About me
My background (and why it matters to you)
The early years
I’ve enjoyed a successful career in corporate marketing. The early years were spent in a magic circle law firm and then two Financial Services giants, which meant operating in some pretty complex and heavily regulated markets. It sounds rather dry, but it was an important foundation for the way I conduct myself today.
Integrity is of paramount importance to me, in my dealings with you and in the work that I do on your behalf. It also means I’m able to get up to speed quickly with any complexities surrounding your business, product/service or market, and ready to engage the necessary stakeholders every step along the way.
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From London to Amsterdam
In 2008 I relocated to the Netherlands, where I joined the scary yet exhilarating world of global brand consulting. I spent over seven years working with 20-30 different brands, across a diverse set of industries, working with clients and external agencies in many different countries and adapting to different company cultures, leadership styles and org structures. As a result, I’m incredibly respectful of cultures, traditions and ‘the way things are done round here’.
Adaptable and flexible, I can seamlessly slip into your ways of working so that outsourcing work to me doesn’t feel like an extra job for you. You can benefit from my breadth of knowledge and experience gained across many different disciplines and marketing touchpoints, and, combined with my naturally consultative approach, this means that I can happily advise you on where you can be making improvements to your marketing generally.
A new string to my bow
After having my children, I stepped away from the client-facing work (and the associated international travel), and into the agency’s role of Global Knowledge Manager. You might wonder what the heck a Global Knowledge Manager is. You wouldn’t be alone. Confused friends and family sarcastically enquired as to whether I was the agency’s in-house version of Google. Well, sort of!
The role sparked a fire inside me – a passion for connecting people to each other and around knowledge and information – understanding that humans have an intrinsic need to connect, belong and form communities. Little did I know at the time that that experience was going to stand me in excellent stead for the community-building on which all good social media marketing is founded. It’s the origin of my belief that, done the right way – authentically and with integrity – businesses and brands can build and be a meaningful part of communities of interest on social media that are related to their product or service.
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Serving the 180-strong team across eleven countries worldwide, I facilitated the continuous learning, communication and sharing of knowledge and best practice across the agency, enabling the consultant population to work more efficiently and provide higher impact solutions to our clients. That meant building the right infrastructure but also nurturing the right behaviours, from the top – coaching the Global Practice Leads – right down to the grass roots.
Back to Bucks
Having only intended to stay for two, after nearly eight happy and fulfilling years it was time to spread our wings and return to the green and pleasant land. Moving home with two souvenirs (aged one and three!), prompted a much-needed career break, enabling me to settle the family into life in South Buckinghamshire, where my husband and I grew up.
Business blazers were swapped for painting overalls and poo bags as I spent the next year or so redecorating our new house and training our rowdy Black Labrador puppy. Life was busy but it’s made me a mean multi-tasker, incredibly focused and able to prioritise, and nothing stops me getting the job done.
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Back to business
With my youngest starting school, it was time to get back to business. And I was more than ready. But something had changed. Time at home with the kids had shifted my priorities and so I needed something that drew on my professional experience but afforded me some flexibility. Embarking on an Advanced Diploma in Strategic Social Media Management with the award winning digital training company Digital Mums launched my freelance career and did just that. With over 350 training hours under my belt (it felt like way more), and bags of client experience to boot, I’m now proud to be amongst an alumni that are some of the most sought after professionals in our field.
The here and now, and your future…
So here I am today, happily helping business owners and leaders like you find and connect with their ideal clients through purposeful social media marketing. Why? Because my story has taught me that in life, along with the family (and occasionally the dog), I most value time.
Doing what I do gives me time to spend with the people I love, to invest in my continued learning, to explore new things. And I want to help you get time back too, so you can stop losing it to the things that drain your energy and get back to doing what you love – running your business and delighting your clients. Getting smart with social media marketing is a great place to start.
