Les Able, dubbed ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ 12 years ago when he gave up life as a journalist and moved into public relations, is launching his own Douglas-based agency under the banner of Able PR.

“Initially, I was looking at other names for the agency but was persuaded by friends and colleagues that it made sense to use my own,” said Les, who moved to the island five years ago when he became director of PR and media relations at marketing and design agency Home Strategic.

“Moving to the island and joining Home Strategic was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made but I’ve been looking to set up my own agency for a while now and the timing just seemed to be right.  My departure from Home Strategic is 100 per cent amicable and I will continue to have close links with the team there.”

Les, whose career in journalism started on weekly newspapers, went on to include working as a reporter on the parliamentary team of The Times before joining the Daily Telegraph where he spent eight years in various reporting roles, both in England and Scotland.  He left the Telegraph to take up the specialist role of London/City Editor for the Western Mail, the morning newspaper for Wales, a position which brought him into close contact with leading politicians and industrialists.
 
“Out of the blue, I was asked by the head of a London PR agency if I had ever thought of going into PR, the occasion is etched on my memory as it was at a lunch in the House of Lords, and three months later I was no longer a journalist but working in PR.   My introduction was something of a baptism of fire as the first client I was faced with was Westminster City Council which at that time had something of a tarnished image.”

Past accounts have also included a wide range of companies, including the Leeds offices of business advisers Deloitte and international law firm DLA Piper, accountants PKF, insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor along with SMEs and owner managed businesses.  A major Home Strategic account has been Manx Gas.

“Because of my background as a journalist and the many facets of PR I have been involved in I like to think I know what journalists are looking for and can advise clients on the best news angles to adopt so as to achieve maximum exposure in the media.  
 
“”It’s also a background which means I have a pretty extensive range of contacts in the worlds of media and business alike. Able PR aims to offer a ‘no nonsense’ approach to media relations consultancy.   Glib PR, which I often encountered as a journalist, is very definitely anathema to me.”

Photo- Les Able.