About

I’m a senior freelance marketing communications consultant, with over 22 years of experience in my field - most of those gained ‘in-house’.

Over the years I’ve worked for a variety of sectors including technology and start ups, healthcare, trade associations, PR consultancies and national charities.

My experience

Before becoming a consultant, I worked in-house at a senior management level for 11 years, growing two marketing communications departments from scratch, and eventually managing teams of up to 7 people. Turnover increased in the last two organisations I worked for  - a large NHS healthcare provider and national charity - by 71% and 66% respectively.

Whether they are for profit or not, every single one of the organisations I have worked for have made the world a better place through their services and products.

For more information on my previous experience, visit my LinkedIn profile.

What I’m like to work with

When I work with founders, CEOs, marketing leads and teams, I listen carefully, and work in a collaborative, empathic and pro-social way. But I’m not afraid to look at the evidence and provide a clear direction for the way forward, if this is what is required.

As a person, I would describe myself as being future-focused, flexible, energetic and entrepreneurial. I have a passion for photography and use creativity in all aspects of my work and life. I combine my consultancy work with a deep love of travelling and can often be found working in different parts of the globe, depending on the clients I have at the time.

Client testimonials

  • "Sam supported us with a range of high profile and crucially important staff engagement and internal communications projects including the development of an internal communications strategy, design and development of colleague experience videos during the pandemic, and the procurement and implementation of a new internal social media platform.

    Her communications knowledge, experience and expertise has been invaluable in all of these projects, and she demonstrated a modern and fresh approach, meticulous planning and organisational skills. She is able to grasp quickly the requirements and translate these into key detailed deliverables, seeing each project through from the scoping phase to successful implementation and evaluation.  She also has the ability to ensure that the wider organisational context and values are embedded into every project.  Sam has a personable and professional approach to her work and has a particular eye for detail, as well as ensuring that communications are engaging, diverse, relevant and accessible. She is a pleasure to work with, and her skills and expertise have been instrumental in helping to drive forward a number of key priorities.” 

    Client: Sarah Margetts, Former Director of People & Development, Sirona care & health

  • "In 2022, Sam guided Unlimit Health (previously SCI Foundation) through the process of developing our new brand strategy.

    From the start, Sam demonstrated the drive required to deliver the project to a very tight deadline. Sam produced a clear timetable and plan and developed a brand model that helped us to articulate who we are, our vision and values. We valued the time that Sam took to understand our work and involve our partners and allies, something which was very important to us. Sam’s confidence and clarity, and her ability to challenge us, helped to make this a smooth process, despite the challenges facing any organisation embarking on a rebrand. Thank you for helping us to come up with a brand that truly reflects our ambition.”

    Client: Paula Plaza, Head of Communications, Unlimit Health

  • “Sam works regularly for our charity on a freelance basis - we highly recommend her.

    Sam created our Squarespace website in 2020, and wrote all the content for it. We then worked with her in 2021 to create a new brand identity for the organisation, with refreshed vision, mission and values. Sam followed this up by creating refreshed brand guidelines which reflected the new brand identity through appropriate key messaging, tone of voice guidelines and photography. She is our go to contact for all things communications and brand related.”

    Client: Julia Carver, Head of Strategy and Development, Safety Net UK

What former colleagues say about my work

  • “I’ve worked alongside Sam for a good number of years and have seen her up close in many different professional situations. Sam is calm, clear thinking and able to get quickly to the heart of complex brand and communications issues.

    I’ve seen Sam plan and host host huge high profile events for hundreds of people, introduce important PR and marketing initiatives to improve brand awareness and customer satisfaction and deliver challenging programmes to revolutionise internal communications.

    Sam is high output, succinct and able to support and effectively challenge senior people in equal measure - exactly as you would want in a marketing communications leader in an organisation where you’re looking to grow and improve.

    Sam is extremely technically knowledgeable, has a great eye for how things look and feel and a natural instinct for the right tone and impact of even the most sensitive ‘crisis comms’.

    I’d highly recommend Sam for any business looking for marketing communications consultancy with impact and integrity. Sam is honest, helpful and able to steer thinking and introduce new ideas with ease.”

    Penny Phillpotts, former People Director and line manager at Bristol Community Health

  • "An unflappable wise head whose strategic approach to clear communications delivers audience engagement and proven results.

    Sam has a great ability to bring others together to achieve shared goals, helping organisations to speak with integrity and clarity. Her work with me at both Kabassa and Corixa Communications enabled consultancy growth through strong client relationships and exceptional service delivery. “

    Matt Exley, former owner of Kabassa Marketing Communications and line manager

  • "Over the 10 years I’ve worked with Sam, I’ve seen her mastermind a range of marketing, communications, brand and digital strategies that have transformed businesses across a range of sectors.

    One of the reasons Sam excels at bringing big ideas to fruition is because of her unique ability to balance a relentless focus on strategic objectives with a pragmatic concern for practicalities. Her flair for problem-solving means she can negotiate challenges with calm and ease, even when the pressure is on.

    Sam is amazing at building the trust and respect of senior stakeholders, because she's never afraid to challenge assumptions and ask the difficult questions to get the right results. She’s also brilliant at building high-performing teams, with a really generous instinct for identifying strengths in people and empowering them to excel.”

    Amy Holgate, former team member at Bristol Community Health

Awards & Recognitions

  • Silver for Best Creative Strategy and Highly Recommended for Naming Strategy, 2016 global Transform Awards (rebrand of CAADA to SafeLives, with Pin Creative).

  • Advice and Guidance Award, Children and Young People's Services Awards 2006 (for the www.thehideout.org.uk for Women’s Aid).

  • Best New Media Campaign Award, Third Sector Excellence Awards 2005 (www.thehideout.org.uk for Women’s Aid).

  • Best Use of New Media category, UK Charity Award 2005 (for www.thehideout.org.uk for Women’s Aid).