Biography
Journalist, consultant and commentator
With over 20 years marketing and communications experience, for the last eight I have specialized in the youth and family market, and consequently also in ethical and social marketing issues.
In the UK I was a member of the Conservative Party’s Children’s Taskforce and contributed to the Bailey Review “Letting Children Be Children” http://tinyurl.com/3mr3zrf
My commitment to youth and ethical issues is borne of a belief that doing good is good for business, and that young people, whilst they may be stakeholders, consumers and often active participants in modern day business, need to be protected and treated carefully. I believe it’s in both society’s and the business community’s interest to do so.
To this end I have worked in a consultative, strategic and implementational capacity for a number of brands:-
- Multi media marcomms strategies for organisations that include the Children’s Sunshine Home, Ulster Bank, EUmom, Kleenex, Intel.
- A bespoke children’s Code for RTE Junior.
- A review with analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, the school programme The Incredible Edibles for Agri Aware/Bord Bia.
- Entry-stage market analysis and NPD
- “Talking Family”, the Failte Ireland workbook and workshop programme for tourist service providers.
As a Senior Consultant at Keating & Associates www.keating.ie I have managed the event and media relations for the National FIS Film Festival attended by the President Michael D Higgins and 700 primary school children.
In February 2012 the series “Meet My Grandparents” which I co-produced with John Davis is being aired on RTE Junior Radio http://www.rte.ie/digitalradio/rtejr/index.html
I write a monthly ethical and social marketing column in Irish Marketing Journal, and am a regular radio contributor – Lunchtime, The Right Hook, Tubridy, The Business, Down to Business, Coleman at Large - on ethical and youth/family issues.
I’ve published extensively in both UK & Irish trade magazines, and as well as speaking at various conferences (Kids Summit, AAI, Smarter Travel) and have lectured students on the CAM course.
I cut my teeth in communications in London where I founded the award winning top 75 PR agency Eulogy! in 1996, working with Bank of Ireland, News International, Royal Mail and Securicor. After selling the agency in 2004 I did an Executive MBA at Henley Management College, during which I created the unique concept and model Kids Social Responsibility.