As Business Development Manager I am responsible for the consultancy and training work undertaken by the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies, the leading publishing department in the UK. I am also an Associate Lecturer, teaching on the Marketing module of the MA programme.OICPS undertakes consultancy work for publishers and others with publishing interests in the UK and around the world. We have worked for some of the largest companies, NGOs, charities, and other international organisations, and also for small, independently-owned businesses with limited resources.We regularly run training courses for publishers on a wide range of subjects, and design bespoke training courses to run in-house or at Oxford Brookes University, for people who are relatively new to the industry or senior, experienced staff wanting to build their expertise in a specific area. These courses run throughout the UK and internationally.Following a consultancy project I undertook in 2012, sponsored by the Arts Council, OICPS is now a central player in the Oxfordshire Publishing Group (OPG). Following an award of £150,000 to the OPG to develop locally-run training courses for publishers, I am leading the project and working closely with publishers from around the county to make these most effective. I am also coordinating efforts with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to try and widen diversity in the publishing workforce and to encourage publishers to get involved with literacy projects in local schools. Working through Oxford Brookes University and my company, Oxford Creative Marketing, I am also involved in various freelance consultancy projects, advising publishers on their international marketing strategy and supporting efforts to develop publishing programmes.

Oxford Creative Marketing provides freelance marketing services for publishers in the UK and around the world. All aspects of marketing are covered, including: copywriting for fliers, brochures, catalogues etc., design and production of marketing materials, PR and author events, compilation of review lists, and email campaigns.With over 20 years of training experience in the industry, I also run copywriting courses for publishers and others with publishing interests.

When Alice Meadows and I founded Oxford Publicity Partnership (OPP) in 1989, it was the first company to provide freelance marketing services to publishers around the world. We were able to provide all the services normally handled by an in-house publishing company, and ran training courses covering a range of marketing issues.In particular, we acted as the UK and European office of a number of US-based publishing companies, including Westview Press (and latterly the Perseus Books Group), the Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, National Academies Press, Brookings Institute Press, and many others.

I moved to this position because it gave me the opportunity to work on academic, educational and trade books. I was also at the company during the launch of Polity Press and was responsible for the marketing of the new list of books.

My initial role at OUP was in the Sales and Marketing department of the ELT division. After a year, I moved to become Marketing Manager for the Social Science books.