What is your role at Oaks?
My main role is to use my experience of brand strategy and corporate communications in two ways – first of all to represent the views of the corporate sector on the Oaks team but also to assist Oaks with its own communications and positioning within the sports marketing and consultancy environment.

How would you summarise your career and experience to date?
I have worked on brand strategy and all aspects of corporate communications including media relations, crisis communications, government and investor relations, customer and internal communications for over 20 years. I am a Group Communications Director for a FTSE 100 company which is the second largest private employer in the world, with operations in over 115 countries.

What do you think is unique about Oaks?
Mark, Adam and Jo have a broad range of experience across the world of sport, the public sector and commerce – they can see things from the client’s point of view regardless of which type of organisation they are working with. That means that they get it right - first time – and they don’t waste time trying to make things fit together when it fundamentally isn’t the right thing to do. You get great advice from a team of experienced professionals.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the world of sport in the next 5 years?
Like many, I think the prospect of delivering a world-class Olympic Games and creating a sustainable legacy, when the world is in the grip of the worst recession in history, is a pretty daunting prospect.

What is your favourite sporting moment?
Watching Haile Gebrselassie dip on the line to beat Paul Tergat in the final of the 10,000 metres at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. I must have watched that clip more than 50 times and I still get nervous about the final 100 metres even though I already know that Haile wins!

What is your personal greatest sporting achievement?
In 2008 I ran my second half-marathon in a time of 1 hour and 52 minutes – not exactly world record standard, but a personal best for me and I beat my boss by 7 minutes...perhaps a little career limiting with hindsight!

If you get any free time, how do you like to use it?
I like to run, eat curry, drink wine (hence the running!) and spend time with my friends and family. I also collect shoes – can’t help it, it just happens!