Lorna – Director

Chocolate or crisps? Chocolate every time

Lorna has an MSc in Computing and Design, a first class honours degree in Graphic and Product Design and a UCPD in Project Management.

An experienced project manager and www/multimedia developer, Lorna is leading the growth of DTW’s design and technical capability, including complex web-based solutions for the new digital age.

Lorna has a wonderful Irish accent. This is appreciated less as she gets more excited, as we all struggle to understand what she’s saying. It’s usually best to just nod along and agree with her.

She can often be found trying to make the rest of us eat her weird paint-stripper sweets (sorry, clove rock) and she’s frightened of currants in her scone (unless there’s less than seven).

Lorna is a great communicator and motivator, with a talent for putting clients at their ease when using digital applications.

Pete – Executive Chairman

Chocolate or crisps? Crisps, with sour cream and chive dip

A Durham University graduate and former journalist, Pete was a magazine editor and publisher before founding DTW in 1989. 

In his role as Executive Chairman, Pete will draw on his 30 years of management experience to advise on the direction of the company, as well as leading on strategic communications projects.

When he’s feeling particularly grumpy, Pete complains about the number of boxes ‘lying around’ the office. Considering he’s only ever tripped over his own briefcase, we all agree his gripe is woefully misdirected.

Pete has a no-nonsense, jargon-free approach. He adds a good dollop of common sense to any flights of fancy, turning them into viable solutions.

Pete would like to retire now, but it seems he’s got a way to go, as his family haven’t yet tired of spending his money.

Pete – Director

Chocolate or crisps? Why is there no option for cheese here?

Pete has a BA (Hons) in Media Communication and Public Relations and has successfully completed the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Diploma.

He is a technical wizard and a digital media enthusiast. As well as managing clients’ PR and communications programmes, Pete is driving forward DTW’s digital PR and social media expertise.

Pete has recently recovered from Mini Cooper-itis. As the street he lived on was rife with them, with one on every driveway, inevitably Pete and his wife caught the bug. It took the drastic measure of moving house for him to be free of the Mini’s deathly grip, and he now enjoys life with his Skoda Octavia vRS (note: you try fitting two Labradors in a mini!)

Pete loves trying to fix our computer problems – ‘try’ being the operative word. He is amazingly enthusiastic about anything that interests him, and just as amazingly unenthusiastic about anything that doesn’t.

He has the ability to think creatively, strategically and technically – strengths he brings to an ever-increasing array of impressive video productions for our clients.

Jane – Finance Director & Company Secretary

Chocolate or crisps? Chocolate with tea, crisps with beer

Qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant, Jane also has a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and German. She is responsible for all aspects of company finance, as well as statutory and legal affairs.

Jane has an in-depth understanding of all aspects of small company accounting and has a large amount of experience working in different financial roles for companies in both the private and the public sector.

Most of us don’t really understand the scary world of numbers that Jane lives in, so she brightens up her finance reports with lots of pretty, colourful charts to ensure we actually look at them.

If we ever see her without a calculator in one hand and a glass of water in the other, we’ll assume she’s been replaced by an alien and be straight on the phone to NASA.

Chris – Managing Director

Chocolate or crisps? Why has no one invented chocolate crisps yet? – another big idea in waiting!

Chris has a BA (Hons) in Politics and Communications and a Diploma in Public Relations.

In addition to his corporate role as MD, Chris leads on the development and running of PR-led accounts and the management of the public relations team and is Chair Elect of the North East CIPR committee.

DTW’s resident Sunderland supporter (let’s face it, every office has to have one) Chris often finds himself the butt of the football jokes, but never lets his loyalty to the Black Cats falter. And, the father of a young daughter, he is no stranger to colds either. Everyone knows when he has contracted another bout of ‘man flu’ when he turns up for work in his favourite “poorly jumper”, which is warm enough for the Arctic and zips right up to his chin. Bless. 

Politically savvy and pragmatic, with an unerringly calm demeanour, Chris is just the person you want on your side throughout complex PR projects. 

Chris has yet to realise one key benefit of being MD – freedom to delegate to others. Is anyone going to let him know? Not just yet…

Hayley – Director

Chocolate or crisps? Good quality Easter-egg chocolate or retro sweets (like wham bars!)

Hayley has a BA (Hons) in Marketing, a Diploma in Marketing and a Postgraduate Diploma in Communications, Advertising and Marketing.

She specialises in strategic marketing, campaign planning and implementation, corporate identity and brand development, publications management and digital communications.

A great coordinator and a true perfectionist, Hayley strives for excellence in all that she does and expects the same high standards from others.

Hayley adores cheesy pizza. In the unlikely event of cheesy pizza being eradicated from the planet, she would probably turn to stone, before crumbling into a thousand pieces and disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Tea and coffee are strange, alien substances to Hayley. If you want to get her into a tailspin just ask her to make a brew – she wouldn’t have a clue!

Jain – Director

Chocolate or crisps? Can I have pearls or diamonds, instead?

Jain has an MSc in Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She knows all there is to know about marketing, brand development and implementation, advertising, design, publications and event management – especially in the further education sector – and manages major contracted full-service accounts. 

Jain’s experience and dedication to delivering work to the highest standards – on budget and on time – has gained her an enviable reputation and the loyalty of clients for many years. She prides herself on never saying something is ‘impossible to deliver in the timeframe’ and regularly gets her whip out (usually reserved for Pete Snr) to make sure clients requirements are met and their expectations exceeded. 

Does Jain love her cats more than Pete Snr? Whilst the cats get Madagascan king prawns for dinner, Pete is lucky to get a tin of beans, so we’ll let you decide.

We think she might be writing a book on the importance of chicken in gourmet cuisine, as she loves visiting posh restaurants but always seems to ask for chicken, regardless of what’s on the menu. 

Doug – Associate Director

Chocolate or crisps? Let me eat cake!

Doug was supposed to retire but has held onto one account like Gollum holding onto ‘My Precious’ in Lord of the Rings.

Semi-retired, he hangs around just enough to make us all sick with envy over his tan and general aura of wellbeing acquired through endless hours sailing, gardening and walking.

If you want to dance at a party but no one seems daft enough to get up first, just give Doug a nudge and he’ll gladly oblige – perhaps too enthusiastically.

Doug is sharp and thorough, uncompromising on detail and an excellent communicator. DTW benefits from his experience as well as the unique perspective he brings from many years working in local government.

Simon – Senior Designer

Chocolate or crisps? Can I have an apple, instead?

Simon is a talented illustrator with a HND AD Diploma and over 30 years’ experience as a graphic designer. He is responsible for creating innovative design solutions for a wide range of clients.

Simon has been at DTW since the beginning and may well be here when the demolition ball rolls in. Saying that, he might just scarper one day to follow his dream of setting up his own tattoo studio.

He loves Turkey and has been on holiday there for two weeks in August for the last ten years. We think he might have a tattoo of Turkey somewhere on his body, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Simon has a great understanding of our long-term clients’ needs and knows what design approach will best suit them. He brings consistency and relevance to his work along with an injection of creativity.

Jan – Office Administrator

Chocolate or crisps? Neither, I’d rather have a Gregg’s sausage roll!

As the first point of contact with clients, Jan does an excellent job of making us all seem normal and is a natural at building good working relationships with disembodied voices.

Jan is also involved in preparing proposals and tenders and generally ensures the smooth running of the office with her calm efficiency.

When not on ‘Floriday’ in the sunshine state, Jan can be seen enjoying herself in David Cassidy videos, as we discovered on YouTube. She is a neat freak and a bit of a Christmas humbug – often refusing to put up a Christmas tree at home because it messes with her cleaning regime.

Paula – Senior Designer

Chocolate or crisps? Crisps every time

Paula has a wealth of experience as a graphic designer, having joined DTW when it was formed in 1989. She has a HND in Graphic Design and specialises in advertising, design for print and corporate identity.

In an average evening Paula can cook a casserole, act as referee and guardian to 20 teenagers, attend a community meeting, pickle her home-grown vegetables and make pot pourri for a charity craft fair. We reckon she’ll be dressing up as Santa or the Easter Bunny next.

She can often be seen walking down the High Street at lunchtime with a shockingly large stash of junk food (okay, she is in charge of the staff tuck box).

Methodical and well organised, Paula particularly enjoys large project work that incorporates many disciplines. She works well in a team, enthusing those around her and encouraging the development of shared ideas.

Sarah N – Account Executive

Chocolate or crisps? I’m all about the chocolaty goodness!

Sarah has a BA (Hons) in Public Relations and Marketing and a Diploma in Marketing Communications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

She is responsible for research and analysis, print and design management, event management, PR and marketing support.

Sarah is chief pen-snatcher and office chatterbox. A big Corrie fan, she always enjoys a good gossip with Karen about the latest drama on the cobbles.

Sarah is adept at organising, and is in her element when managing events. She maintains excellent relationships with key clients and suppliers and also has a knack for cataloguing client photography from memory.

Karen – Account Director

Chocolate or crisps? Definitely chocolate

Karen has more than 21 years’ experience in the newspaper industry, 17 years of which were spent working as a reporter. She was head office chief reporter at The Northern Echo in Darlington, though she also spent four years working as a journalist overseas.

While at DTW, Karen has been involved in comprehensive PR support and public consultation work.

Karen is one of those annoyingly perky morning people – arriving at the office having already been to the gym, got the kids sorted and re-organised the kitchen. She loves gardening and meeting up with friends but always makes time for Corrie.

As an ex-journalist, Karen knows how to handle the media and get a story covered – she is an excellent feature writer.

Sarah B – Senior Designer

Chocolate or crisps? Mmm…both please! (just not at the same time)

Sarah is an enviably natural illustrator, with a BA (Hons) in English and an MSc in Multimedia. Her role as digital and graphic designer for DTW includes corporate identity, publications and advertising.

Sarah drinks copious amounts of diet coke, which enables her to run for miles and miles in her spare time (okay, maybe fitness and stamina have something to do with it, too).

Sarah is sarcastic by nature, but because she is so articulate in making her displeasure known we find it quite entertaining and just let her get on with it.

Sarah has a lot to offer across the whole design spectrum, from print to digital, is a regular tweeter and has recently become more involved in video production and editing.

Jemma – Marketing Copywriter

Chocolate or crisps? Chocolate – only the very best!

Jemma has a BA (Hons) in Marketing and specialises in copywriting, proofing and editing of marketing materials, ensuring messages are conveyed in a clear and compelling manner.

She likes to cycle and row but never actually gets anywhere, favouring the torture machines in her dark and dingy garage ‘gym’ over the great outdoors.

We wouldn’t like to say she has an obsession with chocolate, but her office tea mug has chocolate cakes printed all over it and she saves the menu/description cards from posh chocolate boxes.

Jemma’s copywriting range is eclectic and she is comfortable working across all communication channels. Her pet hates are inconsistency and limited vocabulary.

Andy – Digital Media Developer

Chocolate or crisps? Both – I refuse to choose! 

Andy is an experienced web developer with a keen interest in all aspects of digital media. He has a BSc (Hons) in Computer Communications and is responsible for the development of DTW’s content management system, which is the platform on which all client websites are built.

Andy speaks that strange techie language that makes our eyes glaze over. When he does speak normally, his phrases often have a different meaning. For example, ‘It can’t be done’ means ‘It can be done, but let’s do something else instead’.

He loves TV shows like Dexter and Big Bang Theory – basically any show with a story that extends to countless series over multiple seasons. Then he’ll buy the DVD box set, which he’ll never watch, but likes to look at on the shelf.

Andy specialises in usability and accessibility, has a forward-thinking mind and is constantly looking at new ways to make websites easier to use and increase search engine optimisation.