I'm the Business Development Manager at bda, responsible for engaging in conversations with potential new clients to work out how we can help them to connect better with their customers and partners. I'm from a marketing, rather than sales, background, so hopefully my approach to new business could be described as considered, rather than hard sell! I'm also a Kiwi, so the straight forward, 'what you see is what you get' culture of bda really appeals to me.

I began professional life as a commercial lawyer but soon changed to marketing and PR in a quest to use the more creative side of my brain. Frankly, I've never looked back. In New Zealand I worked for a wide range of clients including telcos, insurance companies and property developers, and also helped to deliver a cracking campaign for Heinz Wattie's Baked Beans!

Moving to London saw me needing to 'specialise' and so I tapped into the hidden geek lurking beneath an otherwise unassuming exterior, and started working for an integrated marketing agency with a ton of clients in the IT sector, including Microsoft and Dell. I've also worked client-side: as European Business Marketing Director for AvantGo; and as Business Development Manager for Telecom Mobile, helping them to launch their fast mobile data network to the New Zealand market in 2002.

You can find out more about me here: www.linkedin.com/in/catrionaoldershaw