Gil Bashe |
I managed to get FINN Partners’ Gil Bashe, who serves as Chair Global Health and Purpose, to carve an hour out of his busy schedule to talk about his life and career.
My first question was a simple, “How did you end up in PR?” Bashe’s response was enough for perhaps a whole book, but here’s the Reader’s Digest version.
Bashe explained his first key career role found him in Egypt in 1977 advancing the peace process with Israel. Later, his experience as a paratrooper and commander from 1979 to 1985 laid the groundwork for his yearning to learn everything he could about the communications industry.
Training received as a senior level medic taught him the fundamentals of emergency room medical care.
“Tending to people under fire, I understood that regardless of injury, communication was essential to their care and health transcends race, religion and region,” Bashe explained. “That period of my life crystalized that I was most certainly going to be involved in the health sector.”
When Bashe bounced back into civilian life, he worked for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs at their embassy in Tel Aviv. He was tasked with serving as the Embassy’s interface with the police, health system and government departments. “This experience helped me gain an understanding of how to deal with the fine points of relationships and importance of collaboration,” Bashe said.
I’m flattered to report that Bashe’s exposure to the U.S. communications industry began with an overseas subscription to Jack O’Dwyer’s Newsletter in 1984.
“I would study years and years of the newsletter,” Bashe described.
Secrets to his success
Bashe finally landed in the communications field when he was 30. He’s played many roles from pharma industry policy lobbyist to working at multiple agencies in New York City to rebuilding the global health practice at Hill & Knowlton in the mid 90s.
Bashe came to FINN in 2015 when the agency wanted to launch a health practice. He was convinced that Peter Finn’s make a difference mindset could be a catalyst that benefits clients and consumers.
A person’s current position in their career and life does not represent the totality of it, Bashe is careful to point out. “One of the aspects of my own adventure is that I’m a composite of all my life’s chapters,” Bashe said. “There are many different iterations of Gil Bashe.”
This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Oct. Healthcare & Medical PR Magazine |
Bashe described how his role as a Rabbi supporting people at end-of-life shines such a different light on the health industry and affects his role at FINN.
“Sitting with people who are ill and not offering advice but listening to their struggles and fears has helped me appreciate why this work matters,” Bashe said.
Bashe is a prolific writer and his key to never feeling at a loss for words is dedicating at least 90 minutes a day to reading. “By reading other people’s works and books that combine the interests of my industry, I assimilate ideas, information, aspirations and insights,” Bashe said.
“I percolate on my pieces and most times I’ve written the article in my head before I even sit down at my computer,” Bashe said.
He’s long believed that agencies are home to creativity addressing clients’ challenges and opportunities. You can find his perspectives with industry colleagues through his articles in BeingWell, Health Tech World, Medika Life and, of course, frequent opinion pieces for O’Dwyer’s.
Bashe stressed how important it is to feed off the people you work with. He encourages those getting into PR to attach themselves to someone with skill sets. “Don’t be frightened by title and age. Leaders who stand behind their titles are not leaders,” Bashe said.
“I have an endless curiosity and thirst for knowledge,” Bashe stressed. “This is key to remaining fresh and relevant to colleagues and clients.”
Bashe talked about how he is constantly on the lookout for how to improve his skills. This serves as a good lesson for those thinking of a career in PR or just starting out.
“A degree can take you as far as you want to go, but you have to maintain and reinvest in knowledge,” Bashe said.
AI and the power of words
Bashe believes that at its core, public relations is the foundation of the free world. “There are no PR agencies in Iran, Russia and North Korea. PR can’t exist in those nations,” Bashe said.
Whether it’s helping a buyer choose the right car, giving patients a better understanding of treatment options or educating the public on the purpose of recycling, PR represents the ability to inspire and influence behavior, according to Bashe.
“It’s all about words sewn together to create informed decisions,” Bashe said.
Bashe feels that the explosion of artificial intelligence is just the natural progression from big data to machine learning to finding ways to apply that massive data for use.
However, AI is really a misnomer for Bashe and instead should stand for augmented implementation. “The information AI gathers is definitely real and organic,” Bashe insists.
But Bashe warns that because AI blends the accurate and inaccurate, you really must hone your cognitive ability to use it effectively. “The ability to format very specific prompts is key to using AI,” Bashe said.
The basic tenet of PR to help people make informed decisions based on accurate information is still the same, however now it must be tailored to different platforms and made available for individuals to search it out on their own, Bashe explained.
When it comes to his practice work with FINN Partners, Bashe said he is driven by an obligation to address the needs of justice. “If you see injustice, and you don’t speak out, you bond yourself to that injustice,” Bashe said.
The U.S. health system is too fragmented and many fall between the cracks, according to Bashe.
Bashe acknowledges the limitations placed on communications and feels those problems should be highlighted.
“I see my work as precious and by championing client endeavors, I’m contributing to the betterment of the world,” Bashe said.
Bashe feels PR needs people who are curious and want to explore information to sustain people and planet.
“We’re afraid to become risk-takers. Fear is merely an emotion and shouldn’t stop us from doing something that matters,” Bashe said.
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