Summary

I am a freelance digital project manager with 15 years of agency experience, working on a fancy assortment of blue-chip and leftfield clients.

I am creative and technically minded, with a solid marketing background. Most of all, I love digital, social media and technology – I have been working as a PM since 1999 and I still kick each day out of the park.

Have a look through my client list, to the left, to the left. And scroll down for testimonials.

I bring: impeccable front-line management; a pro-active personality; two great eyes for detail; a knowledge of industry trends; MS Project; meaningful Gantt charts and real empathy.

I will get involved from conception to manage the whole process and deliver work on time and on budget. I am a team leader when needed and I have proven my ability to operate at director level.

I work with easily with developers, who use a range of technologies including HTML5/CSS. I talk positioning with designers, clarity with copywriters and SEO with your online marketers.

My sitemaps will make sense to your board members and I’m gentle with the least technical. I produce proposals, briefs and presentations of a high quality and my communication skills are exceptional.

I am a co-founder of The Arc Alliance, mentoring a brilliant freelance creative team as they grow a new business: in our first year we have delivered successful work to clients as diverse as FX Channel and the World Health Organisation.

I like art and design, yoga, sci-fi, 90s indie music, meditating, travelling and learning new skills. I kickstarted SheSays Brighton: a network for women in media, digital and creative industries. I also organise annual fund-raising music festival Midwinter Picnic and I presented a two hour radio show on Phoenix FM.

Wish big.

Testimonials

“Rifa’s confidence in her convictions and experience in digital gives much needed structure to often fluid projects. Rifa is professional, succinct and personable and can steer a client in the correct direction. A pleasure to work with as well as a wealth of digital project management skill means she is always top of the list for bliink.”

Dan Mellor, Creative Director, Bliink

“At Clearleft I worked with Rifa on multiple concurrent projects with different clients. She is extremely accomplished at adapting to the working practices of different organisations, and at managing the complex client/agency relationships that come with that. She works very well with all types of stakeholders from senior executives to developers and designers, providing the right amount of detail and support when required. Rifa brought an efficient and calming influence to some tough projects. I always appreciated this and thoroughly enjoyed working with her.”

Andy Hume, Developer, Clearleft

“Rifa is the only project manager I’ve ever worked with that I’ve invited over to Sunday lunch with my family. That says all you should need to know about her personality and demeanour. Unfussy and calm, she is a master of the art of intervening only when necessary, a rare skill in project management. And a welcome skill, for those of us who just like to get on with the job. I look forward to my next project managed by Rifa.”

Rob Pearson, UX consultant

“Rifa has a wealth of knowledge and expertise both as a Digital Project Director and as a team leader. She has the ability to cut through the complex technical problems and make things simple! She stays calm and reassuring under pressure. I hope to work with Rifa again one day.”

Amanda Weston, Account Manager, Caburn Hope

“Rifa is very professional and has the ability to manage multiple workstreams whilst retaining her sense of humour and professionalism. She is extremely experienced in a wide variety of digital projects and I would have no hesitation in working with her again.”

Samantha Gerson, Senior Account Manager, Zinc

“When we worked together I found Rifa great to work with. Rifa is one of the nicest and professional Project Managers I have worked with. She was always approachable and positive, but also kept a close eye on all of her projects to make sure nothing went a miss. I would happily recommend Rifa and would jump at the chance to work with her again.”

Brian Frakes, Production Director, Zinc


“Rifa worked with Worth on a significant website and CD-ROM based learning project for the NHS. Rifa is great fun to work with, good with clients, and an organised and highly effective project manager.”

Mark Ralphs, Director, Worth

“Rifa is a great Digital Project Manager and an absolute joy to work with. We have worked together over the last few months on a project for the Cabinet Office, where she has demonstrated good digital expertise, great people skills, with the client and our internal team, and has managed the project smoothly. I look forward to working with Rifa again.”

Abi Mellor, Account Director, Worth Digital

“Rifa was a delight to work with and had a real passion to get this done whilst ensuring both internal and external clients were happy at the same time. It was a formulative time for the company and there is no doubt that Rifa’s openness, honesty and integrity rubbed off on others and helped us get to where we are today.”

Tim Aldiss, Account Manager, Spannerworks

“Rifa is a pleasure to work with, using her wealth of experience in the field to help produce great results and bring a project to life, no matter how demanding the brief.”

Guy Pickford, Art Director, Worth Digital

“Rifa was a super technical project director, always composed and a pleasure to work with on our digital projects together.”

Andrew Chalmers, Owner, Ballard Chalmers Ltd


“Rifa is an excellent digital project manager and has extremely good communication skills. I have worked with her on a number of projects and it has always been a pleasure. I am looking forward to the next project.”

Geoff Ballard, CTO, Ballard Chalmers Ltd


“I had the pleasure of working with Rifa for about a year. She was always competent and very cheerful. Although we worked in different offices, it was a pleasure to speak with her on the phone, which happened quite a few times per day. Her project management of the projects I was involved in was top rate, wish I had someone like that where I currently work.”

Steve Scarlett, Senior Developer, Ballard Chalmers

“Rifa is a very talented and knowledgeable Digital Project Director and is a great asset to Caburn Hope. She is able to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical staff, and was very adept at explaining complex issues to clients. She was always a calming influence under pressure and has strong project management skills.”

Melanie Andrews, Account Director, Caburn Hope


“I was fortunate enough to work with Rifa early on in my career. At the time she had already acquired a deep understanding of the commercial pressures and general needs of our customers. The insight she had brought our company put in place the structures needed by a digital creative team. I would love to work with her again, it was fun, and I would recommend her appreciation for our industry without any hesitation.”

Asif Khan, Designer, Wax New Media Agency


“I worked alongside Rifa on a number of creative projects at Agency Republic I found Rifa to be very hardworking, delivered on time and a real pleasure to work with.”

Gina Russell, Senior Project Manager, Agency Republic


“Rifa is currently working with me on a national scale project. The work has had to be done mostly on a virtual basis due to geography and she has still managed a remarkable rapport with myself and clients. She communicates well throughout and has managed the workload within a tight timeframe. She has an excellent technical knowledge and is therefore able to negotiate well with suppliers. She is a pleasure to work with. “

Jan Draper Interim manager,NHS Institute for Innovation


“I briefly worked with Rifa on a project where I found her to be diligent and hard-working, and a pleasure to work with”

Robin Wong, Head of Creative Technology, Agency Republic


“Rifa works hard at any task she’s given and was a pleasure to work with. It was the crazy days of the dot com boom so business was very busy. Rifa managed a number of accounts for Clockwork Web and did this well. I have no hesitation in recommending her.”

Jeremy Spiller, MD and Founder, Clockwork Web
Email Me

Twitter: rifa

Follow Me

Contact: rifa@rifa.co.uk