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Site picks
- Once we hated business jargon… Back in the day, Plain Text railed against corporatese like everyone else…
- …but now we've changed our minds. It’s quite useful really, in its proper place. Why resist?
Great writing picks
- Gizmodo Flip, punchy copy that makes gadget freaks salivate.
- Tim Harford Not scared of full stops.
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Who we are
Paul Nero, co-founder and principal writer
Formerly head of communications at the Financial Times web portal FT.com, Paul has worked in advertising and PR at the BBC, Visa International, ITV and Pitney Bowes Inc. He started his career in local newspapers and radio, having gained a degree in Theatre Arts and Social Sciences. He also has an MBA from Bristol Business School. Paul has written two books, Creative Business (FT/Prentice Hall, 2003) and Blagging it (Michael O’Mara, 2004) and also presents a weekly music and news programme on local radio.
Paul Waddington, co-founder and principal writer
Paul worked in editorial and marketing posts during a long career at Reuters, before joining the Financial Times as communications director for FT.com. He was responsible for award-winning campaigns at both organisations. Paul holds a BA (Hons) in French from the University of Liverpool. Beyond the world of business writing, Paul’s interests include road cycling (he is chairman of Velo Club Beverley), ecology and food. His book Seasonal Food was published by Eden Project Books/Transworld on 1 September 2004. It was followed in May 2006 by 21st-Century Smallholder, and in January 2008 by Shades of Green, also for Eden Project Books.
Norman Ireland, associate writer
Norman has spent most of his working life in the financial technology sector, mainly with blue-chip software vendors. From 1987 to 1994 he worked for Datastream International (now part of Thomson Financial) latterly as marketing manager of Datastream Investment Management Services. In 1994 he was recruited by Reuters to be Head of Marketing for its new venture, Reuters Business Information. From 1996 to 2000 he worked as a director of SunGard Investment Systems (UK) Ltd., spending his final two years there as managing director. Norman subsequently become an independent marketing consultant and has been working with Plain Text since the end of 2003. Norman holds a BA in Economics (Hons) from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. His interests include theatre, motorcycling and food and he aspires to make perfect sourdough bread.
Paul Roberts, associate writer
Paul has over a decade’s copywriting experience in both public and private sectors. His recent projects range from updating benefit leaflets to creating superyacht brochures. A former in-house editor at the UK’s Central Office of Information, he is particularly accustomed to ensuring information meets plain language standards and government tone of voice guidelines. The highlight of his professional life was writing a story for a wine bottle label. The highlights of his personal life are any days when batsmen fall for his left-arm wrist spin.
Rob Sears, associate writer
Rob was formerly a senior creative at McCann Erickson, where he devised advertising campaigns for clients including HP, BMW, Sony and the Carbon Trust. He has eight years experience writing for business, and his short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s and anthologies. Rob graduated from Cambridge University in philosophy in 2001.
Mark Tyler, media trainer
Mark has been a news and sports presenter for more than 25 years. In addition to being a Plain Text media trainer, he runs Devon-based production company Sound and Vision Media and continues to present regional news bulletins on ITV Westcountry and on local radio programmes in the south west. Mark is also a widely sought-after conference host and master of ceremonies.
Mark joined the Plymouth-based Television South West as deputy sports editor in 1989, and in late 1990 made the move to LWT to report on the Saturday lunchtime network football programme ‘Saint and Greavsie’. He was head of sport for ITV Westcountry for 15 years and in 2007 was named ‘Executive Producer of the Year’
Mark is a board member for ‘Active Devon’, a patron of the Exeter-based charity ‘Dream-a-way’, vice patron of adoption charity ‘Families for Children’ and a trustee of the Devon Air Ambulance Trust.
Harry Gates, research assistant
Harry graduated from Cardiff University in 2009 with a BSc (Hons) in Politics. Currently studying for an MSc in International Public Policy at University College London, Harry acts for Plain Text as a researcher, where he has been involved in statistical, qualitative and desk research, as well as being an adept assistant at public events.
Harry’s academic research interests include the Political Economy of Development, Public Policy Economics and International Peace and Security. He is communications director of the International Public Affairs Society at UCL and on the executive board.
In addition to his Plain Text work and UCL studies, Harry is an enthusiastic sportsman, and a keen musician and traveler, having taken part in an expedition to the North Pole and played water polo at a national and international level.