young and quite recently I asked my dad why. It turns out by this time he was a forensic psychologist; his patient was Denis Neilson who was in prison there.
I also have a great, great grandmother who killed two husbands by poisoning them. And I’m pleased to say she was caught for murdering the second one and brought to justice!