Meet Paul Rouke

Why do you care about people?

“I care for people as society today and through everything that we have access to, particularly on social media, can often leave people feeling worried about the future, inferior to others, lonely (no matter how many friends and colleagues they may have) and deep down inside, needing to know that they are loved and cared for by others.”

What experiences have you had with people during your life?

“From leaving school aged 16, I began developing experiences with people whilst on a 4 year engineering apprenticeship with British Aerospace. Rather than developing a passion for electrical or mechanical engineering, it was when I was spending time within the organisation shadowing employees that I enthusiastically started developing an understanding of organisational culture. 

After deciding to end the apprenticeship early I moved to a graphic design role where it was just myself and my manager, and through this I developed experiences around 1-1 leadership and management. 

Following this role I suddenly started gaining life-changing experiences with people whilst working at GUS Home Shopping, at that time the UK’s largest home shopping retailer. Over a few years I held 2 roles in 2 different large departments, each with different managers, and it was ultimately the way in which I was managed and led that took me to a place of deep frustration at always feeling like I was being kept in a box, without the freedom to provide more value and impact to the organisation and our customers.

This frustration with the leadership and management style I was experiencing led me to go out and my own, and I started PRWD. The acronym initially stood for Paul Rouke Website Design (I know, not the most creative!).

Over 14 years I was incredibly privileged to build a growing, highly respected customer experience agency, at its height at the beginning of 2019 employing 14 people of differing ages, experiences and skill sets.

Myself and the team gained invaluable, unique experiences working with people within some of the worlds largest brands including Nike, Red Bull and Allianz, alongside market leading companies across various sectors in the UK.

Today, in 2024, I have had 5 more life-changing years meeting more new people than I ever have done before, and it is an honour to harness all my experiences of people within Become People-Centric, for each organisation that will choose to work with us.”

What can people expect by working with you?

“When you work with me, you can expect to work with someone who is deeply passionate about making a true long term impact within your organisation.

My desire is not just talk the talk with our vision, mission and values, but truly walk the walk - demonstrating values and behaviours in my communication and work which make you want to continue working with us.

You can expect to build not just a working relationship but an industry friendship too, as I genuinely desire to establish and nurture long term working relationships built upon trust, humility and integrity.

You can also expect to be inspired personally to be the change within your organisation, ultimately leaving a legacy how you have helped your organisation become progressively more people-centric.”