Rachel Harrington
Summary
A hard working and enthusiastic individual in search of an exciting new opportunity in marketing and communications. I am a very conscientious, creative, and self-motivated person with great team-skills, now looking forward to a new challenge. With my solid background in marketing and communications and events, coupled with my passion for effective communication, I am confident in my ability to contribute effectively to a new role.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Marketing & Business Development Executive
KEY ROLE:DLA Piper
04.2021 - 03.2023
- Content creation: writing and editing engaging and informative written communications, presentations, bids and other content materials.
- Development and delivery of all internal communications including a monthly newsletter, Birmingham Teams site, SharePoint/intranet regular updates, etc. with regular collaboration with other departments such as HR and Diversity & Inclusion, as well as upper management.
- Message Development: Identifying key messages and translating complex information into accessible and impactful content.
- Led all event activities, including acting as the RSVP contact on invitations, responding to external and internal event inquiries, maintaining event guest lists, keeping internal stakeholders regularly updated on event progress, and on-site event management. This is for both in-person and digital events.
- Ensured that all marketing activities supported the delivery of the firm's strategic objectives and that all materials produced reflected DLA Piper's brand and adhered to the brand guidelines and tone of voice.
- Stakeholder Relationship Management: Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders to understand their requirements and support business priorities, ensuring BD strategies and messaging were shared.
- Provided support around targeting activities (campaigns, proposals, arranging meetings, and database management).
- Proofread various materials with great attention to detail.
- Involved in putting together bids, BD collateral, and marketing materials, requiring a full understanding of corporate ID and applying it to all marketing communications, events, and materials.
- Coordinated the delivery of activities to support the marketing plan.
- Acted as support lead on the delivery of profile-raising activities including events, legal directory and legal award submissions, sponsorships, website and digital content, client communications, and marketing collateral.
- Liaised with external agencies for external communications, such as PR.
Front of House
Inn at Shipley pub
04.2025 - Current
- Deliver professional and friendly service to guests in a fast-paced hospitality environment, ensuring a positive customer experience.
- Coordinated with kitchen and bar teams to support smooth daily operations and uphold service standards.
- Managed orders, payments, and customer queries efficiently, maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
- Developed strong interpersonal and teamwork skills through constant collaboration with colleagues and direct customer interaction.
Bid Coordinator
ARK Consultancy Limited
01.2024 - 12.2024
- Coordination of bids companywide: managing comprehensive project oversight including meeting organization, document creation, meticulous formatting, proofreading, branding, and post-bid debriefings to assess processes and results.
- Proactively monitored the tender inbox, evaluated opportunities, and presented relevant propositions to directors.
- Completed essential bid documentation such as ITTs, RFQs, and selection questionnaires.
- Deadline Management: Maintained a high level of efficiency in managing bid timelines, ensuring all submissions were completed accurately and on schedule, even under high-pressure, tight deadlines.
- Resource Development: established a comprehensive case study library to support bid proposals, allowing for quick access to relevant project examples and enhancing proposal quality.
- Process Optimization: Streamlined the bid management process by creating standardized documents that outlined best practices, procedural guidelines, templates, and resource libraries. Conducted a training session titled 'Bids Best Practice' for all directors to reinforce consistency, accuracy, and clarity in the bid preparation process.
- CRM Maintenance: Ensured the company’s CRM system (Salesforce) was consistently updated with detailed records of bid submissions and associated information, supporting transparency and accurate data tracking.
- Acted as a brand ambassador, ensuring consistent application of company branding across all collateral.
Business Development Assistant
Freeths
06.2019 - 09.2019
- Broadened experience and presented new ideas for event handling.
- Created a file of templates for events, bids, checklists, etc., accessible to any team member.
- Played a large role in a month-long charity challenge across regional offices, raising over £1000.
- Led all event activities, including acting as the RSVP contact on invitations, responding to external and internal event inquiries, maintaining event guest lists, keeping internal stakeholders regularly updated on event progress, and on-site event management.
- Assisted with bids and proposals, including proofreading, design, branding, and editing.
Marketing & Business Development Executive
Grant Thornton
06.2018 - 06.2019
- Implemented the marketing plan, including campaigns, videos, social media, and events.
- Led all event activities, including acting as the RSVP contact on invitations, responding to external and internal event inquiries, maintaining event guest lists, keeping internal stakeholders regularly updated on event progress, and on-site event management.
- Produced post-event analysis and summary reports.
- Involved in putting together bids, BD collateral, and marketing materials, ensuring a full understanding of corporate ID and applying it to all marketing communications, events, and materials.
- Proofread various materials with great attention to detail.
- Managed client information and data cleansing.
- Acted as the social media lead in the Birmingham office, increasing usage by the leadership team.
- Provided support for targeting activities, campaigns, proposals, arranging meetings, and database management.
- Managed finance-related tasks such as processing supplier invoices.
- Liaised with external agencies when required, such as PR, venue hire, and professional printing services.
- Maternity cover
Marketing Assistant
St Ives Chambers
07.2017 - 12.2017
- Assisted in implementing a new marketing department.
- Managed the launch of a new website, coordinating with the team on design, content, and functionality.
- Managed daily content for the website and social media accounts (four twitter accounts & LinkedIn).
- Set up a blog initiative.
- Managed data and performed data cleansing.
- Proofread various materials with great attention to detail.
- Sent out electronic materials to clients.
- Developed individual marketing plans for members of chambers.
- Assisted in event planning and management, including room setup, meeting, and greeting clients, and creating marketing content.
- Managed finance-related tasks such as creating and sending invoices.
- Conducted photography and video recording of events for marketing purposes.
Team Secretary
KPMG
02.2015 - 04.2016
Administrator
Impact Training Solutions
11.2014 - 12.2015
Receptionist
Brindley’s Chartered Accountants
11.2010 - 06.2011
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
University of Nottingham
06-2014
NVQ - Business & Administration
Key Training Level 2
01.2011
A Levels - Philosophy, English Literature, Psychology
Waseley Hills High School And Sixth Form
01.2010
Skills
- Marketing, Written Communications, Events, Teamwork & Collaboration
- IT: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Windows, Teams, SharePoint, WordPress (proficient user)
- CRM: Interaction (confident user), Salesforce (confident user)
- Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (proficient user)
- Writing, proofreading, editing
- WordPress, Teams, SharePoint, Mailchimp, Canva (confident user)
- Basic Photoshop skills
- First-Aider (St Johns Ambulance Training)
Interests
Reading and creative writing, Traveling to experience new cultures (Europe, America, Asia, Australia), Hiking, music, films, and photography, I was interviewed on BBC radio West Midlands
Employment Breaks
- Unemployed due to COVID-19 in 2020.
- September - December 2019: Small career break.
- Travel: 2016-2017 break from work to travel Thailand and Australia.
Location
Wolverhampton, UK
Timeline
Front of House
Inn at Shipley pub
04.2025 - Current
Bid Coordinator
ARK Consultancy Limited
01.2024 - 12.2024
Marketing & Business Development Executive
KEY ROLE:DLA Piper
04.2021 - 03.2023
Business Development Assistant
Freeths
06.2019 - 09.2019
Marketing & Business Development Executive
Grant Thornton
06.2018 - 06.2019
Marketing Assistant
St Ives Chambers
07.2017 - 12.2017
Team Secretary
KPMG
02.2015 - 04.2016
Administrator
Impact Training Solutions
11.2014 - 12.2015
Receptionist
Brindley’s Chartered Accountants
11.2010 - 06.2011
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
University of Nottingham
NVQ - Business & Administration
Key Training Level 2
A Levels - Philosophy, English Literature, Psychology
Waseley Hills High School And Sixth Form