UniSQ alumnus Katie Clift redefining PR from Portugal

From overcoming a life-changing cancer diagnosis to founding a trailblazing international PR agency in Portugal, UniSQ alumnus Katie Clift has consistently turned challenges into opportunities.

Named one of PRovoke Media's Top 25 Public Relations and Communications Innovators in 2024 for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Katie is redefining the field of public relations through her agency, may:be.

In this Q&A, Katie reflects on the experiences that shaped her vision for may:be, the challenges she’s determined to overcome in the PR landscape, and how her time at UniSQ laid the foundation for her inspiring career. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and leadership.

Your journey from battling breast cancer to founding may:be is inspiring. How did your personal experience shape your vision for the agency?

Very profoundly. An experience like cancer obviously has the potential to change the way you approach your entire life. For me, one of the biggest catalysts that came from the experience was to start may:be agency.

I was in my 30s when I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and went through 18 months of active treatment. This changed my perspective on life and career, and when I returned to work, I wanted to fulfil a personal dream of starting and managing a successful international PR agency. I was more determined than ever before in my career to truly make an impact on this industry that I have worked in and been so passionate about for almost two decades.

I wanted to do something with the rest of my career that truly made a difference, by introducing a counter-cultural agency that was focused on upskilling communications for organisations globally.

After 15 years in communications, what led you to focus specifically on nonprofits?

I began my career working in nonprofits – first as a broadcast host at a community radio station in Brisbane, then in public relations and communications management for a variety of nonprofits throughout Australia, before relocating overseas and expanding my experience to international organisations, including the World Economic Forum.

Nonprofits and the third sector have a very special place in my heart and my experience improving communications strategically for this industry has spanned 15+ years. I believe in the benefit, vision and cause of nonprofits – and that a compelling voice for these organisations through strategic PR is essential to them achieving their missions and visions.

My experience throughout my career, time and again, is that the nonprofit PR industry has not received the equal time, attention, budget and resources that the private sector has. To me, this is a substantial gap and missed opportunity that needs rectifying. I discovered during my MBA, when consulting the academic research, that what constitutes effective PR in nonprofits has not ever really been researched or established, despite the operation of the function within organisations for years. So much research, and a lot of budget, is focused mainly on PR in the private sector.

It has been my passion to upskill nonprofits in PR and communications with tailored strategies designed specifically for the sector to see these organisations – with such crucial campaigns, messages and visions – effectively achieve their missions. Now, I have the immense privilege of working with leading nonprofits all over the world, including Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, St John Ambulance, International Organization for Standardization, Diabetes Australia, and University College of London (to name a few!) to make this a reality.

What gap in the PR industry did you aim to fill with may:be, and how does the agency challenge traditional approaches?

At its core, may:be is counter-cultural PR. 'Maybe' is actually two words: a contraction of “what may be”. It’s bold, definitive and results driven. And so are we. We push the boundaries of true possibility in PR, moving the needle from an outdated industry narrative of “maybe it’s possible, maybe we can do it…” to “let’s see what may:be.”

'Maybe' is also a play on words, referring to the outdated PR industry approach I see still in effect globally. There’s a narrative that PR is somehow intangible – it cannot be easily measured, results cannot be predicted, and progress is not easily understood. There’s still a tendency for agencies to take large retainers without committing to hard work and true results for clients, being very non-committal in many cases, and sadly producing a low ROI for clients. This is exactly what we counter by providing results-driven innovation on strategy, execution, and content.

Some of our wins so far include publishing the first thesis in the world defining key success factors for non-profit PR globally, founding the corporate affairs approach at the World Economic Forum, advising the world's leading organisations year-round and at global events, including Davos and COP, and doubling one nonprofit client's media coverage across Australia, to more than 8,000 clips a year, in just 12 months.

How does your MBA research inform the strategies you develop at may:be?

Graduating as an MBA scholar with distinction was a highlight of my life and one of my greatest achievements to date. I loved the experience and find the practical learnings I gleaned holistically across business, but also the in-depth research I was able to undertake through my dissertation, greatly shape the way I founded and am building may:be, and it also informs the strategies we employ for clients.

I am a big believer in research and data underpinning industry approach. Through my MBA, I produced the first thesis in the world defining key success factors for non-profit PR globally – and I believe a lot of innovation has already come to the sector through this research. It is this framework and approach that we use in our strategies for every one of our clients.

My MBA also produced in me a new resilience. This quality, along with a personal value of not giving up, has seen me achieve innovation across the industry and in my life in ways I never thought possible, from completing the MBA with distinction, to starting my own international PR agency, to living in four different countries, and making it through cancer treatment.

What outdated norms in the PR industry are you most passionate about challenging or changing?

The field of public relations – both in the private and public sectors has remained misunderstood, under-applied, and under-researched for decades. A confused and outdated approach has almost reinforced a ‘smoke & mirrors’ spin for the function of PR itself.

I argue, and am trying to challenge the industry through my work, to create a global standard for PR – for the sake of the future of the industry. The life cycles of businesses, industries, and management functions fluctuate, develop, and transform with time. The same needs to be said of PR. If the approach we started with has not improved or progressed over decades, we risk undermining the value of our industry, becoming outdated and losing effectiveness as a strategic function.

To create a counter-cultural approach to the way PR has been managed, perceived, and practiced over the past decades, I believe specific next steps are needed:

1. More research: The available literature confirms that success factors that set a clear standard for effective PR (across both private and nonprofit sectors) have not been researched or defined.
2. More commentary: More conversations need to be had regarding improvements we can collectively make to the function of PR.
3. More boldness: The industry needs bold, relentless leaders who are unafraid to challenge PR norms in their geographies in order to pave new definitions, benchmarks, and outcomes for the industry.

As a UniSQ alumnus living and working in Europe, what motivated you to build your career internationally?

I love the perspective that has come from building my career internationally. It has been so rewarding to take my learnings all the way from the start of my career in Australia to the global stage – hosting press conferences in Davos, speaking on international panels, advising clients with PR and communications needs internationally – and seeing my hard work gaining true global success for clients all over the world – there is truly nothing like it. The sky is the limit when you are able to work internationally with a range of clients and on a variety of campaigns.

I absolutely love to travel, love new experiences, love the adventure of taking on new challenges in both work and personal life and experiencing new cultures.

Can you tell us about your time at UniSQ and how it may have played a part in getting you to where you are today?

I did my Bachelor of Mass Communications at UniSQ, studying part-time online while working full-time in one of my first jobs in radio, hosting a drive-time show in Brisbane called ‘Drive with Katie’. My Bachelor was my first degree and UniSQ was an exceptional university experience – the degree online offered me the ability to study flexibly in my own time. Along with the invaluable journalism and communications skills I learned, the degree taught me so much about perseverance, how to self-manage and apply myself with a lot of hard work to achieve a goal.

The degree really upskilled me in public relations and communications strategy, which ultimately allowed me to transition my career into higher positions, including my last role in Australia as an Executive Manager of Media and spokesperson for one of the country’s largest nonprofits. I would not be where I am today without my UniSQ degree and the foundation that it gave me.

What does the recognition of being named a Top 25 Public Relations and Communications Innovator in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for 2024 mean to you?

This is an amazing recognition, particularly as may:be agency is only in its first year of business. Being named one of the Top 25 innovators in PR for our work through may:be in such a short time is testament to the fact that we’re achieving what we set out to do: provide the industry with a counter-cultural approach to PR, make accessible the leading strategies used by the private and public sector for a wide range of clients, and upskill communications for organisations globally.

I am proud of the nonprofit PR research we have led, which provides a strong foundation for further research analysis and development in 2025 and beyond – giving way to data and proven frameworks that can continue to drive the entire PR industry forward more efficiently for all types of organisations.

What’s next for you and may:be?

We are a small agency and growing rapidly. I am looking forward to working with a variety of clients globally on a range of different and innovative international PR campaigns in 2025.

One of our goals in 2025 is also to launch our own may:be video and podcast to engage a new audience in PR, upskill PR professionals, and help organisations and people across all types of jobs and industries internationally to improve their communications skills.

There is plenty more research, innovation and counter-cultural PR to come! Watch this space.

Find out more about studying Humanities and Communication at UniSQ.