Communications management

I’m an experienced communications manager who can parachute into projects, learn quickly and help teams engage their stakeholders.

I specialise in supporting new initiatives and complex change programmes, often in the health and higher education sectors. I also review and improve existing communications and processes.

What do I actually do?

• Research – I meet with stakeholders, audit current activities and make pragmatic recommendations.
• Planning – I ask questions and develop strategies, plans, messages and processes that are aligned to broader programmes of work.
• Management – I collaborate across organisations to project manage the delivery of communication and engagement activities and contribute to operational decision-making.
• Content – I develop simple content to explain complex ideas to diverse audiences, including staff, students, senior leaders, participants, neighbours and supporters.

“I really can’t emphasise enough how much your skill and effort has carried the initiative to this point.”

– COVID-19 saliva testing programme colleague

While my background is in communications, I’m an organiser at heart and bring project management skills to all of my work.

I am in my element contributing to fast-moving initiatives and am relied on to deliver with minimal fuss, which gives busy leaders one less thing to worry about.

Unlike a full-time contractor, I work flexibly and at short notice. This is often of use to:

• Internal communications managers who are already stretched but frequently called on to support new initiatives in their organisations.
• Change programme leaders who are under pressure to engage their colleagues but don’t have anyone looking after their communications.
• Service design teams that are looking to improve the way they talk to their partners and other stakeholders.
• Sustainability managers who are eager to communicate environmental objectives and improvements, especially before external audits.

“You’ve made a huge difference to the way that we talk about sustainability. Everything is so much more understandable.”

– Environment and sustainability manager

Ultimately, how does this help organisations?

• Well-managed communications increase the effectiveness of projects, ensuring that stakeholders are engaged, better informed and less anxious about change.
• Proper planning helps teams to do more with limited time and budgets, getting clear messages out to the right people, at the right time and in the right way.
• Having a trusted adviser who’s a quick learner and strong organiser reduces pressure on local teams, freeing them up to focus on what they do best.

“You have been an essential member of the project team. Your ideas, enthusiasm and commitment have been integral to the success of our work.”

– Business improvement project colleague

My recent communications experience

• Through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I managed the communications for a groundbreaking saliva testing trial, collaborating at pace with NHS, local government, public health, school and university teams to build a new service from the ground up, engage participants and share lessons for wider rollouts (case study). When the programme expanded, I consulted on the transition to new management and then helped a participating university with its communications about COVID safety on campus.

• I delivered all the communications for the co-design of a new business school building and the subsequent move of more than 200 people (case study).

• I co-created a strategy for a university looking to define its direction and objectives for the next decade (case study).

• I coordinated the communications for a programme of work designed to encourage health practitioners to explore routes into academic research – including the launch of a new network and supporting website (case study).

• I worked with an MBA leadership team to research, prioritise and then project manage a number of improvements to their internal and external communications (case study).

• I collaborated across a large organisation to find new and innovative ways to celebrate investments in energy reduction, using the communications to positively influence behaviours. This work was subsequently commended by ISO 14001 auditors (case study).

• I audited and improved communications for apprentices within a higher education institution, recognising that they had very different needs and priorities to the cohorts that they learned alongside. This contributed to an improvement in the apprentice experience.

• I managed a campaign to celebrate investments in the student experience at a Russell Group university, including generating initial ideas, coordinating external designers and planning its roll-out across the institution.

• I led the communications for a university faculty restructuring, working with multiple teams and senior leaders to produce simple, accurate content about the complex changes.