Last Thursday morning, Francis Ingham passed away from a short illness. I kept reading about his “legacy” this week, and everyone nailed the usual beats. Everything was true. But “giving” was Francis’ true legacy. Let me explain.
Francis was brilliant, quick-witted, generous, combative and frustratingly stubborn, in addition to many other qualities. In summation, he was one of the most unique people I’ve ever met. This is a deeply sad occasion, but I’m also reminded of how Francis offered so many notes of inspiration to different people across his life’s journey.
He had a certain spirit – always probing, always pushing to transcend the PRCA into the global force that it is today. This meant that if you didn’t buy-in quickly to his method (or share his devotion to the Oxford comma!) then collaboration was difficult. He was far from an easy boss, but he was open to compromise. In my experience, he didn’t take umbrage because you shared a counterview. You just had to be prepared to fight for it, and ultimately, he would respect you for challenging him.
Francis was equally a supporter of his team. In recent days, a few colleagues have remarked how Francis was the one to give them their big break. One colleague told me that “Francis brought me to where I am today”.
So many past and present colleagues have grown under Francis’ watch. He was never a fan of bureaucratic red-tape. In fact, I think he loathed it. He embraced ideas and creativity from any member of the team, regardless of their position.
Indeed, Francis was intense, but he also had a sense of fun and the trivial, such as our shared love for peanut-butter and the many desirable combinations. It wasn’t uncommon for peanut-butter to quickly hijack our serious business calls! Francis might have been intimidating to many, but in those calls, he felt like an old friend.Although rarely seen without a tie, he rarely took himself too seriously, whether it was happily being at the centre of a joke or working the BBQ with tongs in-hand at our old office’s carpark in Southwark.
My colleague Henry Redshaw recalled one of my favourite Francis stories recently:
“We were all getting ready to go to the PRMoment Awards in the office, I had decided to wear a pink shirt with my Tuxedo suit and bow tie. As I came out of the changing room (toilet!) Francis called me in to his office and asked what I thought I was doing wearing a pink shirt. I said I thought it looked good. He got irate and explained that it was rude to the host and said I could not go to the awards.
“The next day he called me into his office, apologised and ever since it was a running joke that if I got a new member, I could wear my pink shirt to the next awards.”
A year later as Francis’ Secret Santa, Henry gifted him a pink shirt which was gracefully received!
At his best, Francis had an uncommon ability to connect with people on a personal level. No detail escaped him. He could recall your love for cheese and wine and then invite you for a tasting along with offering a job promotion months later.
Francis was one of the industry’s most steadfast voices over the years. His loss is incalculable, and our thoughts are with Francis’ friends and family during this time.
We invite friends, colleagues and members of the PR and communications community to share their memories and tributes in a special online condolence book.