“I tell stories,” says Louise. “Everything has a story, and the way you tell the story is the way it is heard. Whether you are managing an important client, advertising a new product, advising of a company merger or simply tweeting a six word comment, it is all about the words you use and the way you put them together to make a story.”

Louise McAllister has an Honours Degree from Rhodes University, where she graduated with Academic Colours in English and French.

She has worked extensively in Marketing, Communications and Public Relations based in Zimbabwe, with a global network of clients and is now following her passion with “words”.

Louise has always been a story-teller and as a child spent many hours in the back seat of the car on the long weekly trips to and from town looking at the clouds and creating “news” from the pictures she saw in them. Not much has changed – Louise loves to find the story in any situation and find the words to tell it.

Louise started her career in the TZH Group in 1995 where she co-ordinated internal and external newsletters, press releases and public relations communications for a group of manufacturing companies (Conlite, Standard Telephones and Cables, The Lighting Centre, Ellies Electronics).

In 1997 she moved into the cut flower industry, where she spent 15 years in Marketing, Key Account Liaison and Grower Liaison. Once again her communications skills were at the forefront of her operations, and she developed internal and external newsletters, bulletins and email updates for overseas clients, local suppliers, and internal staff members. She opened her own cut flower marketing company, in conjunction with Flora Marketing, to export Fair Trade roses into Switzerland, with communications between growers, retailers and the Fair Trade accreditation authorities being a key component in the company’s success.

In the wake of the agricultural upheavals in 2009, Louise left the flower industry to work briefly as an Executive Recruitment Consultant for CV People Africa, where she once again developed key customer accounts and specialised in communications with clients, jobseekers and staff.

Louise joined Mavros and Sons in 2012, where she worked as the Executive Personal Assistant for Patrick Mavros, the internationally acclaimed silver sculptor with branches in London, Nairobi, Mauritius and Harare. During her time at Patrick Mavros, Louise used her language and communications skills to write stories for the company’s monthly e-shots, as well as editing, proof-reading and creating content for their various website pages, Facebook releases and catalogues.

Louise now consults to a variety of clientele both in Zimbabwe and abroad, and specialises in communications in the digital and conventional press arenas.