I’m an award-winning writer and journalist with 20 years’ experience working on international and national newspapers and magazines. My book Girl With A Gun written with former peshmerga fighter and human rights activist Diana Nammi, is out now. This has been a labour of love for four years and it’s very exciting to see it out in the world.
I’m a former staff writer at the Independent on Sunday where I wrote features and interviews for news, arts and The New Review magazine; the Independent, where I was a business reporter; and the Press Association, where I spent five years on breaking news on everything from the courts and the City to the Royals and showbiz.
I’ve reported from Japan on the impact of the 2012 tsunami on the sake industry, from Nepal on the slow recovery following two devastating earthquakes in 2015, and I was surrounded by armed militia in Central African Republic, while looking at the impact of conflict on malnutrition rates for aid organisation Action Against Hunger. I’ve also travelled to Mali, Uganda and Jordan with the charity.
I write regularly about gender equality, international development, food and nutrition as well as the arts. I have lived in Japan and the United Arab Emirates and enjoy writing about the cultures of both countries. I speak Japanese and French. I spent one year on the launch team of Abu Dhabi’s The National before stringing in Dubai and my work has been published in all UK national newspapers and in international titles, such as Germany’s Stern magazine and Japan’s Mainichi Shinbun.
Following my daughter’s diagnosis with leukaemia at the age of two and subsequent three years of cancer treatment, I have written regularly about childhood cancers, healthcare and life as a carer.
I’ve worked at Japan’s Broadcasting Corporation, (NHK) in London, and have been interviewed for Women’s Hour, on Sky News and ITV and BBC news. I also run a media training business Nine Media.