Andree Latibeaudiere

Associate Director, The Hoffman Agency UK

Andree’s career journey reads a bit like a game of “Two Truths and One Lie.” Many have found her education and experience to be unique for a B2B tech PR professional, having started in the working world as a veterinarian. ​ ​

She is currently an Associate Director and brings over 7 years of B2B tech experience, along with a significant amount of energy, creativity, and team leadership. She has led teams in several B2B sectors, including telecoms, regtech, professional services and cybersecurity, having collaborated with clients including Diligent, Workiva, Nokia, Vodafone, CyberArk and Trellix. ​In terms of what she enjoys and excels at in her role, she is a dedicated line manager and mentor, helping to develop and support young PR pros.

In her spare time, Andree writes a SubStack discussing lessons learned from her career in PR and offers advice on managing common challenges. She also is an avid reader and enjoys dancing, pilates and yoga. ​

Describe yourself/your background in 5 words max?
A true Leo from Jamaica

How did you get into PR/communications?
Completely by accident! I had been disillusioned with my job as a vet and a friend asked me to help produce a sustainable fashion event. This involved writing a press release – I had no idea what that was at the time and Google became my best friend – which later got coverage in the local paper. My friend suggested that I should look into PR, so I applied to an entry level role that I spotted on Twitter and got the job.

What do you love about your job?
PR can be stressful, challenging and frustrating and without the right people around you, it can be really lonely. Fortunately, I have a strong team which supports each other, dives in to pick up tasks if someone is struggling and celebrates people when they do great work. The team around you can make or break your agency experience and I’m lucky to work with extremely talented people.

What are you most proud of?
Genuinely, I’m proud that I could make my second career a success. When I was on the brink of leaving the veterinary profession, I was met with a lot of negativity and pessimism – mostly coming from myself. I was so afraid that I would fail again and end up bouncing from job to job, like I did as a vet. However, I’ve worked very hard to progress over the years despite doubts from my family and even managed to buy a house five years ago. I am very proud of how my life has unfolded so far.

What’s been the hardest lesson to learn?
That you won’t fit in or be liked by everyone. As a people pleaser (trying to change!), it was a bit of a blow when I struggled to find agencies where I fit in during my early career days. Whether it was the lack of invitations to the pub or to pop out to get lunch or being the last to know company news and the general feeling that something was ‘off’, it was really difficult to process at the time. However, I later realised that it was the environment and not me and when I found somewhere that I fit, it all changed.

Who are your favourite people in PR and why?
Kamiqua Lake from Coldr PR is one of my favourite PR people. Following the 2020 BLM protests, Kamiqua spotted an opportunity to create a community for Black communications professionals to connect, support each other and learn together. The Black Comms Network has been an incredible part of my journey in communications and I have learned many lessons from connecting with other members.

What skill do you think every PR/comms person has to nail?
Communicating simply and clearly. Much easier said than done!

What is your favourite social network and why?
I adore TikTok for the variety and discoverability. You can scroll through your ‘For You’ page and be learning how to get your life together in one post and be laughing uncontrollably the next. It is deeply entertaining and I’ve received some of the greatest life advice from creators.

What’s your favourite podcast and why?
‘Aspire with Emma Grede’ has been a must-listen since it launched. Emma is very vivacious, energetic, extremely accomplished and has a great network of contacts which means that she has access to some of the most famous and senior business leaders. The podcast is informative and entertaining and I always get something out of it.

Who is your favourite journalist and why?
Martin Kimber (now at CityAM) is brilliant on both LinkedIn and TikTok and isn’t shy about sharing his key tips for landing broadcast coverage. Unlike other journalists, he is constructive in his criticism of PR and offers so much free advice to help young (and old!) PR pros.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
The best advice I’ve received came from my best friend who also works in PR: work isn’t personal. It’s a very simple, yet important reminder especially as I have a tendency to let work consume me and be tied to my core identity. By keeping advice in mind, I can be detached and find lessons even in direct criticism.

Biggest PR campaign fail and yay of 2025 so far?
Some of my favourite campaigns have been in response to viral moments on social media. A recent favourite is the ‘Anthropologie Rock’ which started off as a content creator playing a prank on her partner by pretending that she bought a branded rock costing $150 from Anthropologie. The brand quickly jumped on the trend, creating in-store displays showing the range of rocks available to buy. They shared this content on their social media, creating their own viral posts.

My least favourite campaign won’t be a surprise: American Eagle’s ‘Great Jeans’ campaign. Whether the brand was being intentionally or unintentionally provocative can be argued, but it was a great example of not reading the room and understanding the depth and intensity of the racial division happening in the US. Although it was insensitive and offensive, it did spark much-needed conversations and other brands such as Gap released ads championing diversity.

Finally, on the D’ word… What can the sector do to encourage diversity?
I think the sector has had enough time to become comfortable with diversity and it’s time to bake this into processes without having to call it out. Adopting a ‘diverse by default’ approach will ensure that change moves away from being performative to becoming embedded in how we service our clients, recruit and develop talent.

Connect with Andree on LinkedIn