Contributors
Jacqui is one of Edelman London’s longest serving consultants, having lead the online communications team for five years following her defection from Edelman Technology in 2001.
She has worked in online and offline PR for around 12 years, during which she has managed numerous local and international campaigns for consumer brands, corporates, NGOs and public bodies. Her particular areas of interest are in understanding how the internet is reshaping our consumption of news, and how online conversations can build and destroy brands. Her particular dislikes include mushrooms, bad grammar and gratuitous use of online animation.
Jacqui dipped her toe into the blogosphere for around six months in 2006 whilst travelling and volunteering in Central America, but this is the first time she has been brave enough for full immersion.
Amy graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2005 with a BA in English Literature. During this time, she was a member of the production team for the award-winning SURE Radio.
Having taken a year out, she fulfilled a lifelong ambition to travel around the world, visiting the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia. Amy has worked at a variety of media organizations including a top advertising agency and an independent television company.
In her spare time she enjoys traveling, going to the gym, the cinema, eating out and reading. Amy joined the team in February 2007 and is delighted to be working with EIS.
Jeanette Fikke, account manager
Jeanette joined Edelman on the Graduate Training Scheme in September 2004. As part of the Edelman Interactive Solutions team she is working on a range of projects in the corporate, consumer and not-for-profit sectors. Her main areas of expertise are project planning, online marketing and content management.
Her experience prior to joining Edelman was with Hilton Group where she worked with online marketing offers on Scandinavian and UK websites.
Jeanette’s interests are online media, telecoms and in her spare time she enjoys reading, playing squash, travelling and skiing. Jeanette has a MA in Public Communication and PR from Westminster University and a BA (Hons) in Broadcast Journalism from The Nottingham Trent University.
Mats Löfgren, interactive developer
Mats joined the Edelman Interactive Solutions team in April 2004 adding an in-house production capacity to the party.
With over 8 years experience in new media and online communications (of which more than 6 years spent in a PR environment) Mats has worked with a wide range of companies - from a host of blue chips clients to government institutions and charity organisations.
Although more of a new media decathlonist than a specialist, Mats is especially interested in online usability and how people interact on the web. He also keeps an eye out for developments in the areas of accessibility, webstandards and where the online world is heading in general.
Shirin (Sherri) Majid, associate creative director
Sherri brings a decade of marketing communications experience to Edelman’s interactive group in London. As creative strategist and senior copywriter, Sherri develops breakthrough concepts and copy for interactive campaigns by translating brand messages and marketing objectives into effective online creative strategies.
A passionate writer, Sherri’s deep understanding of diverse consumer and healthcare audiences enables her to write tailored content that produces measurable results. And you name it, Sherri has written it.
Prior to joining the interactive group in January 2005, Sherri wrote on- and offline communications as an editorial supervisor in Edelman’s Editorial Services group in Edelman’s New York office.
Sherri earned a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin. After graduation in 1996, she was asked to serve as a writing consultant at the university’s Undergraduate Writing Center. A citizen of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, Sherri has lived in 10 cities in Europe and North America.
Neil Major, senior account manager
Neil joined Edelman in February 2007 from Text 100 where he focused on the NXP, Avaya, Philips, Amdocs, IBM and Pelikon accounts. On a day to day basis Neil provides consultancy on providing digital service such as virals and website builds to clients as well as blogs, forums, social networking and the wider web.
Neil has worked in the PR industry for nearly five years and prior to Text 100 he worked with August One, a sister company to Text 100 and part of the NextFifteen network.
Moreover, Neil sent his first email aged 10 and has been on the internet since 1993. It has formed part of his job since the late 90s when he worked for magazines such as PC Advisor, Computer Arts and Web User (where he was part of the founding team).
In his time he has advised companies such as Microsoft, Orange, Coca-Cola, IBM, Olympus , Philips and Palm on how to make the most of the internet and come to terms with the new threats and opportunities that the web makes possible. This experience makes his knowledge and expertise in the industry both extensive and widespread.
Neil has achieved a BA Hons in History and Politics and an MA (Mass Communications). Whilst at Leicester University he also edited the student newspaper. Outside of work, Neil’s interests range from rock climbing to reading. He also likes to cook and perhaps unsurprisingly loves surfing the ‘net.
Tom Merrifield, assistant account executive
Thomas graduated in Law from King’s College London having studied modules including trusts, tort, media, medical, and criminology. He captained the men’s badminton team and is a keen sports enthusiast having played rugby and football and swam at a competitive level. Thomas enjoys travelling and has travelled independently across Vietnam and Asia and parts of the USA and Europe. Thomas is also a qualified skydiver and scuba diver and when he’s not falling from the sky or rising from the ocean, enjoys organising, running and attending clubnights across London.
Bhavesh Patel, Web designer
Bhavesh has been in EIS since the beginning of February 2007, specialising in diverse skills in web design and
development to meet today’s web standards.
He previously worked at Confetti UK’s largest weddings online retailer undergoing its assistance on redesigning of its website as well as designing advertorial and promos for its clients. As a freelancer he has worked for a number marketing and media companies mostly as an email designer to gain experience to get a foot into the door of the web designer field.
Bhavesh studied Computing science in graphics and games at the University of Middlesex to pursue his goal of becoming a creative programmer, but also took a module in web applications development with the aid of being a skillful illustrator, combining the two has made him a versatile individual for EIS.
In his spare time, you are likely to find Bhavesh either doodling away in a sketchpad or down the pub.
Alumni - gone but not forgotten
Stephen Davies, online communications
Stephen is a public relations graduate from the University of Sunderland and an account executive in the online communications team. He has a strong interest in, and knowledge of, how new media technologies are changing the PR profession and the wider media, and has been writing about these changes on his personal blog since April 2005.
At Edelman Stephen worked with a range of clients by integrating new technologies and methods communication into overall PR campaigns.
Stephen is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and held the CIPR student representative position for the University of Sunderland. Prior to joining Edelman he worked for a number of small boutique agencies in the North East of England.