Simon Whittam Email and Phone Number

Experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the public relations and communications industry. Skilled in Coaching, Event Management, Editing, Journalism, and Media Relations. Strong professional, graduated from St. Bede's College, Manchester. My extraordinary career path in PR & Communications was never actively planned and more of an enlightened change of direction that came about when my approach to PR began to be copied by major companies (Really Useful Group, Lowe Bell etc) and I was asked to lead projects for them (EMI’s Birthday celebrations etc). Prior to that I had worked with both the BBC and ITV at the start of daytime television, and on programmes ranging from ‘A Question of Sport’ to ‘A Week in Politics’, ‘This Morning’ to ‘The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes’. For ‘This Morning’ I worked on both the Phone-in ‘Advice’ lines and as a dispatcher of fact sheets, alongside Caroline Aherne whilst we both fought to forge our careers within television. I am fortunate to be able to say I have found each work opportunity rewarding and each challenge fulfilling. Perhaps that is the secret to my success and why I have enjoyed so many of the projects I have felt privileged to lead.Career highlights, so far, have included leading the PR at London 2012 for Wheelchair Rugby; Guiding CRAC (Careers Research Advisory Centre) to a position of media dominance in Educational comment (and its Chief Exec to be the first ever winner of ‘Come Dine With Me’); Getting Radio Two to broadcast live from a star-studded Birmingham theatre first night, for a show which outsold all West End theatre; and leading the PR response to the Dawlish Rail crisis (which saw the Chair of Visit Devon tackle 16 separate national TV interviews in one day).Personal highlights include scoring a goal on Manchester United’s football pitch whilst wearing a Plymouth Argyle strip; working with the lovely Stella Parton; and moving to Devon full time 15 years ago.