As Director of Cardeas, Linda has worked across the whole communications spectrum, internally and externally, with all audiences, in controversial industries. With her global expertise to effect local change, an enthusiasm and passion for making a difference, her clients get the support, skills and knowledge to embed change for themselves. Linda has over 25 years international experience in blue-chip, operational and not-for-profit environments, with a successful track record spanning Communications, HR, Corporate Social Responsibility and Change.
Specialising for the last 5 years in Safety and Operational Risk Management, she was part of a small global team for a multinational mining client which developed G-MIRM, Global Minerals Industry Risk Management Programme, an award-winning motivating multi-level education, which stands tall on the strength of its contribution to safe production by educating and equipping employees with two simple but critical aims:
1. To initiate a change in operational risk management through improving a company’s understanding and practice of risk management.
2. To challenge and affect the way employees make decisions, behave, lead and live with regard to risks.
Linda spent 13 years working for BP both in the UK and internationally. Her drive for using leading edge and best practice communications to deliver strategic business goals was an early marker in a change towards engaging with stakeholders for the UK chemical industry. Linda has a reputation for delivering on time, pragmatic, impactful solutions responding to business and stakeholder pressures.
In 1998, with BP, she founded an enterprise agency in East Yorkshire, using private sector funds to provide loans and mentoring to new businesses locally. Over the years, she has worked closely with NGOs interested in enterprise development and helping corporates positively influence poverty reduction through core business. She spent 4 years as Chair of a small international charity, IDE-UK, working with smallholder farmers & entrepreneurs in Africa and Asia to secure livelihoods through market development & affordable technologies.
The last couple of years also saw her oversee the project management of a new self-build house in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, a personal project with her husband. She now manages this as a luxurious 5-star holiday home – www.lewislonghouse.com .
Linda holds a MA degree in Psychology from Edinburgh University.