Head of Marketing & Design
charlotte wallbank
Charlotte Wallbank – Head of marketing & design is responsible for all the creative design at T. Forrest.
At school, Charlotte excelled in maths and had a keen eye for figures, but it was her passion and talent for all things creative that led her to pursue a career in the Arts after leaving high school.
Luckily for us, Art College wasn’t for Charlotte and after mum suggested she put her maths skills to good use, Charlotte sailed through and qualified in accountancy with an AAT Advanced Diploma.
Five years on, and as the business has developed and grown. Not only is she responsible for the E-Commerce functions of the business, Charlotte has taken the opportunities to get creative again.
Charlotte is in control of our marketing activities. Sprinkling her creative magic across the T Forrest brand, packaging, website and social media – the face of the Business.
As the 5th generation of the T Forrest family, we wanted to know what it’s like working for the family business. So, she took time out of her busy day to tell us.
describe a typical day in the office
I’m responsible for the day-to-day running of our E-commerce functions. Processing orders, dealing with enquiries and keeping our customers happy.
We are a small team who all help each other out if we need it, so my day can vary. The only thing that is guaranteed is that no two days are the same.
Once I’ve responded to all my emails, we always have a quick team catch-up to make sure we are all on track for the day and the coming weeks. Over the last 2 years, the business strategy has been more focused on marketing.
I’m able to get creative with our social media strategy, brand asset creation, designing new packaging and website design/optimisation.
I do all of our photography and videography too. It’s really nice to see my creations come to life and hear the positive feedback we get from customers.
I can't think of anything better than working in the countryside, with my family and our dogs. The fact that our grandparents come down to the factory to see the business grow and improve is lovely.
Making our customers happy is one of the best things about my job. Hearing our service is excellent and seeing customers post on social media with their pets enjoying our treats is so rewarding. Our staff are nothing short of amazing, without them we wouldn't be where we are today.
one interesting fact about you
When I was younger, I did a modeling shoot for a magazine. We got a phone call asking if I would go on the TV programme Waterloo Road.
Unfortunately, the school wouldn’t let me have the time off. So we had to decline the offer.
what do you do in your spare time?
A typical Friday night for me would be a quick gym session then get-together with the girls. We call it ‘Friday night chill night’ where we usually grab a takeaway.
During the summer months, my partner and I like to spend most of our weekends with the family in the Lake District. We spend the weekend wakeboarding and wake surfing on Mum and Dad’s boat. By the end of the day we usually grab some lovely food in a local pub.
Winter can be a bit difficult to get out on the boat, so we tend to stay local. The Ribble Valley is a beautiful place to live so most of our weekends are spent out with the dogs, soaking up the beautiful views and enjoying some home-cooked food.
best piece of advice you have received
This is something that has always stuck with me.
Someone told me that “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
