From Aberystwyth to Abu Dhabi: The Welsh marketing entrepreneur with an international tale

Born in Anglesey and brought up and educated in Llanidloes, I left Wales, as so many of us do, to go to University in 1980. I studied languages at Cambridge and was fortunate to live in Bordeaux for a year and Florence for three months as part of my course. So, whilst Welsh to the core, I got an international perspective early on, something which has really shaped my career.

"So, whilst Welsh to the core, I got an international perspective early on, something which has really shaped my career."

The second main strand of my story was going into business – first with Barclays International as a trainee, then joining one of the UK’s largest marketing services firms in the 1980s and ending up fifteen years later as the CEO of its PR business. On the way I was also fortunate enough to get my MBA from the Cranfield School of Management which is renowned for its Entrepreneurship specialisation. The MBA took me to Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai as part of my dissertation. Fast-forward to 2001 and a small group of us decided to set up our own marketing services business – Four Communications Group – and we are continuing to go strong and love that creative, entrepreneurial spirit. And yes, we have an office in Aberystwyth and Abu Dhabi (as well as Cardiff, London, Dubai and Riyadh)!

"Wherever I go in the world I have found wonderful Welsh people and now working with GlobalWelsh I have an amazing Welsh network at the click of a button."

Wherever I go in the world I have found wonderful Welsh people and now working with GlobalWelsh I have an amazing Welsh network at the click of a button. My proudest Welsh moment was back in Wales, though, when I was the Morwyn y Fro presenting the basket of flowers (the Blodeuged) ‘from the land and soil of Wales’ to the Archdruid during the ceremony at the Eisteddfod in Machynlleth in 1981, accompanied by my very own harp teacher, Frances Môn Jones, who was a legendary Welsh harpist and musical ambassador.

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