FleishmanHillard’s Thomas Bennett on building a career from pro sports to SVP

Thomas Bennett is a senior vice president at FleishmanHillard, where he helps the global communications agency grow by building real connections with new clients and uncovering fresh opportunities. He also leads the firm’s Black Employee Resource Group, working to create a more inclusive and supportive community .

Over Bennett’s more than 20-year career, he has worked across PR, sales, marketing and inclusion, with experience in professional sports, healthcare, and tech, including early career roles with the San Francisco 49ers and the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Outside of work, he’s passionate about giving back to the industry through his longtime involvement with the Public Relations Society of America. He’s served on the national board and now leads the PRSA Foundation, the organization’s philanthropic arm, as national president.

At the core of it all, Bennett loves building real relationships and helping organizations discover how FleishmanHillard can make a difference for their brand and business.

You’ve had a dynamic career spanning pro sports, healthcare and now agency leadership. What thread has connected all those experiences for you as a communicator and marketer?

In my 23-plus-year career, my roles have broadly revolved around communications, sales, business development and marketing. All these functional roles have shared a common goal of driving revenue and growing the business. Though each role has been distinct, there’s an intersectionality between them.

I’ve been at FleishmanHillard for three years and recently transitioned to a role to work on our global business development and marketing leadership team. In this role, I’m charged with driving new business and organic growth for the agency. My new role truly leverages my natural, organic skillsets of relationship building, problem-solving, being a strong communicator and leadership.

What does your new role on the global business development and marketing team encompass?

At FleishmanHillard, we work with some of the world’s largest and most notable companies, brands, and organizations. Many of our staff provide support for these clients daily; we strive to be as valuable to our clients as they are to us. Moving away from the client-facing side of the business, in my new role on our global business development and marketing team I’m charged with identifying and finding new clients for the agency. This new role truly enables me to leverage more of my natural skill set. I personally love the challenge of driving net-new business for the agency. Being a leading global agency, having a great reputation and leveraging a distinct value proposition helps set us apart in my discussions with potential new clients and is a reason why organizations want to work with us.

You’ve been involved with the Public Relations Society of America for a while and now serve as national president of the PRSA Foundation. What’s one way you think we can better support the next generation of communicators?

One of the many ways we can support the next generation of communicators is through mentorship and ongoing learning. Within and outside of FleishmanHillard, I mentor many junior to mid-level professionals where they’re learning from my years of experience while developing their own individual skills and applying what they’ve learned in a practical way.

Through mentoring others, I’ve supported all my mentees by helping them navigate the dynamic landscape in communications, giving them guidance and best practices, and sharing with them ways to build on their overall confidence. While ongoing learning and encouraging a growth mindset are critical, offering the next generation of communicators opportunities to practice their skills in everyday work life is equally important — from working on key projects to taking on leadership roles.

What’s one skill or mindset that’s helped you grow as a leader?

I’m a big believer in two things: having a positive mindset and the role I play in creating an inclusive culture. Both have authentically aided me significantly throughout my professional career. 

A mantra I live by from an unknown author is “positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences.” Having a positive mindset not only helps with creating a positive working environment, but it also helps to motivate and inspire teams to achieve a sometimes-challenging goal. Instead of dwelling on a problem, I’m hyper-focused on being more solution-oriented, which is something I can control on a regular basis.

I treat everyone with respect and lead with empathy and understanding. In doing so, I’ve seen where this has created a safe space where people I collaborate and work with feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.

How do you stay grounded — and what keeps you inspired in this work?

Working for a large, global communications agency in addition to leading as national president of the PRSA Foundation is very demanding. Given the dynamic and ever-changing landscape we’re in, it’s critical for me to keep myself balanced and connected despite working in a demanding environment. Focusing on what I can control is one of my biggest keys to staying grounded. In business in general, it’s known that uncertainty can breed anxiety; there’s a lot in business that’s out of our control. However, what’s in my control is spending less time focusing on the outside unknowns and focusing on my core professional values and having a positive mindset.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job at FleishmanHillard and in my leadership role with the PRSA Foundation are the individuals I mentor, coach, and serve as a resource for. It’s very easy to focus on the results and financial side of things, but at the core of every company and organization are people. Later in my career, I’ve realized that great leaders not only deliver results but also play an important role in developing people. I’m proud that I’m making a small difference in individuals’ professional career growth I’m mentoring at FleishmanHillard. Additionally, being a resource to many talented students in the Florida A&M University School of Journalism & Graphic Communication has also been very rewarding. 

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.