HELLO

I started in reference publishing in 1994 as Assistant Editor at Larousse Chambers, working on dictionaries and encyclopedias. Over the course of the next decade or so I worked up through the editorial ranks fulfilling roles from Project Editor to Publishing Manager at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Marshall Editions and Chrysalis Books (now Anova). In 2005 I moved to the Penguin Group to work with DK as Operations Manager for Travel Guides. A range of increasingly senior roles with DK Travel and Rough Guides - two of the world’s leading travel guide brands - followed.

Ultimately working as Publishing Director for Travel gave me experience of managing high-value P&Ls, determining the global, strategic direction of high-profile businesses and running an international team of over 60 creative and technical staff. Team and resource management, process and organisation, commerciality, creativity and strategy were all vital, and I gained invaluable experience in bringing digital skill and market presence to a traditional print publisher. Engagement with the best writers, photographers and illustrators to create products of consistently high quality was crucial.

Acting as the ‘face’ of the brands, I was responsible for writing blogs, marketing material and web copy as well as representing the businesses on broadcast media. These roles built personal resilience, determination and analytical thinking, and cemented the importance of building a strong, knowledgable and opinionated team. From my publishing roles I have gained a diverse set of skills that range from writing and editing to team management, commercial strategy and branding.