A business & marketing specialist who loves travel!

Communications Professional

I'm a senior professional with more experience than I care to admit, having worked in travel, marketing and communications for over two decades! The majority of this time has been working within the travel industry. Several years of tourism specific agency work saw me managing a variety of campaigns for over 50 travel and tourism businesses and organisations giving me a real breadth of experience. Following this, for over 10 years I worked as Head of Marketing in-house for luxury travel and safari specialist tour operators. I've also undertaken consultancy projects as a trouble-shooter and strategist.

I currently work as Head of Communications for Nawiri Group, supporting the group brands with their incredible products, while shaping and telling the stories of the groups ambitious impact work. Their vision is to protect and restore some of the most vital natural ecosystems in the world, while improving the opportunities and livelihoods of the people living in and around these amazing wilderness areas.

The Things I Do!

I'm lucky to have been able to get very hands-on in a number of marketing areas throughout my career, giving me a broad skill set. I'm both creative and analytical, equally comfortable with areas such as running in-depth technical SEO audits as I am writing and designing printed materials. I go all-in on whatever I'm working on, obsessing over the little details into the early hours of the morning, problem solving in my mind while out running, and vehemently reading and learning all I can on a subject, fuelled by  curiosity and innovation. I've delivered great results across a number of areas including SEO, PPC, CRO, website design and development, social media, and email marketing to drive enquiries, revenue and a strong ROI. On the creative front I've headed up projects around brand identity, print design, editorial, video editing, podcasts, and more. I'm commercially minded and laser-focused, using my skills as a tool for driving business growth. My strongest interests revolves around content creation, finding the narrative and telling the stories that emerge around us. My true loves are print, design and photography; I spend far too much money on indie magazines!

I Love Exploring The World

I've never been one for keeping a count of how many places I've been... for starters "the rules" as to what counts as a visit is divisive, and for me, keeping a tally would discourage repeat visits to wonderful places in order to check off somewhere new. That said, based on my last attempted tally I've "physically visited" around 70 countries across all seven continents. I love travel so have always prioritised it in life, and have been lucky to have some fantastic opportunities; I truly, deeply, appreciate it every time I'm able to get on a plane. I'm often asked where my favourite place is, which is tough as I've been to many amazing places. If I can choose a type of place it would definitely be the remote and wild though. Maybe Madagascar would be my favourite; I've spent a lot of time there in recent years. Sub-Sahara Africa has captured my heart and you can't beat the energy of being in the bush, while Cape Town is my favourite city. I return as often as possible. The polar regions also have a place in my heart, having visited nine times now. My shelves groan from the sheer volume of books I've collected on subjects such as polar exploration and African history over the last 25 years!

Expeditions

I've always really enjoyed the elements of bringing together travel product, trip planning and managing logistics. I have run and co-led a number of expeditions, primarily focused around a specialist interest, such as photography or kayaking. Over the last few years destinations have included Arctic Svalbard, Norway, Madagascar and North Atlantic Islands. Typically, trips are run with a difference to offer a more immersive experience of a destination, and importantly to me, giving back directly to the local economy in rural areas where often tourism dollars don't reach.

Having built up a wealth of experience managing trips, I've acquired a few credentials and qualifications related to this area. These include crisis management handling, an ITC Level 3 Award in Outdoor First Aid, and a plethora of RYA and Paddlesport UK awards.