Gemma Matthews Email & Phone Number

London, England, United Kingdom

My role was to create and implement our communications strategy and build relationships with our stakeholders through campaigns, social media, our website, media relations, printed materials and newsletters.In my time at the charity redeveloped our website, revamped key messages and branding, expanded the social media presence, developed successful campaigns, created new materials, built new relationships with stakeholders, launched an ambassadors programme, launched a successful podcast and increased media coverage resulting in an increase in calls to the helpline and traffic to the website.LawCare is the legal mental charity that promotes and supports good mental health and wellbeing across the legal community in the UK.

London

Worked with Bentley Communications on the Marketing Cheshire account, promoting Cheshire to leisure visitors.

Wimbledon

My main role was heading up a charity account, acting as secretariat and PR Manager for the British Dupuytren’s Society. I planned and delivered a successful media campaign on Peyronie’s disease which achieved over 30 items of coverage and a social media reach of 100,000 people. I successfully built relationships with external stakeholders, developed a new area of the website and organised the charity’s first ever fundraising event. In my time at Say Communications I also worked on the Infant and Toddler Forum account, helping to secure coverage for their Portion Sizes campaign.

The NHS ASAP campaign aims to get expectant mothers in London to contact their GP as soon as they are pregnant so they can access the healthcare they need early. My role as project manager was to build relationships with retailers enabling promotion of the campaign through their stores.

Bromley, Kent

Following maternity leave I returned to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as part-time Communications Manager with responsibility for regional PR and special projects. During this time I pioneered an initiative to recruit regional volunteers to assist with our PR work resulting in the charity receiving the Investors in Volunteers accreditation. I also worked on our 50th anniversary year communications producing an interactive timeline and developing an awards scheme for those who had made a difference in cystic fibrosis fundraising, care and campaigning. I also led on a campaign about transplants for our annual awareness week securing several items of regional television coverage.

Following successful completion of my CIPR diploma I was promoted to PR Manager where I continued to perform the tasks below but also advised senior management and external stakeholders on dealing with the media, wrote statements and policies on key issues, set up and managed our social media channels, developed a crisis management plan, worked with colleagues to develop a new website and produced an educational video for children about cystic fibrosis. Notable media coverage included CF Week 2011 when I secured 87 items of national, regional and local coverage and increased our social media followers by 3000 people.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

My role was to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and maintain the reputation of the charity as the leading authority on cystic fibrosis. I set up the press office from scratch dealing with all media enquiries, identifying campaigning issues, developing communication strategy, managing our relationship with our PR agency, placing stories in national, regional and local media, building relationships with the media and developing a case study database.

Working for this broadcast agency, my role was to secure editorial coverage on national and local radio stations and online on behalf of clients. I dealt with up to 30 radio stations a day, wrote press releases and reports and undertook research for upcoming stories. I managed a team of four and deputy managed a team of twelve.

London, United Kingdom

My job was to closely monitor all aspects of news and current affairs, to chase stories and book guests for the show. I was required to inform guests, presenters, producers and lawyers of the details of the story we were covering, write detailed briefs and look after guests on the day of transmission.

Ba Hons, Broadcast Journalism

Cipr Diploma