I’ve been working as freelance journalist and communications consultant since 2006. I have a true portfolio career. I write technical articles on pensions for specialist publications. A few times a month I can be found summarising the business news on Times Radio.
I also help companies to produce readable blog posts, white papers, monthly updates and book chapters. I’m great at coming up with topics for panel discussions and working with spokespeople to develop a punchy presentation. Other passions include a series of blogs explaining the UK pension landscape. And I’m getting to grips with digital marketing and effective use of social media.
This is my second career; after University I worked as investment analyst for six years covering the pharmaceutical sector. This gave me a solid technical understanding of a broad range of financial topics.
In the two years before starting work as a freelance, I was fortunate enough to garner a two-year contract as a somewhat long-in-the-tooth graduate trainee for the Guardian’s business and economic desk. That national newspaper experience proved invaluable.
Demanding editors have taught me the importance of producing a high-quality first draft that needs minimal re-writes along with the importance of producing copy quickly.
My corporate clients appreciate the journalistic skills I bring to their projects. I ensure they are putting their potential customers front and centre in their communication materials, make sure there is strong ‘hook’ to the story to draw in the reader and make the technical accessible while remaining correct.