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Summary

Strategically -minded corporate communications specialist with over ten years experience in journalism and communications in large organisations, with a particular focus on strategy development and implementation and internal communications.

 

Specialisms

  • Communications management and strategy development
  • Internal communications
  • Corporate campaigns
  • Change programme communications
  • Communications audits
  • Image and reputation management
  • Consultancy  and training

    • Work History

    Tower Hamlets Council

    London, United Kingdom
    2009 - Present
    Communications Manager,Healthy Borough Programme 

    Managing people and a budget to deliver communications and social marketing campaigns for the Tower Hamlets Healthy Borough Programme, the local pilot of the government’s national Change4Life programme, run by the Department of Health:

    ·        Developing and delivering the local programme’s marketing and communications strategy;

    ·        Scoping, developing, implementing and evaluating high-profile, integrated, multi-format social marketing campaigns;

    ·        Managing media relations;

    ·        Advising, briefing and training senior managers on communications;

    ·        Managing the programme's communications steering group.

     

    Hackney Council

    London, United Kingdom
    2004 - 2009
    Corporate Communications Executive 

    ·        Developing and implementing effective marketing and communications strategies;

    ·        Briefing and advising directors and senior managers on key communications issues;

    ·        Co-ordinating roadshows and staff engagement events;

    ·        Change communications for the restructure of Children’s Social Care programme;

    ·        Editor, Hi - a monthly, print, staff magazine: developing the editorial vision, writing articles, managing contributors and budget;

    ·        Editor, Hackney Staff Headlines e-news;

    ·        Writing for and maintaining the corporate intranet, ensuring content is accessible.

    Enfield Council

    London, United Kingdom
    2003 - 2003
    Communications Officer 

    Developing and delivering marketing and communications for the Local Strategic Partnership:

    ·        Producing newsletters and marketing materials for staff and residents promoting the work of the partnership;

    ·        Handling external relations.

    Tower Hamlets Council

    London, United Kingdom
    2002 - 2002
    Communications Officer 

    Developing and delivering internal and external communications for the council’s Community Safety Unit and members of the Local Strategic Partnership:

    ·        Developing a communications strategy for the community safety partnership encompassing both internal and external communications;

    ·        Producing the monthly e-newsletter for staff and members of the partnership;

    ·        Producing a print annual report for key stakeholders, partners and interested members of the public;

    ·        Producing a directory of community safety for local residents delivered to every household in the borough.

    News Africa Magazine

    London, United Kingdom
    2001 - 2001
    Reporter 

    Current affairs writer for the monthly pan-African news monthly:

    ·        Writing features for an international, informed readership;

    ·        Interviewing leading politiicians, diplomats, business leaders and others;

    ·        Editing and sub-editing;

    ·        Forward planning.

    Freelance Journalist

    United Kingdom
    1999 - Present
    Journalist 

    Conceiving, pitching, researching, interviewing, writing and editing news and feature articles.

    Published in The Guardian, the BBC and the British Journalism Review, among many others.

    Skills

    Project Management

    (Advanced)
    5-6 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
    Skillometer_3

    Microsoft Project and PRINCE2-based project management trained.

    French

    (Intermediate)
    10+ Years Experience, (Last Used 3-4 years ago)
    Skillometer_2

    Good speaking, reading, writing

    Professional Development

    Getting started: scoping social marketing

    (National Social Marketing Centre)
    2009 - Has no expiration

    Understanding your audience: using research and customer insight

    (National Social Marketing Centre)
    2009 - Has no expiration

    Turning insight into action: developing a social marketing intervention

    (National Social Marketing Centre)
    2009 - Has no expiration

    Evaluating success

    (National Social Marketing Centre)
    2009 - Has no expiration

    Education

    University of Westminster

    London, United Kingdom
    Sep 1998 - Jun 1999
    Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), Journalism

    University College London

    London, United Kingdom
    Sep 1995 - Jun 1998
    Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons), Philosophy

    Notable Highlights

    ·    Developing a youth comms strategy that tackled reputational issues and delivered a 30% rise in voter registration amongst 16-18 year olds;

    ·    Developing a business case for incorporating the use of social media into corporate communications practice;

    ·    Editing a guide to corporate communications for communicators and clients.

     

     

     

    References

    Available on request.

    Marketing Communications

    Healthy Borough campaign

    Healthy Borough campaign

    (One of 50 bus supersides)

    A three month, high-profile campaign employing the full, integrated communications mix of print - advertising, editorial, publications; broadcast; outdoor - billboards, bus advertising, street furniture, lamppost banners; online - dedicated campaign website; and outreach / community engagement e.g. events, promotional giveaways, competitions.

    ITN News item

    VisualCV Video

    ITN News features a Healthy Borough Programme funded project on this news item on obesity and the national Change4Life campaign.

    Bangla TV advert

    VisualCV Video

    A specially created advert for Tower Hamlets large Bengali-speaking community produced by Bangla TV, a Bangladeshi station on Sky, for the Healthy Borough Programme.

    Icon_pdf_16 Quick Guide to the Healthy Borough Programme

    A thorough introduction to the Tower Hamlets Healthy Borough Programme with information about funded projects and programmes.

    Icon_pdf_16 Healthy Borough Programme Annual Report 2009/10

    A round-up of the programme's achievements for its first full year, 2009-2010. 28pp, full-colour, A4, landscape.

    Print advertising

    smaller portions

    Icon_pdf_16 Healthy Borough Communications Strategy

    Approved by the Healthy Borough board in October 2009.

    Internal Communications

    Icon_pdf_16 Staff magazine

    Conceptualised, scoped, developed, implemented and evaluated a new monthly magazine for over 4000 staff that struck a balance between corporate and conversational in tone, embedding key messages and employing a mix of news features and information.

    Icon_pdf_16 Staff Update

    Wrote and edited a four page newsletter distributed monthly to all staff through payslips. Short news stories with one or two main features / centre spreads.

    Icon_ppt_16 Team Update

    Wrote and produced a monthly visual presentation for managers to deliver to staff at team meetings with corporate, directorate and staff news, accompanied by notes in Word format.

    Icon_pdf_16 Directorate newsletter

    Wrote and edited a newsletter for staff of Children and Young People's Services, a directorate of over 400 professionals, communicating a mix of service specific and corporate news, features and news in brief.

    Icon_pdf_16 Special publications

    One-off print and electronic pubications.

    Reputation Management

    Icon_pdf_16 Youth Service Comms Strategy

    This council service was inspected by Ofsted in March 2006 and was judged as adequate. However, the Ofsted report acknowledged that the service had good potential to improve. The objective of this strategy was to embed the achievements of the revitalised service in the public consciousness to key audiences, external and internal using the full range of communications tools available.

    Icon_pdf_16 Youth Parliament Candidate Manifesto

    Icon_pdf_16 Youth What's On Guide

    Icon_pdf_16 CIPR Award Submission

    Change Communications

    Icon_pdf_16 Physical move

    A strategy for communicating the benefits of a physical move from one building to another in which staff would lose various privileges and also the introduction of controversial new ways of working.

    Icon_pdf_16 Physical move (part II)

    Updated strategy in response to staff survey results.

    Icon_pdf_16 Organisational/cultural change

    A strategy for the merging of three organisations and their various staff under one roof following a new, unfied way of working.

    Training and Consultancy

    Slideshare_16 Training presentation

    Training delieverd to non-communications project managers on publicising their projects.