About me
Crisis communications specialist with two decades of press and political experience
Why me?
Background
My passion for reaching people
Testimonials
Read what my past employers and colleagues have to say about my communication strategies and crisis management skills.
"I had the enormous pleasure of working with Dee for 3 years when she was my head communications within the Policing and Crime team. Dee is a consummate professional who ensured I was always prepared and abreast of issues locally and nationally that affected West Yorkshire."
“I had the enormous pleasure of working with Dee for 3 years when she was my head communications within the Policing and Crime team. Dee is a consummate professional who ensured I was always prepared and abreast of issues locally and nationally that affected West Yorkshire. I always felt Dee had my back, and her proactive leadership of her brief ensured the Mayor’s messages were effectively communicated.”
Alison Lowe, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime in West Yorkshire
"Her professional focus and in-depth knowledge, together with her ability to perform promptly in difficult, high profile, and sometimes contentious circumstances, was exceptional."
At the forefront of tackling issues around Biometrics, Stop and Search and Modern Slavery, Dee would always ensure the senior leadership team were extensively briefed and ready to answer challenging questions posed by the media. Her professional focus and in-depth knowledge, together with her ability to perform promptly in difficult, high profile, and sometimes contentious circumstances, was exceptional.
By making sure that journalists and external sources had what they needed without compromising major police investigations while briefing the Police and Crime Commissioner personally, she demonstrated the art of balancing conflicting priorities while delivering crisis communications to reassure the public and retain confidence among diverse communities.
Working in policing and crime can be demanding, often high risk, and difficult decisions need to be made, sometimes daily. Dee managed all this in a way that appeared effortless, while ensuring all communications were intelligent, informed and incisive, with an unwavering focus on the public interest.
She was an asset to the team and successfully navigated many major crises including attacks on police officers, historical investigations, miscarriages of justice, the terror attack on Jo Cox, the murder of Anne Maguire in her classroom, intense media interest around high profile stories and the rise of knife crime. That she did so cheerfully, consistently and while successfully running the press office function for the statutory accountability and scrutiny body of the country’s 4th largest police force’s scrutiny function speaks to her leadership and capabilities.”
Fraser Sampson, Chief Executive of the Office and Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire
"Honest, transparent with integrity and determination, Dee is a force to be reckoned with and the perfect person to come to with regards a crisis situation or political media relations advice. She understands the complexities and nuances that drive the news agenda and what the public need to hear."
Honest, transparent with integrity and determination, Dee is a force to be reckoned with and the perfect person to come to with regards a crisis situation or political media relations advice. She understands the complexities and nuances that drive the news agenda and what the public need to hear.
She gave intelligent, measured, balanced guidance rooted in judgement and experience gained during her successful career as an investigative journalist. She understood what I needed to be briefed on and how, sometimes with minutes to spare before a live broadcast, including when a police officer was shot, the tragic death of Jo Cox MP, and many high profile policing stories.
I held many national portfolios including that of Modern Slavery Lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. So when the tragic discovery of 39 people in a lorry in Kent made the news, I relied on Dee to give me an in-depth press briefing in quick time to ensure I had what I needed for many national and local media interviews.
The devastating attack on Jo Cox made global news and again the intense media interest meant we had to navigate numerous journalist queries while maintaining confidence within the communities we served.
Dee used her excellent relationships with journalists to get them what they needed while not compromising an investigation, and ensuring I was fully briefed to carry out interviews effectively and get our messages of reassurance across.
My job was a very varied and challenging one at both a local and national levels and I relied on trusted advisors around me. I trusted and respected Dee’s professionalism and political awareness on many levels, and felt very lucky to have her as my media relations expert whom I could 100% rely upon.”
Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire (2012-2021)
"Dee has extensive experience in handling multiple issues simultaneously, often under significant time pressures. She is politically astute and able to quickly identify the heart of an issue and develop pragmatic solutions."
Dee has extensive experience in handling multiple issues simultaneously, often under significant time pressures. She is politically astute and able to quickly identify the heart of an issue and develop pragmatic solutions.
We worked together many times on high profile issues which attracted both national and international media and political attention, such as the terrible murder of MP Jo Cox.
Dee shows total commitment to any piece of work she undertakes and while our respective organisations’ differing viewpoints at times meant we didn’t necessarily always agree, I was always sure that we could openly discuss the thorniest of issues in complete confidence.
Tactful, trustworthy but above all totally approachable and an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Nigel Swift, Former Head of Corporate Communications, West Yorkshire Police
"She is one of the most passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated individuals I know. She has so many balls to juggle and hats to wear but she somehow manages it all seamlessly. In a work capacity she is extremely professional, pays attention to detail and smashes deadlines."
“I have known Dee for many years now – as a fellow Rett parent, a trustee of Rett UK, fundraising supporter and a friend. She is one of the most passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated individuals I know. She has so many balls to juggle and hats to wear but she somehow manages it all seamlessly.
In a work capacity she is extremely professional, pays attention to detail and smashes deadlines. She has done some amazing work with her communications about Rett syndrome and the difficulties parents carers face bringing much needed attention and ultimately helping influence change in areas that get little press coverage.
Telling it as it is makes for powerful viewing and reading. She throws herself 110% percent into whatever she is doing. She is kind, empathetic and extremely caring as a friend, mother and wife.”
Becky Jenner, President of Rett Syndrome Europe and former Chief Executive of Rett UK
"Dee is an overall brilliant person to work with. She is clearly passionate about what she does, was highly responsive, and very approachable. She pairs a positive, can-do attitude, with a realistic understanding of possible outcomes, and tailored her support to meet evolving needs."
“Dee’s in-depth experience and knowledge of crisis communications is very clear, and she was invaluable in supporting our organisation to develop a robust and effective Crisis Communication Plan. This work included quickly gaining a good understanding of the organisation’s values and structure, working through different scenarios, and formulating a versatile plan that included addressing potential attention from the press, writing media statements, managing social media, and communicating with stakeholders, all of which was successfully implemented and proved indispensable to our organisation.
Dee worked collaboratively and supportively with Senior Managers and our Communication Officer to achieve effective outcomes. Her mentorship has had long-lasting legacies on these staff and has greatly benefitted our organisation.
Dee is an overall brilliant person to work with. She is clearly passionate about what she does, was highly responsive, and very approachable. She pairs a positive, can-do attitude, with a realistic understanding of possible outcomes, and tailored her support to meet evolving needs. We would definitely recommend Dee to others and will definitely work with her again.”
Deputy Chief Executive of an award-winning charity
"Her high professional standards were enhanced by her frank and engaging personality, her drive and determination and her strong personal integrity."
“Dee Cowburn was a highly valued member of the newsroom throughout her time with the Jersey Evening Post from 2007 to 2011, when she reported on a wide range of issues, notably including health and crime. Her high professional standards were enhanced by her frank and engaging personality, her drive and determination and her strong personal integrity.”
Chris Bright, former editor of Jersey Evening Post
5 questions to ask yourself to establish if you have a crisis…
- Have I got a problem?
- Is there a detailed plan to manage it?
- Do I have confidence in my plan?
- If it becomes breaking news, am I 100% sure in my ability to tackle it head on with transparency and integrity?
- Is there a path forward out of it while retaining public confidence and credibility?
