Skills and Areas of Expertise

Industries Covered

I’ve covered many industries as both a freelance reporter and corporate communications professional, including:

• Enterprise Technology (including AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, analytics, machine learning, the blockchain, data centres, telecommunications, devices, and other buzzwords I’m likely forgetting)
• Financial Services (including banking, accounting, insurance, and personal finance)
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• Politics (municipal, provincial, and federal)
• Education (public, private, and postsecondary)
• Business Management
• Real Estate
• Urban Development
• Food and Beverage
• The Arts (including film and theatre)

Former Clients

Over my three and a half years at Porter Novelli, my enterprise technology clients included:

• Financial services-focused analytics software developer FICO
• Accounting software developer Sage
• Data centre and colocation services provider Equinix
• Marketing and creative software developer Adobe
• Cybersecurity software developer Palo Alto Networks
• Accounts receivable software developer VersaPay
• Semiconductor manufacturer Renesas
• Hard drive manufacturer Western Digital
• Mathematical computing software developer MathWorks
• Fleet management technology developer Zonar.

Executive Communications

As a freelance reporter, I learned not only how to connect with residents, business owners, and politicians, but professionals of all levels, from entry-level hires to senior executives and CEOs. Near the end of my journalism career I also joined up with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Toronto chapter, whose administrators were impressed enough by my experience to choose me as one of two members to run its bimonthly newsletter, Communicator. I seized this opportunity to not only network and learn everything I could about corporate communications, public relations (PR), and marketing, but develop my leadership and editorial management skills as well.

In my first corporate job, Porter Novelli, I became the go-to writer for executive thought leadership, uniquely skilled at discussing a leader’s area of expertise with them and phrasing it in a way that eloquently captured whatever ideas they wanted their target audiences to remember. At BMO I served as the communications lead for four of my division’s seven executive leaders, and at Robert Half I developed briefing notes, speeches, presentations, and other materials for director-level executives.

I hope to continue developing my executive communications expertise wherever I land next!

Event Planning and Presentations

As a student of Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism, I didn’t just learn to how to interview subjects, shoot their photos, and frame and structure a story – I founded and ran Oakham Amateur Campus Theatre, a student-led organization that produced four one-act play festivals and a full-length production of Frankenstein during my tenure. It also earned me a two-year staff position as the school’s Societies Assistant, and outlived me by at least four years, still holding auditions for one-acts when I returned for a semester as its school newspaper’s production coordinator.

Between these roles I received crash courses in administration, event planning, speech writing, fundraising, giving large group presentations, marketing, and people management, all of which have served me well in my career since. I found the event management process similar when supporting ITWC events such as Technicity and the ITWC Digital Transformation Conference and Awards; internal events at BMO including virtual presentations, PowerPoint slides, and quarterly town halls; and when submitting speaking requests, coordinating with event partners, and developing presentation decks, speeches, and panel notes for executives at Robert Half.

Whether your needs are remote, hybrid, or on-site, I am a more than capable event planner, speech writer, and presentation developer, and would be an asset to any event management or presentation team!

Marketing and Social Media Management

While I’ve never been a social media or marketing manager per se, both are prominent skills in my toolbox. As a freelance journalist I also developed SEO-optimized marketing copy for small businesses, notably Miracle Movers and niche publisher Master Point Press, skills I carried over to my first full marketing position at Robert Half.

Meanwhile, I’ve applied my social media skills at ITWC, where my duties included running the social media accounts for both myself and ITBusiness.ca; Porter Novelli, where I ran the social media accounts for Sage and Adobe; and Bank of Montreal and Robert Half, where I contributed to social media content for both the executives I supported and the companies in general.

I’ve used Hootsuite, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and especially LinkedIn for social media content, Google Analytics and Semrush for SEO, Adobe Creative Cloud (including Photoshop) and Canva for designs, and am quick to learn new platforms. I’m also a proficient podcaster and videographer, having done both at ITWC.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Porter Novelli I developed corporate communications experience by contributing to the company’s internal Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) team and Disability Inclusion Task Force (DITF). This included developing company-wide emails, planning activities to mark occasions such as the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and running webinars on how companies can discuss controversial news and create a more inclusive working environment.

As a person with a disability, the latter subject was especially important to me. You can read the blog I wrote about it here.

I also contributed to DE&I initiatives at BMO, including emails, events, and presentations, including a virtual presentation marking Pride Month, Juneteenth, and National Indigenous History Month/Peoples Day.

At Robert Half I served as the company liaison for charitable and industry association partners, helping arrange and contributing to volunteer activities with organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and Davenport-based community food bank TheStop.

Whatever your organization’s DE&I or community outreach initiatives, rest assured I’ll eagerly contribute to them!