Profile

Built, not bought
Born to two teachers (of music and design technology) I grew up in a household rich in books and curiosity rather than material excess. I started working at 13, keen to earn a little independence. British state-schooled and Cambridge-educated in European literature, I’ve always worked hard, appreciated the heady privilege of access to exceptional education, and had a fervent love of learning. I seem to have made a habit of choosing discomfort; my journey has often felt like an upstream whitewater swim; but an exhilarating one in which I'm frequently bonked on the head with interesting lessons (and don't come near to drowning too often).

Adventurously inclined
My first grown-up job was a Communications internship at the Foreign Office in Berlin, where, after anxiously observing others, I followed suit and launched myself into the perpetually looping, open-sided paternoster elevator (a sort of politely whirring death trap, I wonder if it's still there...), handed over my passport, and was entrusted with a handful of ‘confidential’ manila files far sooner than seemed strictly advisable. It was all wildly exciting, and set a slightly inconvenient precedent for the rest of my life.

What followed has been a career spent between Europe and Southeast Asia, with the longest stretch in Singapore — still home in many ways. My work has spanned Communications, Advertising, Content Strategy, PR and Marketing, often sitting somewhere in the overlap between them. I’ve worked with a wide cast of characters: a highly influential billionaire founder with a very distinct sense of how the world should work, the C-suite of one of the world’s leading management consultancies, and pioneering health tech start-ups sprinting their way from funding round to funding round.

Cutting through
Much of my work involves taking ideas that are complex, technical, or esoteric, and ideally turning them into something clear, coherent and compelling. I've pitched and developed multi $m advertising packages for CNBC’s creative studio, contributed, through marketing campaigns, to the growth of a $2bn order book for a pioneering electric aviation programme, written event speeches and television talking points for prominent executives, and worked quietly behind the scenes on high-stakes crisis and change management frameworks. The work often sits close to decision-making and just out of view, which suits me well.

I work closely with AI tools to strengthen both the pace and precision of my work; from building assistants and automating targeted news updates to running sentiment analyses and prototyping content. I find it best as a tool, not a crutch (and am always impressed how it takes on the chin the odd all-caps rant with gratifying contrition. I promise my colleagues are spared this treatment).

The best managers still know where the bodies are buried
As my career has edged into more senior territory, my role has naturally tilted toward strategic guidance and stakeholder management rather than always being in the weeds of drafting copy. There's a particular sort of leader who delegates everything and calls it perspective; I've never been entirely convinced. I still write for the pleasure of it (weekends included), but I genuinely enjoy architecting the bigger picture, gaining the trust of decision-makers, and seeing an effective campaign land well.

Helping younger creatives find their voice in writing and content strategy is one of the more rewarding parts of the job. The discipline of good writing and the core tenets of advertising feel increasingly diluted in an ever more automated world, and I care about helping to keep that craft sharp and human, and trying to give back in a small way.

I’ve worked on an unlikely kaleidoscope of projects, and I’ve loved what I do. It helps. Colleagues have ranged from traders to consultants, scientists, journalists and all manner of creatives. I thrive on great interpersonal connections, and am buoyed up by a capable, collaborative team. I will always do my best to lift others up; very little of value is accomplished by those who claim a team’s work as their own.

Off the clock
Outside of work, I’m happiest either in motion or at the edges of routine. Trail running somewhere hot and jungly, early mornings with strong coffee and a notebook, long swims, diving, and judo have all, at various points, played their part. Travel and cultural immersion remain a constant, and continue to shape how I see both work and the world.

- Audre Lorde