In my current position as Communications Manager (Communications Lead) at the Local Enterprise Partnership for Oxfordshire (OxLEP), I am responsible for the organisation’s communications strategic direction and activity, managing a team of three PR and marketing professionals.There are currently 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, each with the remit to work with the private and public sectors to deliver favourable conditions for dynamic economic growth for their respective geographical regions – each LEP receives funding from multiple channels, with the primary funder being the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. I operate within OxLEP’s senior team and at Board level too, providing strategic communications guidance and counsel to colleagues, as well as working with stakeholders of significant influence; these include the county’s billion-pound businesses and significant international businesses, the University of Oxford, Government departments and officials, local authorities and senior representatives of many of the county’s private sector SME community. I have responsibility for developing, overseeing and managing internal and external communications strategies and outputs – this incorporates; internal communications, corporate communications (including media relations), event management, digital communications, social media, stakeholder mapping and engagement, sponsorship, public affairs, crisis communications and external agency delivery.I lead a team of three communication professionals, responsible for ensuring all internal and external communications and engagement activity is strategically-aligned, creatively executed, proactive, well planned, joined-up and sustained.

In my role as Group Marketing Business Partner for leading education provider Activate Learning, I played a key role in the performance of the organisation’s 20-strong sales and marketing team. In effect – my role saw me operating as an account manager, providing ‘agency style’, first-class marketing and communications support to multiple clients across the Activate Learning group. On a day-to-day basis, it was my role to work with senior directors to develop campaigns and strategies which generate both income and provision leads. I led on activity across several major growth areas for Activate Learning – hugely important as ‘regular’ funding channels for education provision continued to drop across the UK, primarily; apprenticeship provision, adult learning provision and commercial operations.

Headed up all communications and marketing projects for Acorn Childcare on a short-term basis – a provider of 10 day nurseries, five out-of-school clubs and a training enterprise operating across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.

In my position of Marketing and Communications Manager at Buckinghamshire Care, I headed up all marketing and communications projects for the organisation – a Local Authority Trading Company (set up by Buckinghamshire County Council) – and formed part of an award-winning, eight-person strong senior management team, overseeing over 300 members of front-line staff.Buckinghamshire Care’s services support adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health problems, older adults and older adults with dementia. Support is provided through services delivered in the home, opportunities centres in the community and supported employment programmes.Through cross-team projects, the organisation achieved several national sector awards during – and shortly after – my tenure with Buckinghamshire Care. This included two Great British Care Awards, a Laing Buisson Award for Innovation, a National Apprenticeship Award and a Skills for Care Accolade Award for best recruitment initiative.

My role with national learning disability support provider, Affinity Trust, sat within the organisation's development team, led by the business’ Development Director and working alongside the Head of New Business and Development Manager.The organisation supported around 700 adults with learning disabilities across the UK and employed a total of 1,500 staff across a variety of disciplines. During my time with Affinity Trust, the organisation was working towards the delivery of an ambitious three-year business plan and my marketing strategies – developed alongside senior management figures – were integral to the success of a number of Affinity Trust’s long-term objectives and also its short-term development goals.Through my strategies, I ensured the organisation was viewed favourably by a wide variety of stakeholders, leading to the creation of new business opportunities for Affinity Trust on local authority social care frameworks.

As Media and Campaigns Manager at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, I led on the successful delivery of major integrated national and regional campaigns, aimed at generating awareness – and substantial funds – helping to create life-changing partnerships between highly-trained dogs and deaf adults and children.I regularly acted as the main organisational spokesperson across all media channels – regionally, nationally and internationally. I also fully briefed senior staff and celebrity ambassadors (acting as spokespeople) to ensure they were best prepared and armed with strong calls to action.

After joining Girlguiding UK in May 2007, my PR officer remit required me to deliver targeted campaigns – to national and regional media outlets – with specific key messaging, with an overall aim of changing public perception on guiding.I worked on around a dozen major projects, making many regular approaches to national journalists. My role also extended to responding to journalist requests reactively – often defending the organisation’s policies – helping to sustain a good public profile of Girlguiding UK.

As the organisation’s sole press officer, my position encompassed a wide range of roles. First and foremost, I acted as the primary point of contact for all media enquiries, as well as setting spokespeople briefs and co-ordinating overall PR plans for Sobell House Hospice Charity.

As a reporter for the West Oxfordshire Courier, South Oxfordshire Courier and the Oxford Journal newspapers, I gained huge experience in regional journalism and greatly developed my writing skills.