Paul Wilkinson has over 30 years experience in PR and marketing communications. His expertise includes:
- PR and marketing strategy, including social media integration
- media relations (news releases, feature writing, crisis management)
- event management (from traditional seminars and conferences to ‘hybrid’ events)
- research, copywriting, editing and production of publications (annual reports, brochures, case studies, data-sheets, award entries, etc)
- internal and client communications (newsletters, intranets, events, e-newsletters)
- website development
- Wikipedia engagement
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, a past elected Council and Board member, and chair of its policy and campaigns committee. After chairing the CIPR’s construction and property special interest group (CAPSIG), he is now CAPSIG secretary. He is also a member of International Building Press, and of Constructing Excellence (where he is a Collaborative Working Champion and a member of its digital group). A co-founder of the Be2camp social media advocacy movement in construction, he organised the world’s first social media awards for the built environment, the Be2Awards, in 2011.
A track record of PR and marcoms achievements
While completing a doctorate in criminology at the London School of Economics, Paul Wilkinson ended up in the construction industry almost by accident. He started via a temporary post in the marketing department of the Halcrow Group in 1987. During seven years here, he helped launch the house magazine Halcrow Now, ran PR and internal communications programmes and produced numerous annual reports and brochures.
In 1994, he was recruited to head PR for the professional services division of Tarmac (later Carillion). He oversaw PR, publications and internal communications across more than a dozen businesses during a period of major corporate changes.
Leaving Carillion in 1998, Paul established his own consultancy business. His clients included HBG Construction, the Building Centre Trust, Greenwich Enterprise Board, pcm, the CAM Foundation, the Construction Best Practice Programme, and from early 2000, BIW Technologies.
By mid-2000, Paul had been recruited by BIW. As part of the core management team, he helped propel the software developer to the forefront of the UK’s expanding construction collaboration technology market. The company won the 2006 Building Entrepreneur of the Year award along the way.
After leaving BIW in early 2009, Paul re-established his consultancy business, undertaking projects for BIW and winning new construction technology clients.
Paul was announced Best Social Media Individual in the Sustainability Now social media awards in 2010. Two months later, in February 2011, Paul won the award for Best AEC use of Twitter in the inaugural Be2Awards.
He has also been a judge in industry awards including the CIPR Excellence Awards, IBP PR and communication awards and the Bentley BE Inspired Awards.
At the CIPR, Paul has drafted guidance for members on areas including Wikipedia engagement and use of open data. He also helped develop the CIPR’s community of independent practitioners.
PR and marketing clients
Adaptris ECX, Advicon, AEngD, Asite, Axon Data, BIW (later Conject, now Aconex), Codebook International, COINS, Constructive Collaboration, EviFile, FARO, GroupBC, Invennt, McLaren Software, Oakland Group, Opentree, Slider Studio, Sypro Management, tCn, Textura (acquired by Oracle), ThinkProject, Ultimate Cake Art, Viewpoint (formerly 4Projects, now part of Trimble), VRM (Refurbify) and Woobius (among others).
