We're so excited to have a new team member joining The International Bunch (IB) to cover maternity leave to ensure continued support. Davina is our new Marketing Specialist and will be covering Pamela and Emma while they are on maternity leave. She brings a fantastic wealth of experience - find out more about her following her first week in her new role. If you happened to be at our ALPSP Conference 2024 dinner on Tuesday night (10 September 2024), you will have met Davina.
Do you want to start by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your professional background?
I graduated from the University of Leeds in 2002 with a first-class degree in Diagnostic Radiography and began working as a Diagnostic Radiographer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. I then went on to do a post-graduate diploma in Medical Ultrasound and worked as an Advanced Practitioner Sonographer for 14 years.
My plan was to work for the NHS until retirement, but as some of you may agree, plans don’t always go to plan! In 2017, an accident I was involved in left me injured with a slipped cervical disc and a dominant arm tremor. Given my mobility and dexterity was affected, I decided to resign from my profession to focus on physical rehabilitation and healing therapy. Through months of physiotherapy and talking therapy, my symptoms improved. I ‘retrained my brain’ to control my still-existent tremor (my daughters say my ‘Jazz Hand’ is my greatest party trick!), and I’m happy to say I’m now pain-free.
During this time of recovery, I spent a lot of time reading books (non-fiction and fiction) and networking on social media channels to grow my community of writers and publishers. This process reignited my high school passion for writing, and I subsequently won a place on the Harper Collins Author and Design Academy in 2022, where I completed a course on fiction and non-fiction writing and learnt about editing and publishing. Alongside this, I immersed myself in sensitivity reading (aka authenticity or cultural accuracy reading) and began freelance work in this area as well doing copyediting, proofreading and copywriting work. I also freelance as a resume/CV writer for an IT recruitment firm working within the United States.
What excites you most about your move to The International Bunch?
The freelance work that I’ve done previously with The International Bunch has given me excellent insight into the incredibly diverse and enjoyable work that this organization does within the marketing, scholarly communications and information industries and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in with it all!
I’ve also had some time to build up a relationship with the awesome team here. I’ve been so impressed with the level of knowledge, professionalism, support and vision that Lou has, as well as the friendly, helpful, collaborative, skilled and welcoming team that I’ll luckily be working alongside!
The opportunity to join The International Bunch is very exciting for me – I’m thrilled to be joining this fantastic, visionary organization and looking forward to learning new skills and knowledge as well as meeting and networking with new colleagues across this exciting and interesting industry.
Finally, outside your working life, how do you like to spend your time?
I have plenty of interests that keep my brain and body ticking! I love spending time with my family – I’m a ‘girl mum’ to a 16- and 12-year-old and a wife to a very patient man living in a home full of girls!
I volunteer as a secondary school governor. I enjoy being outdoors, walking and running; I’m currently training to accomplish my first half marathon at the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April 2025 - wish me luck!
I’m in a local pop choir where several ladies and I sing every Monday evening and perform at local events throughout the year – my favourite songs so far have been Coldplay’s ‘Something Just Like This’ and The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’.
I’m a keen foodie and an enthusiastic cook and baker – my biggest accomplishment so far has been mastering the art of French macaron making. I love escaping with a good fiction book and travelling
What to learn more about Davina? Check out her LinkedIn profile.
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