The Fly UX mobile app was designed as a project during my ‘Professional Diploma in UX Design’ course with the UX Design Institute.

The project (my first in UX design) was tailored to guide me through the process of researching, designing, and prototyping a mobile app for a fictional start-up airline.

• Conducted competitive, market, and customer research to better understand the target market and customer needs

• Worked with product management and development as a ‘voice of the customer’ to optimise products and roadmaps

• Redefined product messaging and positioning

• Worked with product partners/vendors to optimise and launch co-branded products as per our brand guidelines

• Collaborated with the user experience team to build better web and product experiences for our customers

• Worked with customers to create case studies based on their experiences with our products and services

• Worked with user experience and development teams to ensure product experiences abided by our brand guidelines

• Worked with user experience team to write content for digital experiences (app screens, landing pages, web pages)

• Conducted audience, competitor, and industry research

As Global Brand Manager, my main role was to oversee and manage global top-of-funnel campaigns and content. Additionally, I was responsible for brand governance and supporting 9 local teams with local campaigns and content.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop global brand campaign strategy, content, and audience journeys

• Partner with internal teams, agencies, and freelancers to create content

• Manage campaign localisation, distribution, and execution across 9 countries

• Partner with digital and data teams to measure and analyse content metrics and performance - optimising, where necessary, to enhance performance

• Strategise and develop external and internal leadership communications

• Ensure campaigns and content support business strategic goals and priorities

• Develop ad-hoc, real-time content to support dynamic business needs

• Manage global content editorial calendar and align with local calendars

• Support regional teams to strategise and enhance local communications

• Lead strategy sessions to align leadership and teams, identify new content needs and opportunities, and foster collaboration

• Partner with internal and external partners to conduct audience, competitor, and industry research and analysis to improve our communications

• Ensure global brand communications are on-brand and consistent

• Develop frameworks, best practices, and processes to aid teams with campaign and content strategy and development

I joined STANLEY Security as a copywriter focused on creating content for our global small business audience, but my role slowly increased in scope. My responsibilities developed from writing to becoming more involved in brand and communications strategy. That role expansion led to my transition and promotion to Global Brand Manager.

Key responsibilities:

• Writing social media posts and blog articles

• Designing social media graphics

• Developing and executing global campaigns

• Assisting regional marketing teams to localise and execute global campaigns

• Liaising with partner agencies and freelancers to produce content (graphics, video, copy)

• Supporting with repositioning the brand and developing new guidelines

• Supporting leadership with external communications

While working full-time at Bartercard, I was also freelancing as a graphic designer for small businesses in my free time. When I was made redundant by Bartercard, I took the opportunity to freelance full-time, and converted into a small 'virtual agency' (Avant Creative). I operated AC by hiring other freelancers to assist me with projects, which included designing logos, brand identities, brand guidelines, and websites.

It wasn't as successful as I had hoped, but as an individual with burning entrepreneurial desire, I found it to be extremely valuable. It's a period that allowed me to test my feet as an entrepreneur, manage people and projects, try ideas, hone my skills, and find myself as a marketer outside of the confinements of a 9-5. I can quite comfortably say it's the period that molded me the most.

After taking the decision to seek full-time employment again, I closed Avant Creative in 2018.

After finishing my initial placement at Bartercard, I took some time off to complete my dissertation and complete my degree. At that point, it was already agreed that I would be back in a permanent capacity as soon as I was ready.

I returned to Bartercard two months later as a Marketing Executive and picked up exactly where I had left off. What followed was almost three years of marketing and leadership development, until I was made redundant in June 2016.

Here's what I got up to:

• Full management of the Bartercard brand in the UK

• Managed and monitored the Bartercard UK website and social media accounts

• Created content for Bartercard UK social media accounts

• Wrote copy for sales and marketing materials

• Managed print and web design for internal and external purposes

• Conducted market research to gather customer and competitor insights

• Developed and managed brand awareness and lead generation campaigns

• Measured and reported on campaign metrics and performance (ROI)

• Built relationships with Bartercard members and partners

• Supported trading teams with customer communications

• Planned events and launches and created collateral

• Co-ordinated joint communications with sponsored sports clubs

• Manged production of the Bartercard members' magazine and directory

• Managed and monitored use of brand to ensure communications comply with guidelines

• Managed relationship with PR agency

This was a placement as part of my degree, and my first venture into the big world of full-time employment as a marketer. I learned more here in 10 months than I did in 3 years at university. It was at Bartercard that I fully realised a career in marketing was what I wanted.

What I loved most about this internship was that I was thrown into the deep-end and had to learn a lot pretty quickly - many things completely by myself. My biggest takeaway was picking up graphic and web design skills, which are capabilities that have served me invaluably since.

Here's what I got up to:

• Co-ordinated company re-branding

• Managed and monitored the Bartercard UK website and social media accounts

• Wrote copy for sales and marketing materials

• Designed art and graphic work for internal and external purposes

• Assisted in development and implementation of new CRM system

• Conducted market research to gather customer and competitor insights

• Developed and co-ordinated brand awareness and lead generation campaigns

• Measured and reported on campaign metrics and performance (ROI)