Gareth Thomas

Brands2Life, Director / Head of Interact
Member of the agency management team responsible for the strategic direction of agency and clients.

Responsibilities:
• Strategic input into overall direction of agency, new business lead-gen and pitching
• Strategic direction of campaigns for clients
• Campaign budgets, staff resourcing and overall agency performance targets
• Authoring and proofing written materials
• Management of staff and direct appraisal responsibility for eight staff including review, training, and guidance
• Clients: Business Objects, ES&S, Simpay; Informa; CeBIT; Akonix; Double Negative; Kalido; Commerce One; Baltimore Technologies; Corizon, Tridion.

Sector: Consulting and Services

Award-winning hi-tech PR agency - consumer and B2B

Main day-to-day contact for clients/media, implementation of campaigns and management of teams.

Responsibilities:
• Media and client liaison, writing of press materials
• Contribution to campaign planning, new business pitching
• Reporting and administration of accounts
• Interviewing and inducting new staff
• Clients: BT; Bull; Northgate Information Solutions; Hybyte; Radware

Key achievements:
• Devised and ran campaign for BT to promote leadership in Internet telephony market. Commissioned strategic research resulting in 12 press interviews and more than 35 press articles. Independent measurement showed BT had no 1 share of voice in this space by end of campaign.
• Launch of e-procurement software start-up, including press tour, analyst influencer program and thought leadership campaign. More than 200 cuttings in 12 months.
• Launched Internet casino, using glamour model photo call. More than 30 pieces of coverage and 40 per cent increase in website traffic.
• Review program and thought leadership campaign for Israeli software firm.
• Managed public sector campaign for Northgate including opinion piece writing and news announcements.

Sector: High Tech

Employment Service, Department for Education and Employment, Press Officer

Responsibilities:
• Interface with minister’s office for Employment Service London and SE region
• Counsel to Regional Director on media issues
• Point of advice for more than 200 job centres across region
• Facilitator of all national, regional and broadcast media visits to Jobcentres
• Management of PR assistant
• Contributor to national staff magazine

Key achievements:
• Managed region’s media launch of Government’s “New Deal” back-to-work scheme, including launch venue preparation, inviting and hosting press, writing Minister’s launch speech. Secured coverage in Economist, minority ethnic press, disability media and regional press, as well as managing PR for six-part radio documentary for Today program.
• Established press office processes and procedure from scratch which subsequently acted as template for other regions. Wrote media guidance and trained network of regional press officers.
• Set up and wrote monthly “London Works” newsletter for ES partners and employers.
• Managed media interest in job centre riot, securing coverage which portrayed Jobcentre staff in favourable light.