People stories

What drew you to working at Hawthorn?

Following my first interview for a role at Hawthorn I immediately had a strong sense of the passion and ambition the agency had and its future direction. It was clear Hawthorn already had a great sustainability offering, headed up by Jamie Plotnek, that I could support and help grow – an opportunity that was too good to pass up. During the interview process I was provided with a consistent view of Hawthorn’s culture: entrepreneurial, hard working and friendly. Over the past six months of working here I have found this to be extremely accurate!

How do you explain what you do to your family and friends?

I help companies and organisations communicate to the public, media and their investors their sustainability commitments and how they are achieving them. From tackling their greenhouse gas emissions to ensuring they are a fair and supportive place to work, every client is trying to manage their risks and communicate their opportunities – and I help them tell their story on how they are doing this with accuracy and confidence.

Tell us about your hobbies / how do you like to spend your free time?

Most of my time not in the office is split between being out in nature or in the kitchen. I love nothing more than exploring London’s best nature spots with my one-year old daughter and I am a proud member of the London Wildlife Trust. To unwind I try and cook new and exciting things regularly, which is hopefully encouraging my daughter to become a lifelong adventurous eater.

What career advice would you give to your younger self?

You have always been passionate about sustainability, from Geography being your favourite subject at school to studying it for your undergrad. Corporate sustainability will explode in importance and you should be confident to dive straight into a sustainability-related job out of uni. Ultimately, don’t be afraid to follow your passion and make a life-long career out of it.

How important is sustainable work to you? How would you define it?

Sustainability is hugely important and is central to all my work. Every organisation should think about how they should manage their long-term impacts, from how they support their customers to the companies they may consider acquiring. By taking a sustainability communications approach to all our work we can ensure companies accurately tell their value creation story and can maintain their licence to operate for the long-term.