MENU Portland Profile: Quentin Duthilleul 25 NOVEMBER Written by Quentin Duthilleul About the Author Director in our Paris office. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been told in your career so far? One of the great things about Portland is that you get to meet people from very diverse backgrounds, and all are ready and willing to help, so it’s a bit hard to select one piece of advice among the tons I have received along the years. If I really have to choose I would say the most basic ones; Always try to put yourself in your client shoes, when it comes to writing focus on substance before focusing on style, and last but not least take notes! What is your favourite part of your job? I think it is understanding – and dare I say – contributing to what’s happening behind the scenes, even when very technical and serious politics and communications remain a show. Getting just a slight influence on the play’s scenario, especially when you think your input is right and you have had to work hard to convince the actors, is the most rewarding of feelings. What has been your favourite experience at Portland so far? On top of the variety of clients and missions I work on, I would say the truly international nature of the company. I don’t see Portland as just a network, but rather as one team spread across different locations, and there is not a day that goes by without interactions with our colleagues from other offices. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self starting out in comms, or to someone entering this field of work? “Don’t hesitate to ask. You are not expected to know everything.” That would have saved me a lot of time and prevented many mistakes back in the day. Also, don’t hesitate to raise awareness of what you do; doing your job right is good, but you need to let people know about it. Not always easy for an introvert! What do you do to switch off from work? Movies! I go to the cinema at least once a week. There is nothing like a good movie to make you forget about the rest of the world for two hours. BACK TO THOUGHTS Related Portland Profile: James Ryan HR / 28 OCTOBER 2021 Portland Profile: Oonagh Johnston HR / 30 SEPTEMBER 2021 Portland Profile: Charles McKeon HR / 26 AUGUST 2021 Portland Profile: Georgina Mallory HR / 24 JUNE 2021 SUBSCRIBE FOR OUR LATEST INSIGHTS © Copyright Portland 2021.