Barbara is an experienced freelance public relations consultant, with a wide ranging portfolio of services which include project and event manager, corporate company secretary, community arts co-ordinator and corporate community affairs management. She is now based in Cornwall but has clients throughout the UK, and regularly works in London.
Trained initially as a linguist, Barbara has over 25 years' business experience with a number of leading blue chip companies, including working as an executive assistant to some high profile chief executives and chairmen. She has particular expertise in arts and community projects, business administration and client relationship management.
Passionate about supporting charitable companies and the impact on the community, Barbara is currently chair of a West Cornwall arts centre, and a founder director of a charity offering circus training for young people.
Public Relations
A positive approach to external communications and PR - helping small businesses and community organisations build their public image to get the best value from a budget they can afford
- Communication plans and policies
- Public relations strategies
- Media relations - including preparation and issue of media releases and press packs, handling press enquiries, and acting as spokesperson
- Publicity materials and branding advice
- Copywriting
- Sourcing design and print
- Crisis planning and emergency communications
- Maintaining records and evaluating results
- Particular experience in handling media relations for organisations which work with vulnerable people
Event organisation and corporate hospitality
- Customised event organisation to meet the client's needs - from top of the range corporate hospitality and glitzy galas, to conferences, training events, team meetings, management away-days, and fund-raising events
- Developing personalised client contact programmes to maximise the value of business relationships
- Event organisation and management, including budgeting, sourcing venues, speakers, technical support and entertainers
- Guest management - from initial invitation to follow-up
- Table plans
- Calligraphy
Training
- Media familiarisation
- Presentation skills
- Executive PA mentoring
Business, project management and secretarial
- General administration and executive assistance - especially for small businesses and start-ups
- Company secretarial/governance services, AGM/EGM arrangements, maintaining statutory files, and shareholder communications
- Board meeting scheduling and management, preparation of agendas, taking minutes and maintaining bring forward systems
- Taking on tasks and projects that stretch in-house resources
- Travel advice
- Shorthand
- Report writing
- Speech writing
- Mentoring executive assistants to build positive boss/administrator working relationships
- Maximising team skills to improve efficiency and add more value to a business
- Maximising the value of effective networking
Community and arts
For businesses
- Developing and implementing social responsibility policies and programmes, including employee-giving and matched-funding schemes, cause-related marketing and sponsorship
- Developing innovative sponsorship programmes with charities, community and arts organisations
- Team building through fundraising, events and practical community involvement
For community, arts and voluntary organisations
- Advice on sponsorship and fund-raising
- Organisational development consultancy, strategic advice and practical help
- Setting up, and development of, appropriate legal entities to meet the organisations' needs (eg. charities, charitable companies, community interest companies)
- Meeting facilitation
- Mentoring key staff
For both
- Devising and managing innovative fundraising campaigns and events
- Advising on sponsorship, including liaison between partners to put in place robust and effective agreements to meet the needs of all parties, and co-ordination of these programmes
- Evaluation of sponsorship/partnership programmes