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Tel 07-54456959/0401617385

Dear Sirs,

I am currently the Executive Director of Living Down Under, Australia’s only online media company dedicated to people moving to Australia.

I have developed this business from scratch and my key achievements are:-

• Designing and building the brand for the business and implementing this into the DVD series and website www.livingdownunder.net
• Growing the website to over 16,000 Unique Visitors every month, with a database of over 12,000 people and over 9,000 twitter fans
• The DVD series I filmed and promoted has sold thousands of DVDs internationally and has many contracts with key business partners for which I receive royalty payments
• Advertising and promoting the business to ensure growth with on-line strategies and traditional advertising

I have developed this business to a sustainable level for the size of the current migration market and have a commitment of just 4 hours per week.

Previously and at the age of 16 I started a successful travel agency career and quickly worked my way up the ranks to Regional Manager with responsibility for 17 agencies and a compliment of 111 employees, I worked for this company for seventeen years implementing many new initiatives and gaining many internal promotions.

With full autonomy for an advertising budget of the equivalent of $400,000 and working with national corporate advertising campaigns, working with market trends and steering local initiatives to increase sales.

Achieving on targeted earnings and budget for each branch was a key focus for me in my role with Coop Travel and I achieved maximum bonus of 20% for the majority of the seven years I held the position.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. I am certain I am able to demonstrate that I possess the requisite skills and experience necessary to exceed expectations within a role you may have.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss further, how my experience may be of interest to you, I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Tessa Steven.

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Resume

Owner Director, Living Down Under, Sunshine Coast - 2006 – Ongoing

Living Down Under is Australia’s most comprehensive video website www.livingdownunder.net showing real people living real lives. Featuring a series of DVDs which have international distribution, the website is often the first point of contact for people moving to Australia whether to live, study or holiday.

January 2011 - To date

Overseeing the Business

• Blog posts to keep content fresh on the website
• Processing advertising contracts received
• Liaison with filmmaker and website designer
• Arrange weekly migrant meet-up on Sunshine Coast

May 2010 – December 2010

Producing the Living Down Under website

• Building website traffic. Currently 16,000 Unique Visitors every month spending a average time on the website of 22 minutes.
• Understanding Search Engine Optimisation and social networking websites, with 9000 Twitter followers.
• Analysing website demographics on a weekly basis.
• Database collation system for our 12,000 clients and ensuring regular contact with them.
• Monitoring the websites 400 pages to ensure smooth operations.
• Overseeing the production of the hundreds of videos on the website and over seven hours of footage provided free to our audience.
• Designing the episodes content and presenting the videos which have been split into four valuable resources, videos of where to live, migrant stories, expert interviews and things to see and do.

October 2008 – April 2010

Filming and Producing Living Down Under TV Episodes

• Researching the content for the episodes, writing the scripts, scheduling the interviewees and signing contracts for use of the footage filmed.
• Presenting the episodes and learning the scripts for Living Down Under TV.
• Conducting market research to understand the market and establish watching videos online is the most popular activity.
• Knowledge of video hosting websites Vimeo and obtaining a You Tube partnership.
• Attending trade events in Australia, and sourcing contacts to represent the business overseas.

July 2005 – September 2008

Filming and overseeing the production of the Living Down Under DVD series

• Obtaining international distribution contracts through Duke International, Europe’s largest DVD distributor based in the UK, and Amazon covering the worldwide market and Createspace covering the United States.
• Filming seven DVDs for the series. Visiting the areas of Perth, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Sydney and Australia to obtain the High Definition footage.
• Working with the filmmaker to edit the footage, each DVD has over 500 clips of video
• Building the Living Down Under website, platforms used Wordpress and Joomla.
• Design and production of the logo and Living Down Under brand.
• Attending twenty hours of media voice coaching lessons with a professional coach.
• Writing the script for the DVD series with the buy in from 40 migrant families to perfect.
• Testing the market through initial sales on eBay.

Reason for leaving: The business is matured with key contracts in place who distribute the DVDs, leaving my commitment to the business at four hours per week where I analyse website traffic, post blog updates and communicate with the audience.

I have built this business to a sustainable level for the size of the current migration market and am now looking for a new challenge and to continue my career.

Career Break – July 2004 to July 2005

To emmigrate to Australia, build a home and extend my family.

Senior Regional Manager - Coop Travel 1997 to July 2004

Operational and financial accountability for seventeen travel agency branches throughout the Northwest of England, with a combined travel and foreign exchange turnover of £47 million, during the seven years I had autonomy over the North Region the region generated a 9% growth for the Company.

• Budgeting/forecasting twice a year on travel sales, foreign exchange sales and payroll spend, ensuring year-end contribution is delivered.

• Branch visits to manage performance, sales development, branch standards and audit control.

• Recruitment of staff for the branches, current staff compliment 111.

• Making decisions and thinking outside the box was a key to my immense success within this role

• Human Resource leader for the six Regional Managers overseeing the REFORM team, a body created to drive key business strategies for the division including sales enhancement, recognition through remuneration and reducing the labour turnover within the retail division. This body has reduced labour turnover from 22% to 14% in the three years I headed the team.

• Resolving the difficult customer service issues which were referred to me from the Branch Managers quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction.

• Conducting monthly Branch Manager Meetings to ensure new initiatives are actioned and manager’s buy-in obtained.

• Reviewing manager’s annual performance and salary through the performance management system.

• Public Speaking at our four annual conferences each year for the various management levels and at our annual awards ceremony to the 3000 employees.

• Conducting business sessions at our annual overseas conferences for our Branch Managers, Customer Service Managers, Foreign Exchange Cashiers and Modern Apprentices.

• Contributing at Retail Management Executive to ensure the business is driven forward and control over the branch network is maintained.

• Reason for leaving: To emmigrate to Australia.

1990-1997 Coop Travel – Branch Manager

As branch manager of a none profitable branch I turned this performance into profit within a year and built the turnover by 355% in two years. Being promoted to open a new shop in Wigan this branch achieved budgeted profit within two years. I was given extra responsibility by the Regional Manager in recruitment and coaching other Branch Managers.

1992-1994 Part-Time Teacher of Travel and Tourism

• Evening classes to teach COTAC (Certificate of Travel Agency Competence, supported by ABTA (Association of British Travel Agencies).

1988-1990 Coop Travel – Travel Advisor

• Selling holidays mainly to the European and US market.

1986-1988 Leigh Travel / USA Travel Centre – Trainee Travel Advisor

• Selling holidays mainly to the UK, USA and Canadian markets.

Qualifications

2007 – Ongoing       Various short courses in social media marketing, SEO, website development, export trading events

2008                           Voice Coaching

2008                           MYOB Advanced Training, Sunderland Computers, Maroochydore

2004                           Real Estate Licence, REIQ, Sunshine Coast

1997 – 1999              Leadership Training for Managers, Dale Carnegie, Liverpool, UK

1997 - 1999               Teaching Certificates, City and Guilds 730/7, Wigan UK

1990 - 1993               Certificate of Travel Agency Management, City and Guilds, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

1986 - 1988               B-TEC National Diploma in Business and Finance, Manchester Business College, UK

Personal

Nationality                              -           Australian Citizenship,December 2007

Myers Briggs Portfolio        -          ENTJ

Religion                                  -           Goodlife Church, Buderim

Marital Status                       -           Divorced

Children                                  -           Mitchell aged 12 and Madison aged 6

Referees

Darren Brampton                                                                 Alistair Rowland

DVD Maker                                                                           Coop Travel Head Office

PO Box 765                                                                           Hamil Road

Cotton Tree                                                                           Burslem

Queensland                                                                          Stoke On Trent

4558                                                                                       Staffordshire ST6 1AJ

Tel 0427 622 747                                                                 United Kingdom                                                 

                                                                                                 Tel +44(0) 1782 309 100