Testimonials

Satisfied customers are my primary goal. I strive to continually improve the service I provide, so I welcome and encourage your feedback and suggestions.  If you have feedback on the service you have received from Writehand Communications, please contact me.

Some comments from past employers, clients, community groups and colleagues follow:

"I have worked with Cathy Shaw in a corporate Public Relations/events setting and found her to be a true professional. Cathy is extremely conscientious, creative and works diligently to deliver robust strategic communications solutions. I have no hesitation recommending Cathy as a communications consultant."

~ Jodine Laing-Reeve, Laing-Reeve Communications

"Catherine joined AIG New Zealand as a contractor, filling in for our Marketing Development Manager, who was on maternity leave. This period coincided with what was the greatest financial (and communications!) challenge that AIG as a group had ever faced. Following the events of 16 September, AIG was consistently in the news for weeks, prior to and subsequently after its agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The challenge in New Zealand was to counter the effects of the global news media and tailor any messages for the local New Zealand audience.

During this particularly stressful time, I worked very closely with Catherine. On numerous occasions, she demonstrated sound judgement and provided me with good advice and recommendations. Given the time pressures, it was imperative that we met tight deadlines. Catherine displayed a professionalism and conscientiousness to make sure the job got done. Her execution was very good, with a real understanding of what messages needed to be conveyed and to whom. She proved herself to be a real asset to the company.

Outside of this 'crisis period', Catherine developed good working relationships with her colleagues. She showed initiative, full of ideas of how to improve our corporate message and image. She liaised with outside journalists, publications etc to make the most of marketing and promotional opportunities. I would have no hesitation in recommending Catherine for a Marketing Communications role".

~ Robert G Ryan, ex-CEO AIG New Zealand

"Cathy has carried out a broad portfolio of marketing and communications activities for our business, including but not limited to the development and production of promotional, sales and advertising materials, our quarterly client newsletter, staff events and communications, management of a 30-seat call centre and the redesign of our website.

Cathy has a fresh approach in dealing with a brand and fantastic ideas on how to increase the profile of the company as well as enhancing its general operation and productivity.

Cathy has done an exceptional job in setting up the Marketing department. She is honest, reliable, professional, approachable, diligent and incredibly capable.

We anticipate that our relationship with continue with Cathy over the next few years as we engage her to deal with some of the more complicated aspects of our marketing and communication requirements."

~ NZINVEST, former employer and client

"Cathy was involved in a wide range of activities including planning, implementation and management of staff initiatives and events, including SKYCITY's waged staff bonus scheme, the monthly group-wide magazine, various staff rewards and recognition programmes, and development of a broad range of communications in consultation with other parts of the business"

"Her development of annual plans was thorough and she was creative in her approach to leveraging SKYCITY's sponsorship properties. Her campaigns and projects were varied, ranging from supporting volunteer recruitment to event management to delivering integrated marketing communications campaigns. Cathy is solutions focussed and her determination and tenacity ensure that when confronted with an issue, she works out ways to overcome it to meet her deliverables."

"She successfully developed and managed effective working relationships with our sponsorship partners and community stakeholders and took pride in her role as SKYCITY's advocate.

Cathy's event management skills were applied to a host of activities, both internal and external. She was able to develop creative concepts which engaged staff and contributed to internal culture, similarly her external event management was creative and executed with an eye to detail.

Cathy has a bright and positive personality, and her enthusiasm and energy have made a substantial contribution to the SKYCITY Communications team. I have no hesitation in recommending her to future employers and sincerely wish Cathy every best wish for her future."

~ SKYCITY Entertainment Group, former employer

"Cathy was very organised, detail conscious and committed to delivering the highest possible quality of work. She showed lots of initiative and applied this to making improvements in a number of areas. She had experience of presenting to clients and did this with confidence and clarity."

~ Countrywide Porter Novelli, London, former employer

"On behalf of The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, I would like to thank [Cathy] for the tremendous support you provided during the lead up to In the Pink, and on the night.

It was a supreme effort and we can truly appreciate the amount of time and dedication you put into making sure everything was on track and everyone enjoyed the evening."

~ The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation

"Thank you for everything you have done to make ‘Kites for Kidz' such a success. SKYCITY has been very good to us and you, personally, have been extremely helpful. Thank you for all your work putting the kites on display at SKYCITY - particularly coming and collecting them on Saturday."

We had a wonderful evening on Friday and a wonderful financial result. We couldn't be more thrilled about it. Thank you again for the major part you played in making it all such a success."

~ South Auckland Health Foundation

"As always you and your team obviously pulled out all the stops to ensure that ‘our families' were made to feel welcome and special. The entertainment that was provided was superb. The children and their parents, especially the mothers, enjoyed meeting the two members of the Warriors team. Of course the fathers enjoyed the [cheerleaders]! The cake was a materpeice. Not only did it look good, it was delicious. The movie, Elf was an excellent choice as it catered to all age groups.

Please pass on our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this a memorable occasion."

~ Burn Support Group Charitable Trust, Inc.

"Where do we begin singing your praises? Pascal the Clown was the ideal person to keep everything running smoothly. The children enjoyed his antics and jokes tremendously. The balloon animals and flowers that the elf made, were hits with the children... It was very generous of the Auckland Blues boys to give their time to meet our children... None of this would have been possible without your hard work and dedication. For many of the children who attended, this was the highlight of their year, and we cannot thank you enough"

~ Burn Support Group Charitable Trust, Inc.