Kristel Tracey

Strategic Engagement Lead, Transport for London

Kristel is a creative communications and engagement specialist with over 15 years’ experience across internal and external communications, stakeholder and community engagement. She is currently a Strategic Engagement Lead for Transport for London and has been with the organisation since 2021. Kristel’s team manages the organisation’s relationships with a wide range of pan-London and national organisations across a number of areas of strategic importance for TfL – from EDI to business groups, active travel to freight. She was also TfL’s 2024 Writer in Residence. Before joining TfL, Kristel primarily worked in comms and engagement specialist roles in the third sector in both the UK and East Africa. Outside of work she is passionate about writing, social justice, seeking out joy wherever it can be found and parenting her rambunctious five-year-old daughter.

Describe yourself/your background in 5 words max?
Textbook eldest daughter, closet anarchist

How did you get into PR/communications?
I stumbled into it really. It wasn’t a career path I was aware of growing up, but I fell into public affairs after doing an undergrad in International Politics. I’ve always loved writing, am a natural communicator and have a keen interest in the world around me, so comms and public affairs ended up being a natural fit. I had initially aspired to a career in international development and did end up working in the sector a bit in my 20s, but become disillusioned and veered back to comms and engagement.

What do you love about your job?
My current role is in Engagement; I genuinely love the opportunity to influence change with folks, rather than just communicating at them. My job involves engaging with a wide range of organisations; not only to maintain good relationships and mitigate reputational risk, but also to make sure TfL is hearing the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders – whether that’s disability organisations, business groups, active travel groups and many others. It helps TfL to make better decisions that truly serve the city I love, and it feels good to play a small part in that.

I also have the privilege of working with a top tier bunch of people in the Stakeholder Advocacy and Engagement team, whose talent, passion and compassion inspires me daily.

What are you most proud of?
My character. That might sound like a cop out, but I’m really proud of the person I’ve become and who I’m becoming. I love the constant growth and iterations to the earlier BETA versions. I can honestly say that I like myself the more I get to know myself – perhaps that comes with age, making mistakes and learning from them, and starting to realise that maybe I’m capable of the things other people have seen in me. I am surrounded by people I love and who love me – there’s nothing better than that.

What’s been the hardest lesson to learn?
I pondered whether to give you my honest answer, or a BS one. I’ll go with the sincere one – the hardest lesson I’ve learnt in recent years is that the rules based international order is a bit of a farce. As someone who has always maintained a keen interest in global affairs and finds injustice and double-standards intolerable, it’s been a tough but clarifying realisation. I’ll leave it there!

Who are your favourite people in PR and why? 
I must admit, I’m not particularly up-to-speed with industry movers and groovers, which is why I’m already finding it so invaluable being a part of The Xec and having the opportunity to meet such interesting and inspiring people outside of my in-house bubble. I find Xec alumni Whitney Simon super inspiring. Formerly at Missive as leader and founder of their DE&I consulting arm, she recently branched out to launch her own business called Anchor + Flow; it speaks volumes about her talent that Missive have also invested in her new business. I am excited by folks who are motivated by their convictions, create their own opportunities and are willing to take chances, and that’s definitely Whitney.

What skill do you think every PR/comms person has to nail?
Reading the room. I mean that both literally and figuratively, but a key skill in our industry is having a very keen sense of the general mood, feelings, and unspoken dynamics at play in any given environment. That could be in a literal room of people, or the zeitgeist of the times.

What is your favourite social network and why?
Instagram – I love watching TikTok reels 2 weeks late.

In all seriousness, the balance of doom scrolling, useful information and whimsical nonsense on Instagram works for me. Facebook feels like a parallel and very weird universe, LinkedIn can be an excruciating hellscape at times (‘Here are 5 things my divorce taught me about demergers’) and I’m convinced I’m too old for TikTok (although admittedly, my 67-year-old dad is on there). As a comms professional I can of course see that there’s a time, a place and a target audience for each of them though!

What’s your favourite podcast and why?
I’m a big fan of history podcasts. One podcast series I don’t think got the flowers it deserved at the time (but definitely worth mentioning in the current climate) is the Departures podcast. It was produced by the Migration Museum and explores 400 years of migration from the UK – it’s fascinating, well produced and really puts the current migration debate into perspective.

Who is your favourite journalist and why?
There’s a number of journalists I admire for different reasons and seasons, but Nesrine Malik at the Guardian is one that really stands out currently for her journalistic integrity and fearlessness. Whenever I read her work, it provides much-needed reassurance that I’m not going mad.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
You can’t be responsible for how others perceive you, so strive to impress yourself first and foremost.

The advice resonated with me because for much of my earlier career, I’d feel quite self-conscious about often being one of the only people from a non-white background in the room, or one of the few folks from a working-class background. I remember leaving one particular meeting which consisted of solely white, middle-class men and feeling really disheartened. I’d tried to present myself in a way that I thought would be ‘palatable’ (even straightened my hair for the occasion!) but still felt as though my contributions had been brushed aside. I distinctly remember saying to myself “F that” on the train home. People will always have their preconceived notions and biases, but feeling comfortable and authentic in the way I present myself to the world is a non-negotiable.

Biggest PR campaign fail and yay of 2025 so far?
I love a bit of absurdity and a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so the ‘RIP Duo’ nonsense was right up my street. The statement, subsequent social media frenzy and scores of users logging back into the app to try to bring Duo back to life was a very clever way of boosting engagement: “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as the Duolingo Owl, is dead… Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully. [To be honest], he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.” Genius.

Absurd for all the wrong reasons – The Drum shortlisting a campaign with the tagline “Make a Muslim eat pork” as a finalist for its Chip Shop Awards, which it’s had to withdraw due to the backlash and a PR pain for the brands unwittingly implicated. If there was a “Who thought this was a good idea?” award, this would surely win. Also a reminder of why diverse judging panels are so important.

Finally, on the D’ word… What can the sector do to encourage diversity? I think a big D we need to get to grips with is disability. Approximately one in four people in the UK have a disability but it’s still generally treated as an afterthought, rather than a non-negotiable. We need to look at our teams to understand how we can remove barriers and make our cultures and workplaces more representative of the audiences we are trying to reach. As a sector that is all about communication, we have a particularly important role to play in highlighting the perspectives of people with disabilities, encouraging more conversation on this and at the bare minimum, making sure the work we produce is truly accessible and doesn’t create unintended barriers.

Connect with Kristel on LinkedIn