Monday
Jubilant shouts of "it's morning time" drown out Radio Two as the only two people delighted it is 6.40am on a Monday make themselves known. My two-year-old twin boys are avid consumers of media via the squealy format and 'Peppa Pig' takes priority as the week begins.
A brisk upward march to Clapham South, a scan through Metro and a passing glance at some outdoor and I arrive at my desk.
Hurrah – my happy Monday means the office copies of Heat, Grazia and Closer land on my desk. Can I survive the day without peeking to see what’s really going on in the world?! I get to enjoy Magic 105.4 in the office and a quick peek at Mail Online is essential to ensure I can keep up with the office chat and keep an eye open for any new ad formats.
Monday continues with an Amnet planning meeting – we're learning fast in this space – we have the capacity to be responsive and it's exciting to see how this area of the business is developing
The rest of the day is spent in internal catch-ups and planning meetings – we are working on some exciting projects around the Bauer audiences and communication.
Back at home, once the boys are asleep, it’s email catch-up time and full engagement with Heat, Closer and Grazia.
Tuesday
Tuesday and the home team are still thrilled that it's 6.40am and I practise my diplomatic skills via requests for chocolate biscuits, trips to the loo, and the merits of 'Tractor Ted' versus 'Garfield'….
I like to read FHM and Q on Tuesdays on my way in, but today, most of the Tube ride is spent writing up the weekly sales meeting which kicks off with an update on our numbers. A summer sales incentive is working really well, which means it's an early finish on Friday (hurrah!).
Charlotte Tice joins us to update on Mindshare's new publishing structure and we round off with our unique Bauer game of 'Joker Poker'. The top prize is £1,500 and Ariana Dunne, our men’s creative lead, actually wins. The team lift the roof and the buzz across the floor is great.
I'm delighted to see I have lunch with Richard Cox from The Village Communications and spend some happy hours discussing the Q awards sponsorship – the chance to integrate with the musical elite and a table at the coolest event of the calendar
The afternoon features my favourite meeting of the week – the planning around the launch of our new neuroscience Heat insight. It really demonstrates the priming effect of Heat magazine in the Heat brand mix. It’s really exciting, and we enjoy working out the comms plan around the results.
James Papworth from the PPA pops in to unveil the PPA website which looks fantastic and really user- focused and he promises to present to the department at our next weekly meeting.
Wednesday
Wednesday already and after a breakfast meeting, the rest of the morning is spent brainstorming our input to industry events next year. Lucy Banks, our executive creative director, gets the creative wheels turning and we end up with some brilliant and some hilarious ideas.
The afternoon is spiced up with a brief trip to see Group M with Vicki Clubley, our head of trading, and then an internal meeting to discuss how we are going to better communicate our Bauer audience proposition now that we reach more than 20 million adults in the UK.
Finally, a pedicure with Amy King from Havas and some baby chat, interspersed with how we can work harder with them.
Thursday
Thursday (my Friday) I’m presenting Anatomy of Influence Two first thing at Carat – the second phase of our insight that shows how influential Bauer titles are. We discuss the weighty position Bauer titles hold in the market and how we can take the insight forward – an econometrically driven model is considered for the third phase of the project.
I have a speed coffee with a very busy Will Aves at ZenithOptimedia – lots to talk about there.
The day closes with a team catch-up – it’s been another strong week. This is good news, bolstered by the Grazia iPad performance and the launch of the new Closer website.
A catch-up over a glass of rosé with an old media friend ends the day in the best possible way.
Friday
I don’t work on Fridays, so my day is all about entertaining small children. I can't resist peeking at the email to check our weekly numbers and there’s a couple of things that need attention, but other than that, today's negotiations revolve around the number of chocolate fingers permitted in one sitting and all creative input is focused on Lego.
Age: 38
Favourite media: Magazines
My biggest inspiration: Energetic, creative people and my children
Dream job: Private detective
Not a lot of people know this about me...I have a twin sister and twin sons – none of us are identical.
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