PR, SOCIAL MEDIA, EVENT & COPYWRITING SPECIALISTS

Senior Account Manager

Expertise: Chloe applies her copywriting skills and understanding of strategic communications to deliver a range of campaigns for our financial services and consumer clients. She utilises her network of global media contacts to create diverse campaigns for several organisations. Chloe also specialises in crisis communications, as well as supporting BV internally with people management. She is a trained Mental Health First Aider.

Background: Chloe has over eight years’ experience working in Guernsey and London. She began her career in a local PR agency before transitioning to an in-house comms role for a local law firm.

After gaining valuable experience in the legal sector, Chloe headed to the “Big Smoke” to work for an international law firm before returning to the island in 2020. She has worked for a range of B2B, consumer and third-sector clients, with particular expertise in the legal and financial services industries.

Why we love Chloe: Happy to roll up her sleeves and dive into work, Chloe’s “can-do” attitude, energy and people skills reflect many of Black Vanilla’s values; she has her eye on every client campaign and is always ready to help.

Outside of work: In her spare time, Chloe enjoys practising yoga and meditation to focus on her wellbeing. You can usually find her enjoying island life with her friends, with a gin and tonic in hand.

Event Consultant

Expertise: Natalie brings over 25 years’ event management experience to Black Vanilla. As a freelance consultant, Natalie applies her extensive knowledge of the local landscape and her unrivalled network of contacts to deliver some of the Bailiwick’s most popular business and community events.

Background: Natalie has honed her event marketing skills through roles in both London and Guernsey. She started her career with a classical artist management company, where she organised orchestral tours that spanned the globe, before managing events for the Prince’s Trust and Royal British Legion.

Here in Guernsey, Natalie is probably best known for her role at the Guernsey Event Company. During her 11 years with the business, Natalie spearheaded the creation and implementation of some of Guernsey’s largest events, including, amongst others, the Guernsey Air Display, Guernsey Awards for Achievement, Proms on the Pier, charity bike rides to France with Only Fools and Donkeys, and British Irish Council Summit meetings in Guernsey and Jersey as well as countless bespoke events for a wide range of corporates and charities.

Why we love Natalie: Natalie applies the same level of professional expertise to every brief she handles. Whether working on big-budget corporate events or smaller, community initiatives, her ‘can-do’ attitude, attention to detail and strong work ethic ensure impeccable client service and a seamless event experience from start to finish.

Outside of work: Natalie can be found spending time with her two growing sons supporting their myriad sporting and musical activities, playing the clarinet or walking Poppy, their fox-red Lab.

Account Manager – PR

Expertise: Chris has accumulated an impressive knowledge of the Channel Islands’ financial services and B2B industry and has a keen interest in the sector. He applies these insights and expertise to a range of integrated communications campaigns for our clients.  

He also leads Black Vanilla’s Bulb offering, applying his skills to help the island’s start-ups and enterprises to reach their potential.  

Background: Chris dived into the world of communications straight from school and joined Black Vanilla with four years of Crown Dependency PR experience under his belt. He has a PRCA Foundation and the CIPR Certificate and is particularly interested in measurement and showing campaign impact.

Why we love Chris: Chris can apply his social media, PR and copywriting skills across different sectors and is happy to support corporate and consumer clients. He’s easy to work with and is happy to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand wherever it’s needed. 

Outside of Work: In his spare time, Chris enjoys keeping active with football or CrossFit. Failing that, he will never turn down a pint in the sun.

Account Manager – Digital & Events

Expertise: Krista has become well-versed in organising both consumer and corporate events, proving her organisation skills and ability to think on her feet. A number of local companies entrust their social media management to Krista, which is a testament to her skill and judgment. This also includes content creation, including film and graphics, for many clients in a number of different sectors.

Background: Krista graduated from the University of Sussex in 2019 and joined the Black Vanilla team shortly after. With a deep interest in social media, Krista runs her own Instagram account, blog and TikTok profile, largely promoting plant-based recipes. She has developed a further understanding of social media analytics through experience and ongoing professional development and has honed her account management skills throughout her time with the agency. Krista works alongside Natalie Davidson on larger-scale events and has recently taken on new challenges of organising her own events from start to finish.

Why we love Krista: Krista is a highly organised, energetic team player who gets things done with the kind of efficiency you’d expect from an industry old-timer. Krista has been with the team for over three years now and the time has flown! We know she’ll go far and we’re excited to watch her continue her journey with the BV team.

Outside of Work: Krista enjoys spending time in the kitchen creating plant-based recipes for her blog or cosying down with a cup of tea and a good book.

Account Executive – PR

Expertise: Chloe graduated from the University of Brighton in June 2021 with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Chloe’s experience working for several Brighton-based websites whilst at university,  has allowed her to develop her copywriting skills, nose for news and creative thinking. 

Background: Whilst undertaking her degree, Chloe created a book-related Instagram account, which she still runs, where she reviews and chats about all things literature. Both her degree and her Instagram account have given Chloe a great foundation in writing and social media – skills which she is excited to bring to her career in PR. 

Why we love Chloe: Chloe’s can-do attitude and organised manner have already proven to be a great assets to BV. She is willing to jump straight in, what more could we ask for? We are excited to watch her grow as she begins her PR career with us.

Outside of Work: Chloe likes to make the most of the sun, so when it’s hot, you will no doubt find her on the beach with her friends. She is also an avid reader so you will usually find her curled up on a cold day with a book and a cup of tea. 

Junior Account Executive – PR

Expertise: Anna graduated from the University of Sussex in 2022 with a degree in English and Art History. During her studies, Anna developed her copywriting and editorial skills by working as a tutor and blog editor. She studied Film at A–level and has experience in digital media, skills which she is excited to bring to her career in PR.

Background: As well as English and Art History, Anna also has a passion for illustration and has recently learnt how to use a new software package for drawing and design. Her creative background means she is well placed to support clients’ visual content.  

Why we love Anna: Anna is always willing to lend a hand to help her colleagues. She is incredibly creative, keen to learn new skills and dive into every new task. We are excited to watch her develop her PR career at Black Vanilla.

Outside of Work: You will usually find Anna reading a fantasy book with a cup of tea in hand and a cat on her lap. In the summer she enjoys swimming at Fermain bay and visiting art galleries. 

Junior Account Executive – Digital & Events 

Expertise: Abbie is a professional cyclist and has spent the last seven years competing in the UK and Europe.  

As part of her cycling career, Abbie has worked with a range of sponsors including Montezuma’s Chocolates. She has honed her social media skills through promoting the sponsorships and brand associations on a range of digital platforms.  

She has also organised several cycle races and now uses her experience to organise client events and support Black Vanilla’s social media campaigns.  

Background: Following her studies at Barton Peveril College in the UK, Abbie worked with brand marketing teams to maximise their sponsorship investments. She ran several social media accounts for her cycle teams and to build her own profile as a professional sportswoman.  

Whilst competing, Abbie has also been asked to contribute blogs for websites and magazines to share her experiences on the cycling circuit. 

Why we love Abbie: Abbie is creative, organised and has a natural flair for social media. She is balancing her training with working at Black Vanilla, drawing upon the tenacity she needs to win a race to organise events and implement social media campaigns (she also makes a great gluten-free lemon cake!).

Outside of Work: Outside of work you will most likely find Abbie training in some form, riding laps of the island or running along the coastal paths. Her downtime is filled with cups of tea, catching up on a box set or enjoying dinner with friends.

PR Apprentice

Expertise: Emily is starting to build her public relations experience whilst studying at university. She is honing her writing skills and social media know-how in her apprentice role at Black Vanilla.

Background: Emily first entered the world of media when she began an internship with The Guernsey Press after completing her A Levels in English Literature, Psychology and Chemistry. She decided to take a gap year and remained at the Guernsey Press where she developed her journalistic skills as a reporter.

Currently, Emily is in her first year of studying English with Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London. She is engaging with a variety of modules, from medieval literature and poetry to a variety of novels and philosophical texts.

Why we love Emily: We are inspired by Emily’s enthusiasm to learn more about PR whilst also studying for her degree. We love to hear different perspectives, and Emily brings a youthful viewpoint to the Black Vanilla team. 

Outside of Work: While back home in Guernsey, Emily can often be found walking her two rescue dogs along the cliffs with her family or settling down with a good book. She loves sea swimming or paddle-boarding with her friends and also enjoys journaling or writing poetry.