Mentor celebrates 25 years of training

Mentor Media Training Celebrates 25 Years of Communication Excellence

Bath, UK – 3rd October 2024

UK-based Mentor Media Training, a pioneer in communication training and media coaching, marked its 25th anniversary with a celebratory reception at the Bath Spa Hotel. The event brought together clients, industry colleagues, and communication professionals to reflect on Mentor's journey and celebrate its impact on the communication training industry.

Founded in Bristol in 1999, Mentor Media Training has become a trusted name in media training, presentation skills coaching, and crisis communication services. With a diverse portfolio spanning sectors such as public health, housing, utilities, construction, and charities, Mentor has built a strong reputation for providing effective, tailored communication training solutions that empower clients to communicate confidently in high-stakes situations.

In 2019, Mentor underwent a transformative milestone when Dave Mason, now the owner, acquired the business through a management buyout. This move safeguarded the agency's independence and spurred the development of new services, including Splutter, an innovative social media simulation platform designed to help clients practice communication strategies in a realistic online setting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mentor quickly adapted to the new remote working landscape by launching virtual communication training programmes. The agency developed online courses for remote presentation skills and virtual media coaching, allowing clients to continue their professional development from anywhere in the world. This agile approach underscored Mentor's commitment to helping clients navigate challenging times with confidence.

The 25th-anniversary celebration was attended by around forty guests, including Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, who praised Mentor for its contributions to the communications industry. The evening featured a forward-looking panel discussion on the future of public relations, corporate communication, and media relations, followed by networking and refreshments.

Reflecting on the milestone, Dave Mason shared his gratitude: "We’re delighted to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the clients, colleagues, and friends who have supported us along the way. This milestone is a testament to our team’s dedication to excellence in communication coaching, and we look forward to serving our clients in the UK and internationally for many more years."

As Mentor Media Training looks to the future, the agency remains committed to staying at the forefront of corporate communication coaching. With its affiliation with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Mentor will continue to offer cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving demands of clients, helping them excel in media coaching, crisis management, and communication training worldwide.

Throughout 2024 we have been posting on social about key cultural markers, memorable events from 1999, from the year Mentor began dealing with media handling and corporate crises - remember the Millenium Bug?

We look forward to working with our delightful clients for many years to come and would like to say thanks for working with us.

Candy, our training manager, with Andy Osborne, associate consultant for business continuity, wife Beverley and Naomi Summers

Article Author: Dave Mason

Dave is Mentor Media Training's Managing Director. He is a CIPR Accredited Practitioner and regularly trains for the PR industry institute. His extensive career in broadcasting spans 30 years across radio and television. He has coached executives from major public and private sector organisations, as well as the UK Armed Forces/NATO, around the world for the past decade. Dave is respected for his inspiring training, which is supportive and concentrates on fast learning development. A founding presenter and shareholder of Somerset’s Orchard FM, he went on to work extensively in commercial radio around the UK, as well as BBC News, where he was a Correspondent at BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio 1 Newsbeat. Dave has been a TV presenter, reporter and producer at ITN, GMTV, (ITV Breakfast), ITV News Westcountry and HTV West. He was one of GMTV’s senior producers for a decade, covering major international, domestic, political and entertainment stories. His roles have included senior news producing and planning, undercover investigations, war reporting and features production. Dave still broadcasts as a crisis communications pundit on Talk TV / Radio, BBC Radio and is a visiting lecturer at several universities. He is a non-executive Trustee of community station Radio Bath and the author of 'Handling the Media In Good Times & Bad'.