Lisa has more than 13 years’ experience in the industry across the private, voluntary and public sectors. Her current post involves leading the marketing and communications function at Belfast City Council.  Prior to this, she led the communications and marketing strategy for the Social Security Agency and Department for Communities. In an independent capacity, she worked as a key advisor to build communication and marketing capacity for the Greek Government, as they created a social security entity as part of their memorandum of understanding with the European Union. Lisa is a member of the Board of Directors for Women’s Aid.

She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and, in 2016, was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to examine digital communications innovations in the US.

Lisa holds a BA Honours Degree in Journalism.

Do you have a female role model who has inspired you in your career?

Mary Portas. She has displayed individuality, creativity and resilience throughout her personal and professional life. Aside from Mary, I come from a family of six sisters, and I find their resourcefulness, listening to their attitudes, and unique responses to overcoming everyday challenges hugely inspirational.

What has been your defining career moment?

For me, there hasn’t been such a thing as a ‘defining’ career moment. I think being successful in your career requires persistence, and there are opportunities every day or every week to continue shaping your environment.

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self (or any young woman reading this?)

Keep going. Authenticity is a rare and valuable quality, and showing it will allow you to engage with people and opportunities that will give you a happy working life. Also, don’t let anyone cross the boundaries that you set for yourself.

Tell us one surprising fact about yourself.

I have run many half marathons and three full marathons (the most recent being Belfast), but I now like to practice hot yoga, which takes place in a room heated to forty degrees—it’s challenging in a different way but has the advantage of being a lot nicer than running in the dark during winter!

What’s next for you in your career?

I have recently started as Head of Marketing and Communications at Belfast City Council, so I am excited about enhancing the image, profile and reputation of the city to help enable the Belfast Agenda. As part of this, we are creating a compelling story that will continue attracting investment, innovation and talent to the city to drive economic growth and prosperity.