Sarah Waddington CBE

Wadds Inc. & Socially Mobile

Director & Co-Founder, U. K

Non-Executive Director, Activist, Communicator. I work with the management teams of creative agencies on their company direction to deliver sustainable growth and social impact.

Wadds Inc.
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
(3:57:51 PM) Sarah Waddington CBE is an experienced management consultant, chartered public relations practitioner and social mobility activist.

She works within the wider business marketplace and as a professional adviser to creative agencies and comms teams. Her Free To Thrive service helps busy agency owners (especially parents) deal with overwhelm. 

A thoughtful strategist, strong communicator and the nemesis of group think, Sarah’s input as a non-executive director (NED) enables organisations to focus on market exploitation and exploration to create long-term value for stakeholders. 

She is an IoD ambassador and has over 20 years' experience in helping organisations to articulate their purpose, create value and deliver social impact.

Wherever an organisation is in its lifecycle, Sarah works with management teams to define goals and guiding principles, ensure strong governance, optimise performance and build reputation and trust.

A pioneer of best practice, she was awarded the CIPR’s Sir Stephen Tallents Medal for exceptional achievement in public relations and is the winner of the PRCA’s Outstanding Contribution in Digital Award. Her CBE was awarded in June 2021 for services to public relations and voluntary sectors.

She is a strong advocate of accountable leadership and women in business and believes in helping young talent break through. 

Sarah is a Past President of the CIPR, a PRCA Fellow, a member of the Northern Power Women Power List, features on Provoke Media’s Innovator 25 EMEA 2021 list and is a regular speaker at industry events. 

She spearheaded and led the CIPR's gender policy work from 2014 onwards and is the founder and editor of #FuturePRoof, a series of books and community aimed at reasserting the role of public relations as a management function and making thought leadership and best practice accessible to all.

In 2021, Sarah co-founded Socially Mobile with her husband Stephen to improve social mobility within the PR industry. 

A Chartered Director, Sarah holds the IoD's Diploma in Company Direction and is a graduate of Oxford Saïd’s Executive Leadership and Cambridge Judge’s Steering Complex Projects programmes. She completed her Non-Executive Director training with NEDA at the London Stock Exchange and holds a certificate in Organisational Leadership from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

She is an experienced event speaker and podcaster.