What's your role at Rise at Seven?
Brew maker, headache causer and UK & International PR Director
I lead the entire UK & International PR department, ensuring our reactive and campaign teams across Europe have search and creativity at the heart of everything they do. From newsjacking to show-stopping campaigns, I make sure our work drives tangible results in rankings, traffic and revenue - not just headlines.
Where did it all start for you?
I fell into PR by accident back in 2010 when I was choosing which university to go to. I was looking at Business Studies courses as I couldn’t make a decision back then and I had no real idea what I wanted to do. I went with my mum to tour the cities, we went to Liverpool, straight into the Wetherspoons and within five minutes I just said ‘I’m going here’ with no look at the rest of the city or campus. The course at LJMU also incorporated PR, and that’s where it all began.
After uni, I was working in a bar, before I decided to put my PR and social skills to use and applied for a PR Intern role at Global Brands - an independent drinks company that creates a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
There, I did traditional PR, social and events for brands including Hooch, VK and Franklin & Sons, working my way up to PR Manager where I got to run really exciting product launches, events, and my passion for PR and advertising grew.
Next stop: Manchester, where I joined Wavemaker North and discovered the world of Digital PR. I became obsessed with links, visibility, and helping brands own their online space. I even helped launch their influencer service and worked on brands like PZ Cussons, St. Tropez, and TransPennine Express.
When I decided to return back to Sheffield, there was only one place I was heading - Rise at Seven, I contacted Carrie about roles and started as employee 12 as a PR Strategist. I worked on huge campaigns and clients, finding my love for reactive PR, proceeding to head up the Rise Live team in 2022, to now taking on all PR services for International & the UK.
Experience so far:
I’ve worked across a range of industries and love that every day is different.
GoCompare, Capital One, Klarna, Clearscore, Revolution Beauty, Dermalogica, Beauty Pie, MyProtein, Lounge Underwear, GoCompare, Swinton Insurance, Nasty Gal, B&Q, Wayfair, Parkdean Resorts, PLT, Missguided, AXA, Beauty Pie, Pooky, Cloud Nine, Glow Hub, GWR, Healthcare Transformers, Sixt, Interflora, LookFantastic, Emirates Group, Under Lucky Stars, Pcloud, Shark, Ninja, Skiddle, Tropic Skincare, St Tropez, PZ Cussons, Carex, Europcar and many more to come…
What I’m best at:
Keeping calm in chaos and creative ideas is my strong point, but reactive PR is my absolute baby. I launched the Rise Live service 3 years ago - the leading reactive team for helping brands hijack viral moments and turn trends into traffic, and I’ll still sneak on brainstorms whenever I can and support the team in making ideas even bigger.
What I’m known for:
Talking fast but thinking faster about absolutely anything - how all great PR ideas are made.
I’m also passionate about helping people find roles where they can genuinely thrive - seeing the Rise team grow, especially in their skills, is still one of my proudest achievements.
Strong opinion I have about my craft:
You can learn what you want about PR, but not knowing how to spot a relevant hook means you’re fucked. Overcomplicating is what stands in your way of ranking higher organically because simplicity and relevance will outrank complication every time.
Fun fact:
I’ve been to a garden party with the queen at Buckingham Palace, sent a cease and desist from The Rock (true story) and can balance a drink on my head 4 out of 10 times.