Contact us
Telephone:
Head Office:
134 London
Road
Southborough,
Tunbridge Wells
TN4 0PL
Telephone:
Head Office:
134 London
Road
Southborough,
Tunbridge Wells
TN4 0PL
Siobhan Stirling
Director
Roles: Siobhan drives the strategic direction of the agency and our clients, ensuring that all energies are focused on creating opportunities for our clients, our staff and our community. Siobhan attracts and nurtures fellow Sharp Minds to deliver a nimble, driven, cost-effective alternative to London agencies, with a zealous focus on delivering quality campaigns and significant results for our clients. A senior strategic thinker and communications expert, Siobhan works with organisations to define their overall marketing and PR strategies to ensure they provide creative and deliverable solutions that meet organisational objectives. Siobhan is experienced in financial services, professional services, care, health and wellbeing, technology, property and construction, transport and logistics.
Previous: Siobhan has worked in marketing, PR and the media for more than 30 years. A published author, qualified journalist and trained video journalist, Siobhan spent nearly 20 years at the BBC as a news reporter, presenter and producer, as well as freelancing for national newspapers (including The Guardian, The Independent and The Daily Mail) and magazines (including parenting, homebuilding and health & wellbeing titles). Siobhan was asked by Practical Parenting to write Sleep: helping your child to sleep through the night; published by Hamlyn, the book was translated into several languages. She started her career in PR for Aston University.
Education: Siobhan read History and Economics at Oxford University and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism.
Emily Pettit
Account Manager
Roles: Emily manages a diverse portfolio of clients, ensuring the effective and high-quality delivery of strategies tailored to each client’s unique business goals. Her expertise includes brand development, content writing and marketing, digital and social marketing, and PR. The majority of Emily’s clients operate within the legal and transport sectors, seeking to expand their reach among both B2B and B2C audiences.
Previous: Emily began her career as a journalist in the early 2000s, writing for prestigious publications such as ELLE, Marie Claire, and Men’s Health. She transitioned into content marketing, working both in-house and agency-side for B2B and B2C clients. Before joining Sharp Minds, Emily led the writing team at a B2B creative agency, where she managed the creation and repurposing of content for global tech and SaaS companies.
Education: Emily started her professional journey as an office assistant at one of the first online news sites before transitioning into reporting. She studied content writing and marketing at various institutions, including the University of Cape Town.
Ana Miller Amado
Content Marketing and PR Account Executive
Roles: Ana creates attention-grabbing content across a range of digital platforms to drive our clients’ success and boost their online presence, as well as supporting PR campaigns.
Previous: Ana has previously worked in a range of roles from hospitality, retail and marketing whilst also completing her master’s degree in digital marketing. Her degree allowed her to gain a range of skills and a depth of knowledge into the industry whilst also simultaneously working with clients. Outside of work Ana is keen on her fitness, going to the gym and playing sports in her spare time. She is also a budding cook, who enjoys cooking and baking for friends and family.
Education: Having always had an interest in media, Ana has obtained a BA (Hons) from the University of Liverpool in Media and Communications with Criminology. After discovering her interest in marketing through her final year project, she went on to gain her MSc at Nottingham Trent University in Digital Marketing.
Alison Dry
Operations Manager
Roles: Alison is the oil in the engine of Sharp Minds, ensuring the office and the team run smoothly. Working closely with our Managing Director, Alison manages finances, HR and events.
Previous: Alison was fundamental in gaining over £2m grant funding for the charitable trust, Gallard’s Almshouses, enabling the trustees to completely refurbish their buildings in 2012 for future generations. Prior to joining Sharp Minds Communications, Alison was Assistant Manager of Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club for seven years, working across all areas of operations to support the 1,000 members. Alison is a trained swimming teacher, running lessons at Holmewood House School two afternoons a week. Alison is a volunteer for Age UK, regularly visiting elderly people to help combat loneliness.
Education: Alison started her career as a bilingual secretary working for the Ministry of Defence before moving into advertising and marketing as a PA. Completing her Chartered Institute of Marketing exams at night school led to 30 years in marketing and event management for blue-chip financial services organisations such as St. James’s Place, Visa International, GE Capital and Lloyds TSB.
James Bessey-Saldanha
Paid Media Manager / Consultant
Roles: James is responsible for delivering an effective ROI by creating and managing Google Ad and Meta Ad campaigns that drive leads and revenue for clients.
Previous: James began working for Sharp Minds back in 2018 as a Social Media and Content Marketing Account Executive, his first professional role after graduating. He soon discovered a love for digital marketing, data and analytics, and moved on to specialise in a paid media role. After four years of honing his skills and managing well known accounts such as Sage Pay and Elavon, as well with a multitude of ecommerce, legal and professional services clients, James returns as a paid media consultant.
Education: James has a BSc in Zoology from the University of Nottingham as well as Google Partner status with multiple Google Ads qualifications.