Career History
My professional journey from 2007 onwards
Travelzoo. UK.
August 2007 – December 2008
Where it all started! I sourced travel deals and worked with a range of established holiday and flight providers to help create the world’s biggest travel deals email, sent to more than one million curious, price-conscious subscribers. It wasn’t 100% journalism. Neither was it purely copywriting. But it taught me how to write with brevity without sacrificing creativity.
ASICS. Remote in Austria & Sweden.
May-December 2011
In the early days of social media marketing, before anyone really knew what they were doing, I worked as a social media community manager for a women's collection of clothing and footwear for ASICS, called Ayami. I planned and wrote all the content. I built a community with no advertising budget from 0-10,000 in a little over six months. I learned how powerful social media can be, but also how fickle of a beast it is. This role taught how to plan and structure content, learn from mistakes and adapt to the audience.
Freelance Freedom. Remote in Austria & Sweden.
January 2009 – December 2013
Despite the world tumbling into economic collapse and my family and friends telling me I was mad, I moved to the Austrian Alps to become a snowboard instructor and put my NCTJ to good use writing features about women in – what was known at the time as – ‘extreme sports’. I wrote about backcountry snowboarding, competitive snowboarding, snowkiting, surfing as well as loads of health and fitness features. Needless to say, I got quite good at sniffing out ideas that magazines would actually pay – a pittance – for. I learned a thing or two about structuring stories and what messages are actually marketable.
Journalism didn’t pay the bills though. Copywriting did. I wrote SEO articles, blog posts, product descriptions and on-site branded content for everyone from British Gas to New Look. I learned how to turn sometimes dry and complex content into digestible, engaging communication. And I was fast, efficient and reliable.
IKEA. Sweden.
January 2014 – August 2015
Back to in-house work with the world’s biggest homewares brand. This role was set up as the classic copywriter/art director pairing to create global ‘source’ material for all local markets to use. I wrote all the copy for the launch of IKEA’s now best-selling kitchen system, including the guide, the PR copy and social media posts. I worked on the creative concept, including writing the copy for the global launch of LED lighting. I did the same for the launch of IKEA Ideas, a magazine-like concept to rival Apartment Therapy and IKEA Hacks. And I worked on the Better Cotton campaign launch, which opened my eyes and career doors to sustainability. This role was an education in tone of voice, creativity and teamwork. I loved my time at IKEA and only left because of a change in personal circumstances.
Oriflame. Sweden.
September 2015 – February 2016
A short contract role as digital copy lead taught me a lot about how to distill science into everyday copy. And, how to do it with just a few easily translatable words. I was primarily writing campaign lines and social media copy for the global team, which would require translation into 15 different languages. This role taught me the power of simplicity. And avoiding colloquialisms.
Fjallraven. Sweden.
March 2015 – March 2018
On paper, this role looked too junior, but I had fallen in love with the Fjallraven brand, so I applied anyway. And this pretty much became my dream job. I started as social media manager, but in the end I managed all content marketing activities – from strategy to writing to reporting – including relaunching the blog. I learned how technical apparel materials work, the ins and outs of sustainability at a clothing brand, how to manage an event, recruit and manage ‘influencers’, write PR material, present strategy to an audience of over 200 people and manage a global team of social media coordinators. Oh and my colleagues were fantastic and I enjoyed lots of perks, like taking part in the Fjallraven Classic hiking events and product testing in the Alps. Did I say I loved this job?! The biggest take-aways for me were: I enjoyed, and was good at, translating technical content into engaging storytelling; I understood the nuances of sustainability copywriting; and I realised the benefit of having a strong messaging and content strategy for getting the most out of communication.
The North Face. Switzerland.
April 2019 – October 2022
As an outdoor adventure lover, I couldn’t turn down a job at the world’s biggest outdoor gear brand. I swapped Sweden for Switzerland (and Italy) and got stuck into product messaging strategy, tone of voice guidelines, creative copy direction and some more blog content garnered from interviewing some of the world’s biggest outdoor athletes (and heroes of mine). I worked on a whole bunch of campaigns for the European market, but I was particularly proud of the launch of The North Face Renewed, the re-sale platform of refurbished TNF goods. I also worked on two International Women’s Day campaigns and the Icons campaign, which involved a lot of nostalgic storytelling. I was also the editor of a mini magazine we created for the launch of a streetwear collection inspired by
Yosemite’s mountain rescrue team of the 1980s. In this role I took my
creative direction skills up a notch.
On. UK.
June 2024 – January 2026
When a role like leading the innovation and tech messaging at a young, inventive sportswear brand trying to take on the industry heavyweights lands in your lap you can’t say no. This position was less about writing copy and more about defining On’s approach to innovation communication. I worked across the entire company, which taught me a lot about patience but also about footwear technologies, how to reach the masses without neglecting On’s base of hardcore runners and how to weave consistent key messages across touchpoints. I helped define On’s approach to sustainability through innovation across both its footwear and apparel technologies.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. UK.
November 2022 – May 2024
After completing the Sustainability in Business course at Cambridge University I took a role in messaging and PR comms for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. I thought I knew about circularity and sustainability. I didn’t know the half of it. At EMF I learned from experts what circularity is, what sustainability isn’t and what businesses should be but aren’t doing. And I took those complex concepts and turned them into digestible messages for time-short CEOs, business professionals and the media. I wrote the speech for EMF’s CEO to present at the Sustainable Fashion Awards in Milan. I wrote talking points for the Foundation’s team attending the UN’s Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. And I interviewed a range of circular start-ups to create content for EMF’s Network, the biggest circular business network in the world. Suffice to say, I learned a lot, about both the circular economy and creating messages that have impact.
Freelance Freedom (again). UK
On-going
Now I’m joining up the dots to bring it all together. My standout skills are: turning complex concepts into engaging, digestible communication; developing strategic messaging frameworks that filter down through the funnel, from campaigns to product descriptions; and writing copy that balances warmth and honesty with brand goals. Watch this space!