Profile­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Accomplished editor with 20+ years of editorial experience in international development in the UK, Asia and East Africa, and with a thorough knowledge and understanding of market systems development and rights-based development. Working iteratively with clients, edits and finalises documents through established skills in substantive editing, writing/rewriting, identifying gaps in argument, and liaising with authors. Proven expertise in editorial project management, working with teams to devise workplans to ensure donor and other reports are completed comprehensively and to deadline. Comprehends technical information and improves clarity; ensures narrative flow, fact-checks. Rewrites can include altering the tone of the text – for example, to inform, persuade, or ensure comprehension by different audiences. Produces executive summaries, and additional information required to fill gaps, using supplied documents, research and interviews. Deliverables include high-level policy documents, donor reports, training and promotional materials and journals.

Core Expertise

•       Quality assurance of communications output; finalising documents to a professional standard in polished English

•     Editorial project management of publications output: drawing up and implementing production schedules; liaising with team members to ensure collation of information in a timely manner; motivating and managing authors, peer-reviewers, designers and printers

•       Identifying gaps and independently sourcing the information needed to fill them

•       Rewriting to strengthen argument, for different target audiences, to maximise impact, and to ensure consistency in authorial voice

•       Providing English language support to clients to improve their written English

•       Conducting interviews with report contributors

•       Developing training materials, ensuring appropriate language for both trainer and trainees; advising on graphics

•       Advising on content and layout of a range of communications materials; picture research

•       Writing press releases; liaising with the press to facilitate publication; giving interviews to the press and radio

•       Working with clients to improve communications strategy 

Career Details

2014–25                      CGIAR (CIMMYT Bangladesh, WorldFish Bangladesh, CIMMYT Kenya)

I substantively edited documents for different target audiences to inform, influence and report, working with teams in Bangladesh and the East Africa region.

Key activities/deliverables

• Worked closely with senior management to edit and finalise annual and quarterly donor reports, including successfully devising and implementing a workplace and liaising with contributors to ensure deadlines were met

• Worked closely with academics/senior management to finalise scientific reports for international publication

• Worked closely with senior management/communications team members to edit, improve, polish and finalise a range of knowledge management and communications products. These have included publicity materials, project completion reports, pictorial presentations of project activities for a range of audiences, and training manuals, and rewriting subtitles for instructional DVDs

• Produced material for reports by research, desk review, and interviewing senior management, other team members, and partners in the field

• Contributed to training modules for rural producers in developing markets. This has included rewriting the language of instruction (for the trainer); reworking the language used in the flipcharts (for participants); identifying omissions in the content, and finalising each module in appropriate, polished English; providing input to improve the flipchart graphics.

2023–25                      CARE Bangladesh

Returning to work for CARE, in the last six months I have edited an analysis report on the Rohinya community on Bhasan Char and a conference report, the Annual Report 2023, and a project completion book for the JANO project.

2024–25                       Swisscontact PRABRIDDHI

Building on my work for Swisscontact Katalyst (2008–16), in the last six months I have edited the Annual Report and a series of strategies on local economic development.

2023–24; 2020–21     CGIAR – WorldFish (BANA project)

Substantively edited/rewrote a series of training guidelines and advised on copyright issues; compiled the project closing report and edited the annual report. 

2021–2024                    United Nations, Botswana

Substantively edited high-level documents including the UNDP Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, Voluntary National Review, and UNCT Results Report.

2020–22                        Palladium Indonesia (MENTARI); Palladium Rwanda (IMSAR); MDF Cardno

For MDF Carno, edited and finalised reports/business cases; for the MENTARI project, substantively edited government policy documents on renewable energy; for IMSAR, substantively edited a business case for employer-supported childcare; edited the Annual Report, Covid–19 response factsheet, and case studies.

2020–21                        Plan International Bangladesh

Contributed material to the Bangladesh Country Strategy 2020-30; edited the entire document in iterative discussions with team members; produced a small, easy-read version of the strategy by identifying the appropriate sections and editing/rewriting accordingly.

2020                               Practical Action Bangladesh/Practical Action Consulting

Rewrote sections of a USAID DIV funding bid; substantively edited a UNDP report on climate change

2014–2020                    AIP Rural/AIP PRISMA, Palladium Group

Edited/finalised a range of documents, including donor reports, case studies, factsheets, internal reports (PRIP, PCR etc.); rewrote material in three different voices to produce factsheets to inform and influence private sector, SME owners, and governments of Indonesia, Australia and Bangladesh

2013–14                         CGIAR – IRRI Bangladesh

Edited the organisation’s bi-monthly newsletter

2010–2018                     Swisscontact Foundation (Katalyst)

As principle English editor, I edited a range of communications materials designed to inform and influence in regard to inclusive business. My understanding of the market systems development approach enabled me to add value through rewrites, comments and suggestions, and write the  text for a presentation book of case studies. Documents included subtitles for educational DVDs, case studies/success stories and factsheets.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (under application).

 OTHER RELEVANT CLIENTS

• As part of the Trusts & Foundations team I researched potential funders, wrote successful funding bids, and prepared monthly summary donor reports (Hope for Justice).

• Used knowledge gained through participation in M&E field visits in Bangladesh to provide  input to reports (ActionAid, ADESH).

• Chief Rapporteur for Government of Bangladesh/DFID (Maxwell Stamp, GIZ, 1998), pulling together the conference report in real time and writing the close-of-conference speech.

• Past short-term clients include ACDI/VOCA, GIZ (2017), Practical Action, Maxwell Stamp, Concern, Plan, the British Council and ActionAid (all in Bangladesh, 1996–98), Market Development Facility Cardno, and Practical Action Consulting (UK, 2014).

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING (short courses)

Introduction to Generative AI                                                                             AI Skills Hub, UK govt.

Editorial marking up PDFs; Copyright for print and online content (2022)   Publishing Training Centre (PTC)

Project management (PMD Pro) Level 2 (2021)                                                                Bond

Fundraising for non-profits (2020)                                                                                   Grantspace

Planning & practice in monitoring, evaluation & learning; Bond

Managing the project cycle and Project design: the logical framework approach (2015–16)      Bond

Introduction to monitoring, evaluation & learning (1-day course)                                        Bond

Rewriting & substantive editing (2014)                                                                             PTC

Editorial project management (2014)                                                                                PTC

PR and the media (2010)                                                                                                Oxfam GB

GENERAL EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE

Academic Editor, (2006–2022); Project Coordinator, Oxfam GB, Manchester, UK (2010–11); Freelance Editor, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Educational Trust, University of Manchester, UK (2005–8); Consultant Editor, Dhaka, Bangladesh (1997–8); Project Coordinator, ITDG (now Practical Action), Dhaka, Bangladesh (1995–6); Editorial Assistant, ITDG (now Practical Action) Publications, London, UK (1994–5)

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

As freelance Arts Coordinator (1989–94, 1998–2001), clients included Oldham Council (Festivals Coordinator); Zion Arts (Community Outreach Worker); The Lowry (Conference & Events Coordinator), Edinburgh International Festival (Concerts Manager), Aldeburgh Festival (Assistant Concerts Manager), Community Arts Northwest (fundraiser).

RELEVANT EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

MA Development Studies (1st module) (2009)                                        Open University

Systems Management (short course) (2006)                                           Open University

MA Area Studies (economics, politics & history of South Asia) (1995)       SOAS, University of London, UK

RSA Diploma TEFL (studies completed, exam deferred) (1988)               St John’s College, Manchester, UK

BA (Hons) English & Drama (2i) (1985)                                               University of Manchester, UK

Four A-Levels; 11 GCSEs (1978–1980)                                                   Leeds Girls High School, UK

OTHER TRAINING (short courses)

Finding your Form writing course (2023), Drawing & Words, Royal Drawing School (2022, 2021); Developing Oral History Skills (2022), Introduction to web design (2003), Understanding the Disability Discrimination Act (1999), Time, stress and crisis management (1993), Introduction to community work (1987).                                 

LANGUAGES: native English speaker; conversational Bangla, French and German.

REFEREES: available on request.