Hi, I’m Debbie Ford!

—your creative and strategic partner for social media marketing, with more than a little penchant for LinkedIn.

But how did I get here?

My Journey

My love for creativity and communication started early. At sixth form, I studied graphic design, photography, and words, gaining photojournalism experience at The Portsmouth News before studying Media and Communications, where I fed my inner geek learning audio and visual editing.

My career has taken me on a fascinating journey, from Assistant Manager at Odeon Cinemas (yes, I kept my cool meeting Richard Attenborough at a premiere!) to becoming a trainer, travelling the UK to train new cinema managers and teach first aid and personal safety.

I've worked in marketing for luxury retail, aspirational travel, fine dining, and high-end hotels. At Jobsite, I led candidate communications and developed national campaigns. In local government, a six-week contract became 11 years, working on gov.uk foundations and leading change management communications for major IT projects.

Why I Started The Chichester Social

In 2016, I combined my love for for marketing, creativity, and helping others by founding The Chichester Social. Since then, I've worked with diverse founders, organisations, and charities, including Brake, Mining Remediation Authority (formerly The Coal Authority), South Downs Planetarium, and Chichester Community Development Trust.

When I'm not being a superhelpful marketing specialist

I've been Chair of Chichester Cinema's Board for over a decade—I cannot speak highly enough of their brilliant community outreach and deftly curated programme, including our annual August Film Festival.

Since 2016, I've run Last Friday Club with my BFF, Emily Perry—a successful business networking community. If you're local and running a business, come and join us!