Virginia’s 20-year career in communications began in the high street retailer, Radio Rentals where she was Communications Manager during the retailer’s demerger from Thorn EMI in 1999. After a turbulent year in the corporate centre of the newly listed Thorn PLC, Virginia supported a strategic review which resulted in redundancies all round and the demise of Thorn as it was absorbed into Nomura.
Soon after, Virginia Joined Glaxo Wellcome’s new manufacturing division as it too underwent a strategic review and within a year the company became GSK following a merger with SmithKlineBeecham. Virginia moved to Marks & Spencer and led the internal communications team while managing multiple communications change agendas, recovery from a downturn and a sudden leadership change in 2004.
After a spell as an interim with Network Rail and Unilever, Virginia was invited to set up the interim business as part of Comma Consulting with Colette Dorward who had specialised in strategic communications herself for many years.
Since 2011, Comma Partners has been owned by Virginia who has seen her initial list of candidates grow from 25 into hundreds, and an impressive client list of FTSE100, international businesses, top-end communications consultancies and professional services. Her favourite job yet, Virginia celebrated ten years in this business with clients, candidates and friends of Comma back in 2017.
Virginia began her career with the International Tennis Federation where she travelled extensively before moving into sponsorship with Alan Pascoe Associates where her clients included Pearl Assurance, Kodak, TSB and Land Rover.
Now living in West Sussex, Virginia has settled into a more rural lifestyle while maintaining close links London. Virginia is a hands-on mum who enjoys her husband’s excellent cooking, loves fine wine, theatre, Pilates, Tai Chi and sailing with lots of time dedicated to a new vegetable garden, house renovation and other family businesses in rugby ball replica lamps and snake breeding.