Although not initially in favour of a UK social media ban for under-16s because I feel strong that the platforms should be built with a safety-by-design and not feature harmful content in the first place... the likes of Meta have done zero to improve the situation, despite regulation. So the next option is commercial, and reducing the flow of new, younger users, which is what platforms and broadcasters always need for long-term survival. Maybe when there's a hit to $$$ and user base they'll make changes, and make these platforms safer, more mentally nourishing places? I like to stay optimistic, even though I know the answer...

Have been in Oxford over the weekend. Always love how the sandstone makes the place *glow*, it's so uplifting

Highlight of the week doesn't come close - thanks for the invite @e_nation

On Tuesday, small businesses took centre stage at Number 11 🤝 Enterprise Nation members, joined by our partners, had the opportunity to share their experiences with AI directly with the Chancellor, and the conversations that followed were exactly the kind that small businesses need to be part of. Read our report ⤵️ ow.ly/6pCg50ZanqC @RachelReevesMP @hmtreasury @GoogleSmallBiz @SageUK @DellTechUK @SquareUK

I'm not sure what could be more British than standing outside 10 Downing Street and everyone naturally forming a queue so we all had an opportunity to take a photo 😊 It was an honour to attend a reception at 11 Downing Street in celebration of #LondonTechWeek @LDNTechWeek. Hosted by Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon @RachelReevesMP in partnership with Enterprise Nation and its tech hub partners Sage, Google, Square, and Dell Technologies, the event focused on digital and AI adoption among UK SMEs and the role it can play in driving business growth and productivity. I'm always grateful for any opportunity to champion SMEs, the backbone of the British economy! Thank you to @e_nation for the kind invite, and it was great to meet so many other brilliant business people in the room who'd founded companies doing everything from popcorn to AI in medical devices. And not forgetting Larry the Cat!

Huge congratulations to all the winners at the National Business Women's Awards on Friday // @nbwawardsuk #NBWA2026 Back for my 5th year as a judge, it was an honour to give out the trophies for Service Excellence, Social Impact and Best New Business and celebrate so many phenomenal businesswomen out there who had made it through to the final. Particular shout out to tablemates Angela Hunt and Alison Kindred Byrne from To The Moon and Back, Sophie Lux, founder of the Hair and beauty Awards, Catherine Nestor from event charity partner Endometriosis UK, and Tracey Scott-Fox, who not only won gold in her category but was the overall winner of the awards! And it was great to bump into Charlotte Horobin from the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, a very worth finalist in Female Business Leader 2 to 25 employees // @cambschamber. Well done to Events and PR for another successful event, and the new lunchtime format worked a treat!

So sad to hear about Marjane Satrapi, loved Persepolis

Great to join the Marketing Leaders Network on a panel with Joanna Lane (Tony's Chocolonely) and Patrick Pordage (Monumo) where we talked about the power of the pivot. If you're going to change direction in your marketing career, how do you decide when to make the leap, and how do you get it right? Two years on from my big shift from restructuring Sookio the marketing agency into a strategic communications consultancy - a much leaner model with a more streamlined set of services built for senior leadership in knowledge intensive sectors - I talked honestly and openly about the thinking behind it and the lessons I've learned along the way. I also enjoyed hearing from Jo about how Americans buy chocolate and about Patrick's marketing stunts with robots. A fun evening all round Thanks for inviting me Michelle Lamprecht and Matt Maynard, and great to catch up with the crème de la crème of the Cambridge marketing community.

Delighted to announce that I'm joining the Board for the @angliaruskin Cambridge School of Creative Industries @ARUCreative. The Board is made up of leading figures across the arts and creative sectors, and steers the School’s strategic direction, contributes to research, and builds stronger links with local and national partners, ensuring ARU students are fully prepared for creative careers. The role gives me an opportunity to bring together nearly 3 decades of industry experience since graduating from ARU with a degree in Communication Studies and Spanish, and use my extensive knowledge, strategic marketing skills, and wide networks to support new talent coming through and help the School achieve its vision, mission, and strategic goals. Exciting! Read more on the blog: sookio.com/blog/aru-cambridg… #ARUProud #ARUcreative

There's a place in heaven reserved for businesses who help other businesses. I just wanted to give a little shout out to Ely Work Collective, a new coworking space that launched a couple of months ago. I popped in yesterday because I needed a spot to record a guest interview for the Communication Untangled podcast. Back in the day, when I was first trying to find office space for Sookio there was nothing that would suit a small, creative business like mine. So one Saturday I printed off some flyers and went round all the high street shops around closing time and asked what they did with the upstairs space. In essence; "Room for a little one?" And I was able to find a spot above Spa Ely, a beautiful Georgian building (which used to be home to the Ely Pheasant Society in the 1700s and now had a much more delightful fragrance about the place) into which I put a desk for me, and two desks ready to be filled by...I didn't know yet, but I wanted to set the intention. And things grew from there. It's not easy to get that foothold when you're starting out, so it's great to see Ely Work Collective rolling up their sleeves and doing something practical about it to support other businesses - bravo to the founders, helping founders elyworkcollective.co.uk 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

📑Case study: Podcast workshops with the West Hub media lab📑 This series of three workshops brought together some of my great loves: quality brand storytelling...best practice in content creation...upskilling others so they can do it brilliantly themselves. ** The challenge ** The University of Cambridge's Media Lab attracts a lot of interest from people keen to start producing video and podcasts using their studio. But sometimes lack of knowledge, confidence or experience in developing these content formats holds them back. So the team at the West Hub set up the Content Creator's Club, a series of practical workshops designed to empower individuals and groups with the skills needed to create high-quality digital content. ** The approach ** The series of workshops covered: 1. Launching your podcast - concept, format, and good foundations 2. Production and presenting (bringing in co-host Rob Birnie) 3. Promotion (so people actually hear the thing after all your hard work!) * 4 workshops * 100 attendees * 4 worksheets * 18 activities * 4 tip sheets * 1 curated list of podcast recommendations * And a lot of laughs, questions and peer-to-peer learning along the way The outcome: "From concept to delivery, Sue took full ownership of her workshop, allowing us to hand over with complete confidence. Many commented on how insightful and helpful they found her guidance and expertise, and how the session validated and inspired them to pursue the promotion of their projects with greater confidence.” Need some lovely learning in your life? You can DM me. Look up sookio.com/training. Or fill in a training brief in the footer of the website and we'll get it booked in... @westcamhub @cambridge_uni

A nourishing weekend of reading (finished Nudge; started Kiki Man Ray)... fitness... bit of gardening... walking the dog, enjoying birdsong... completed 42 Courses Behavioural Science for Effective Messaging (excellent)... a bit of work because I fancied it... cooking... piano... and sunshine!!

France is already moving on from Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favor of homegrown alternatives. Other countries are quickly following suit. wired.com/story/the-eu-is-go…

⭐ Service spotlight! Consultancy ⭐ We work alongside senior leadership teams in knowledge intensive sectors where quality, trust and brand reputation are critical. People who value support from someone who understands communications from the inside out - the strategy, the messaging, the culture and the commercial realities. * A trusted sounding board. Space to explore ideas, weigh up commercial decisions and build ambitious plans. * Analysis and guidance to finetune your positioning and articulate your message, using a toolkit of frameworks and methodologies that work. * An external perspective to identify challenges and opportunities and keep a close eye on competitors in the life science and healthcare, education or innovation space. * Content consultancy, to ensure your video, podcast or website content is truly engaging, accessible, and in tune with your target audience. * Hiring support to build a stellar marketing team, with mentoring for talented early career marketers to help them grow in their role * A little black book full of designers, photographers, web developers and other specialists, plus a deep understanding of how the Cambridge ecosystem 'works'. Discover more: sookio.com/marketing-communi…

Thank you to everyone who joined me to Build Visibility over Breakfast this morning with @cambschamber. It was certainly a busy one! We covered a lot of ground: ⭐️ Playing to your communication strengths ⭐️ Defining your visibility rhythm ⭐️ The messaging framework that underpins it all With 80 people signed up, there's clearly a need to know how to get your story straight and decide what to say, and where. So I created some additional resources, for attendees - and for you too! 1. Download your visibility checklist. Rate your performance and spot opportunities to boost your visibility: sookio.com/resources 2. 10 June. Half-day building visibility workshop. Anyone can book on, so you get to define your positioning, clarify your message and build a visibility plan, with peer-to-peer networking too. eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-… [ask me for a discount code] 3. And visit the Sookio website for brand storytelling service and workshops for leadership teams: sookio.com/brand-storytellin… And if all else fails with these visibility approaches, just wear really bright red trousers 🤷🏻‍♀️

Marina Abramovic has spent decades pushing the boundaries of performance art. Now, she tells Reuters why her new Venice exhibition shifts the focus to the audience — and why she wants visitors to disconnect from their phones reut.rs/4d0ybDD

Really enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada sequel; interesting exploration of later life careers for successful women the media landscape, with cheeky digs at the likes of Jeff Bezos along the way. Slightly too many shots of Anne Hathaway running breathlessly across New York streets and into fancy buildings, á la SATC. Enjoyable watch though 👠

Because I'm a dinosaur who's been on Twitter/X since the early days I still feel nostalgic for the 140 character limit when there was an art to writing a well-crafted tweet and making it fit...just right