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Britain in Hong Kong magazine, 2018 – present

May 2016 – present: Editor, Britain in Hong Kong magazine

A bi-monthly magazine with a readership of 15,000, Britain in Hong Kong is the official publication of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. It is circulated to members in Hong Kong and overseas, and also business class lounges for British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic in London and Hong Kong, as well as on-board British Airways flights between London and Hong Kong.

Additional responsibilities:

  • Generating ideas for feature articles
  • Commissioning feature articles
  • Feature writing
  • Editing copy from contributors
  • Liaising with advertising team
  • Managing magazine workflow
  • Managing flatplan
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Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong, 2016 – present

Oct 2016 – present: Digital & Social Media Editor, Foreign Correspondents’ Club

The most famous press club in the world, the FCC Hong Kong is a non-profit private members’ club steeped in history.  It regularly hosts high calibre guest speakers, such as former Hong Kong governor, Lord Patten; and veteran TV presenter and historian, Jonathan Dimbleby.

As a staunch supporter of press freedom in a city where such freedoms are gradually being eroded, the club has been referred to as the last bastion of free speech in Hong Kong.

Additional responsibilities:

  • Developing social media strategy for one of the world’s oldest press clubs
  • Updating all social media platforms daily
  • Updating website, writing news stories, producing profile pieces
  • Covering newsworthy club events live on social media
  • Marketing FCC events across all social media platforms
  • Reporting analytics to the board on monthly basis

Useful links:

 

 

 

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South China Morning Post, Sep 2012 – Dec 2016

I was managing editor of SCMP.com for three years, joining the team just as the website was relaunching. I was responsible for devising and overseeing a strategy to integrate print and digital operations, facilitating a digital-first approach to publishing.

During my time at SCMP, traffic soared from 800,000 monthly page views to, at its height during the 2014 Occupy Central protests, 14.6 million monthly page views.

Additional responsibilities:

  • Utilized analytics tools to make informed editorial decisions, using metrics to help shape content strategies
  • Implemented training programs across editorial in online breaking news, SEO best practice, analytics and social media
  • Led social media strategy, resulting in huge growth. In 2014, the number of people following SCMP on Facebook and Twitter increased by 370% and 155% respectively
  • Liaised with marketing and advertising on key campaigns
  • Managed staff budgets
  • Presented business cases for new projects, demonstrating P&L, projected traffic /subscriptions
  • Collaborated on setting departmental KPIs
  • Involved in day-to-day editing of website where necessary
  • Key role in scope of new cross-platform editorial publishing system

I left my role at SCMP.com to take a short career break after the birth of my second child.

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MailOnline, Jan 2006 – Feb 2012

Joining as digital news editor in 2006, I was promoted to managing editor later that year and helped oversee the relaunch of what would become the world’s most popular newspaper website. During my time at MailOnline, the site’s traffic rose from 3.6 million unique visitors per month to 100 million monthly UVs.

Additional responsibilities:

  • Managed a team of 50+ staff and casuals on a rolling 24-hour rota
  • Recruited and trained permanent and casual staff
  • Oversaw implementation of hugely popular reader comments platform
  • Managed budgets, third party content contracts
  • Implemented content management system/SEO training
  • Assisted technical development of site/troubleshooting
  • Edited site on rolling rota
  • Monitored site performance
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Trinity Mirror IC Network, 2001-2003

April 2001 – Jan 2003: News Editor, Trinity Mirror/icNetwork

icNetwork was Trinity Mirror’s early foray into digital publishing, with a £150 million launch budget. This network of news and entertainment websites brought readers international and national news alongside local news.

In my role as news editor, I managed a team of four content producers uploading Trinity Mirror’s print content while covering breaking news and sport.

Among the big news events covered live by the team was the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

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INS News Agency, 2000-2001

Jan 2000 – April 2001: Senior Reporter, INS News Group, Berks., United Kingdom

INS News was an agency covering the south of England with clients from regional and national newspapers and television.

I travelled far and wide to cover court cases, inquests and press conferences, filing fast and accurate copy over the telephone in stiff competition with other media. I also interviewed people for feature-length pieces, and manned the news desk at weekends and out of hours.

Stories I covered during this time included the disappearance and murder of Sarah Payne from West Sussex in July 2000.

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Slough & Windsor Express Newspapers

Jan 1998 – Jan 2000: Reporter/Editor, Slough & Windsor Express Newspapers, Berks., United Kingdom

I began my career as a junior reporter on the Windsor desk at the Slough & Windsor Express series.

One of my first scoops was the launch of a campaign to free two Scots Guards imprisoned in Northern Ireland for killing a Catholic teenager who ran through an army checkpoint. Guardsmen James Fisher and Mark Wright were freed from Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn, Co Antrim, after a two-year long campaign. I was subsequently shortlisted and commended in the Newcomer of the Year category of the BT London & Northern Home Counties Press & Broadcast Awards in 1998 for my work on the campaign.

In the same year, I was promoted to edit the Ascot edition of the newspaper and covered another international story from a local angle: Manjit Basuta, a nanny formerly from the area who was accused of causing the death of a child at her daycare centre in San Diego, California. I worked with her extended Slough-based family as well as the lawyer representing Basuta in the U.S. I also travelled to San Diego to cover a court appearance where sentencing was postponed.

Basuta was jailed for 25 years at the end of 1999 and subsequently released in 2003 after admitting mistreatment of the toddler in plea bargain.