Simon Wesson Email & Phone Number

Abingdon

My overall goal is to lead a team to uncover great research to the public, which would have been otherwise hidden within journal articles only read by a limited audience. Using my journalistic skills, I not only hunt for – and pick out – the very best of our articles from the 2,600 journals each year, I take these detailed peer-reviewed papers and transform them into beautiful, easy-to-digest press releases which I distribute to specific journalists, targeted to ensure optimum impact and quality of coverage. The overall topic of the research I work on varies, raging from education; social sciences; sport; medicine; and health. Achievements:• Promoted from executive to manager in 2021, which followed a personal pay rise I had secured in 2020 to recognise my success.• In 2022: 214 stories in the 25 biggest news outlets internationally – a 328% increase since my arrival. This has included many big successes including front page coverage in The Guardian and FT Weekend Magazine. I have totaled some 467 said top-tier pieces.• More than 14,300 links from news outlets driven to Taylor & Francis’ published articles online via my press campaigns.• Increased Taylor & Francis’ news coverage, since my arrival, from campaigns by 195%.• In 2022: Helped attract 405 journalists to register for our press campaigns, from outlets including New York Times, BBC, Science, The Guardian, CNN, Popular Science, TIME, Washington Post, NBC, CBS, Fox, Times of India, Forbes, USA Today and many more.• Chosen as an expert voice on a panel for a journalist and academic event on how peer-review influences the media.• Became a mentor within the company and with Stempra, helping with lesser experienced colleagues in other institutions. • Reached more than 11,700 followers on our @tandfnewsroom Twitter account. A 46% increase during my tenure.

My task was to help launch a new internal and external communications team. With development and completion of a new strategy, focused on increasing staff engagement internally across all international offices, and raising the organisation's profile externally using a campaign model. Achievements: • Gained the organisation's first press coverage for at least three years. achieving above average engagement rate• Launched a new, global internal communications strategy including a new Sharepoint intranet platform to be used across the organisation

Swindon, United Kingdom

Leading on large media campaigns which demonstrated the breadth of research, funded by the UK taxpayers through the seven research councils and Innovate UK. The role included coordinating eight teams to work together to help produce media packages which include press releases, research articles, publications, mass social media activity, videos, infographics and more.These campaigns ranged across the £6bn sciences and research portfolio.In addition, my task was vital in setting up communications platforms, which could be used across the research councils, ahead of their redevelopment as UK Research and Innovation.

My role was to communicate about the science, and research, that matters to society - funded through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).This meant digesting often complicated science to produce a story which is relevant and important to the everyday person on the street. The aim is to get UK (ESRC) science into the mass media.Summarising the role exactly, I was responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the ESRC's media activity - supporting delivery of the organisation's strategic and corporate objectives, via the writing and distribution of press releases and approving university's press releases which mention ESRC-funded research.In addition to press work, I ran @ESRCpress on Twitter and managed the ESRC Blog. My writing abilities also stretched to contributing to the blog page, as well as writing articles in the Council's magazine, Society Now.I am a designer, and was responsible for a vast array of ESRC artwork such as inforgraphics.

Bath, United Kingdom

A University which is within the top 10 for the majority of the national higher education league tables (including being Times Higher Education's first for student experience) my role was within the heart of the internal communications team.I was responsible for the staff home page, staff twitter account, media monitoring, media analysis, developing detailed media reports for senior staff members, all-staff emails and digital signage. I also supported the press office with writing articles and dealing with media calls.

A university, which has six campuses, has invested more than £180m in new facilities, contributes £300m annually to the local economy.As an external communication specialist at the University, I was responsible for:• Generating press releases and stories on staff, students, research, corporate information etc.• Dealing with press enquiries of all nature – host journalists, offer tours, introductory meetings,• Working with non-media trained staff to simplify advanced research and transform it into exciting press releases • Organising, and pushing for, interviews with the media for senior, and academic, staff as well as excelling students• Devise PR plans, and strategies for various campaigns, events, strategiesAdditionally, I was the editor/sub and writer for student/staff/external magazine – ‘Life’, whilst I also helped run the Twitter account @uobnews, and managed, and designed, the University's eye-catching digital signage.

During five years at the Welwyn Hatfield Times newspaper I covered virtually every type of news story that your average local news journo would be expected to. Some of the many highlights included a seven page feature on how the area reacted to the outbreak of World War Two and articles on learning to fly.

Welwyn, Hertfordshire

Nctj News Reporter, Journalism, Passed

Activities and Societies: Shorthand News Writing P/A Law100 per cent accuracy in shorthand exam

High School

Education record