Adrienne has spent most of her career as a broadcast journalist, working for the BBC as a reporter and presenter in radio and television. She’s now a university lecturer, sharing her skills and knowledge with the next generation of budding journalists. Having written one novel, she is keen to start on another. This woman, I am delighted to say, has joined the Wentworth family to help us craft the best content and communications for our clients. I thought it would be great to find out a little more about Adrienne and her story.

So, where did life begin?

I do believe life began the moment I left home. I was brought up in London and I was a teenager during the time of punk and live music and attitude, which was a fabulous experience for a young girl. But I started to become more independent when I finished my journalism training and took up my first job in broadcasting at a commercial radio station in Suffolk. Oh happy days!

When did you know you wanted to go into broadcasting/journalism or what inspired you?

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a journalist. I’ve always been curious about the world and always wanted to know how the story ends. Always loved research and talking to people and discovering something new. It certainly made my school life easier. Knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up – and believe me I’m making good progress on that one – helped focus my studies.

What was it like working for the BBC?

It was extraordinary. I believe I was there during the best times, when there was time to explore and investigate stories, when just the name opened all sorts of doors, when there was less cynicism about the media and when a lot of people rather fancied getting their faces on the to say that although I spent far more time working in television news, radio is and always has been my first love, in fact I think BBC Radio is worth the licence fee on its own!

Can you name drop and share any stories or famous people you have worked with?

I could indeed name drop, but I shan’t. I will say I worked on some very major news stories. I met some quite amazing people too but to be honest, it’s not the celebrities I remember. It’s everyday people and their quiet courage and ability to change a small corner of the world, that really sticks in my mind.

How do you think communication has changed since you started out?

Hugely, is the obvious answer. Yet although technology has inevitably changed the way we communicate, the real art of getting your message across succinctly, kindly and with impact, remains pretty much the way it always has been. It’s somehow become buried in a sea of technological short cuts and excuses and remembering how to balance the power of listening, speaking and being heard, is as crucial as ever.

You obviously are very creative having an MA in Creative Writing. Do you feel this is something that has come naturally to you, or is it something you had to learn?

I love to write. Always have, always will. One of the most liberating ideas I learned during my Masters was this: every story needs a beginning, a middle and an end – but not necessarily in that order.

You have written a novel can you tell us about that? Did you enjoy writing it?

My novel is a sort of middle aged Bridget Jones, hopefully funny, hopefully profound. One of the great things about writing is that you can spend a good deal of time staring out of the window and calling it art. And in a way it is, of course. There were times when I lost all judgement about whether any of it was any good. I’ve been working on a re-write recently and there are sentences and even sometimes whole paragraphs where I think hey – that’s really not bad.

You are now a university lecturer. What does that involve and what do you teach?

I teach Journalism and Television Production to undergraduate and Postgraduate students and I find it allows me to constantly refresh my own practice. The energy of students can be immensely revitalising and it’s so satisfying to see some of the original ideas and notions that come through in their work.

How do you feel about being part of the Wentworth family? What can people/clients expect?

I am genuinely excited about joining the Wentworth family. Clients can expect me to really listen to what they have to say. They can expect my total attention and they can expect ideas which will transform their message.

Any final message you would like to end on?

Yes, and it’s this. Everything we do is about communication and the stories we tell say so much about who we are and how we operate. I’m really looking forward to working with clients and telling their story with the kind of impact and creativity that gets real results in a soundbite driven world.