A summer internship at Harpswood: A view from Hafiza Khanom

Hafiza Khanom joined Harpswood in summer 2024 through The Social Mobility Foundation’s internship scheme, which works directly with young people to break down barriers to education and work.

Hafiza was quick to get stuck into agency life, learning about how our clients are making the world cleaner, fairer and better and what it takes to write a great pitch.

We asked her to reflect on her experience…

What attracted you to Harpswood?

I was drawn to Harpswood for a number of reasons. I was impressed by the team’s real-world media experience, with former national newspaper editors and broadcast reporters onboard. Hearing praise from well-known businesses like Octopus Energy stood out to me too. It showed me that Harpswood has a strong reputation and knows how to deliver great results. The fact that Harpswood has an international presence with a chance to work on projects with a global reach made it even more exciting.

What do you feel you learned about PR?

I saw just how important it is to have strong relationships with the media. Building trust with journalists and understanding what they need makes a huge difference when pitching stories and managing media coverage. I also learned that PR is about way more than getting headlines. It’s about creating stories that truly connect with an audience. One major thing that stood out was Harpswood’s client-first approach. They always go the extra mile to deliver amazing results, and the praise from clients really showed how valuable it is to build strong relationships and understand their unique needs. I also realised how important it is to specialise in certain industries. Harpswood’s focus on areas like energy, sustainability, and transport helped their team to develop deep expertise, making it easier to meet the specific needs of clients in those fields.

What was your average day like?

I started each day by reviewing the newspapers and sharing any relevant articles with the team on Slack. After that, I went through my task list and worked with my line manager to set my priorities for the day. My responsibilities varied and included tasks like pitching to media outlets, researching new targets for clients, and helping to prepare client briefing notes for interviews.

What were your highlights?

I especially loved that my internship gave me the chance to work in two different offices. During the first month, Harpswood was based in Waterloo, in Sustainable Ventures’ retrofitted workspace in County Hall. It was amazing to be around so many interesting climate tech startups. In the second month, we moved to Shoreditch. It was exciting to explore and experience different parts of London with the team, and the move added a fun, dynamic element to my experience.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments, and working in a smaller team taught me that I’m great at juggling competing priorities under tight deadlines. I also discovered how much I enjoy problem-solving. I realised how motivated I am by seeing the direct impact of my work as it made everything feel genuinely meaningful. This, combined with Harpswood’s purpose-driven clients, made me feel a strong sense of fulfilment as every task felt significant in driving positive change.