The Who

• Glasgow-born, then whooshed at age 8 to the wilds of North Herts as our family followed work, in a fine but sad Scottish tradition.
• From a brilliant comp with ace teachers I went to the fabulous Mansfield College at Oxford Uni (English course 2: Old Norse, sociolinguistics, history of the language), and got active in student politics and became a sabbatical at the students’’ union (some Lib Dem called Liz Truss was my women’s committee exec support…).
• Then off to Westminster to be a lobbyist, just in time for the “cash for questions” scandals, and volunteered in Labour’s Millbank ’97 film unit. I ran campaigns that removed VAT from incontinence pads, won fast-tracked benefits for people with motor neurone disease, and supported the – very lengthy – battle for compensation and an inquiry for people whom the NHS treated with infected blood.
• I ran for Parliament in 2001, and then in 2005 (via some senior communications jobs at the RNID and BAA) I set up my own strategic comms consultancy. I’ve led some awesome teams and projects at the RSC, Dept for Transport, Heathrow Airport, Arts Council England, West of England Combined Authority and many more. 
• I’m fascinated by human connection, communication, behaviour, equality/equity and stories with deep social, even anthropological, roots. For me, it’s the how that matters as much as the what – just as with campaigns, if stories are going to have impact, they need to connect, with humour, warmth, wit, and surprise.
• What else? I’m a happy solo mum, a daily Norwegian learner, irregular French Horn player, and a drama/comedy hoover.

You can listen to an hour “all about me” – now almost 2y old, mind! – as I join the great guests of the Second Chapter podcast. Recorded in October 2021: here.

I have been very generously supported by Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting, Screen Yorkshire’s Triangle, C21 and Script Angel, Society of Authors, Old Vic New Voices, the Soho Theatre, Rondo Theatre Bath, Theatre West, LOST, Theatre Royal Bath, Bristol Old Vic, Exeter BikeShed, the Society of Authors and twice by The Peggy Ramsay Foundation.  And very, very generously supported by a load of fabulous individuals I won’t damn by naming (if you’re thinking of when we did a thing together, then yes: I’m referring to you).

If you’d like to get in touch, please drop me a line.