RéSUMé
about me
Non-smoker | Clean driving licence | Living in Benahavís
I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in the fact that I have had a long and fulfilling career in the only job I have ever wanted to do. Coming from an artist mother and a draughtsman father, I suppose my career choice was inevitable - a career that has spanned a few decades and one which has given me much joy and fulfilment.
WORK EXPERIENCE
THE DRAWING ROOM
Hampton, Middlesex
WESTCRETE
Ashford, Middlesex
On leaving school at the age of 17 with three GCSEs, I immediately joined a small local design studio. I was the studio junior and here I learnt the basics of typography and layout
The two lads from The Drawing Room sold out to a larger direct mail company that had its own in-house print works. We handled direct mail projects for local and international companies including Volvo and IBM and I gained a handy knowledge of print production.
GEORGE STREET STUDIOS
Hounslow, Middlesex
I then joined a design company where I was in charge of producing a fortnightly magazine - The Freelance Informer - and travel brochures for British Airways Holidays along with POS for Victoria Wine.
THE CONNECTION GROUP
Maidenhead, Berkshire
An ex-colleague then asked me to join him in a new venture - The Connection Group. Tony Baker had previously been employed by Black & Decker and HJ Heinz in marketing. They came on-board as our first clients and we produced packaging design, direct mail, advertising and POS for them. As we grew we won contracts with Sony (producing technical manuals and specification sheets), and our major client - Sainsbury’s Homebase. I personally managed this client producing POS material and developing a price ticket system. I became a director of the company and, at our height, we had 25 employees. After Tony retired I decided to leave the company for pastures new - namely Spain.
CAREER BREAK
My husband and I moved to Spain in July 2013. We bought two properties in a village north of Ronda. We renovated both houses and used one as a holiday let and the other as a B&B with three letting rooms.
THE OLIVE PRESS
Ronda
During this time I also worked on a part-time basis for the Olive Press newspaper, producing the layouts and many of the adverts therein.
I worked for the OP for seven years, producing 150 issues. I also worked on a freelance basis for two UK real estate agents - Behnam & Reeves Lettings and Hawes & Co. and produced marketing materials for local hotels and businesses here in Spain.
SIMPLY MEDIA GROUP
Estepona
Since January 2013 I have worked for a publishing company in Estepona. We produce top-end magazines and at one time, a fortnightly newspaper.
A BIT MORE ABOUT ME
I like to watch films and TV and to read, socialise and eat out and always look forward to my Friday night out with friends in Benahavis. I also enjoy travelling, especially to areas of Spain that I have not yet explored.
I also really enjoy running a facebook page for Everybody Loves Benahavis
I have a clean driving licence and am a non-smoker. I am quick, conscientious, hard-working, used to long hours and tight deadlines. I have worked in the design industry for over 20 years and am fully proficient in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and I prefer to work on a Mac, although I did use a PC at The Olive Press.