Ms Colette Holden

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Highly proficient editorial consultant, technical editor and proofreader; director of Cooinda Communications Limited.

I have 25 years’ experience in all aspects of the editorial process. I am a native English speaker with an excellent command of the language.

Over the past two decades I have worked as an editorial consultant on hundreds of British and international projects, mostly covering international development, health care, medicine, science and humanitarian issues.

Current clients include the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Kingdom Department for Education (DfE). Other clients over the past two years include the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Cambridge University Press.

With good publishing project management skills, I have an excellent ability to assess projects for budgeting and scheduling, can handle editorial problems with minimal assistance, and can explain outstanding issues clearly and concisely

I understand the importance of timeliness and always meet my project deadlines. I appreciate the flexibility required by many publishing projects. I am, therefore, able to work outside normal business hours when required and to take on urgent assignments at very short notice.

I am based in the UK Peak District, just outside Sheffield, but I am able to travel when required.

Media

Books, CD-ROMs/DVDs, dictionaries, directories/yearbooks, educational materials, government reports, illustrated books, integrated media, journals, magazines, manuals, multi-author books, newsletters, online materials

Experience

Freelance since 1999; Medical writer/sub-editor, Australian Medicines Handbook, 1998; Prepress editor, science and technology, Chapman & Hall, London, 1996–1997; Sub-editor, BMA Complete Home Medical Guide, New Leaf Editions, 1995–1996

Subjects

AIDS

biological sciences

biology

biomedical sciences

climate change

development

environment

health care

healthcare

HIV

international development

life sciences

medicine

NGOs

non-governmental organizations

nongovernmental organizations

pharmaceutical sciences

pharmacology

pharmacy

sciences

Qualifications

BSc Hons (2:i) in biomedial sciences (majoring in pharmacology)

testimonials

This is to certify that Colette Holden worked for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) as Coordinating Editor from November 2017 to November 2018. As Coordinating Editor, Colette performed the following functions under the management of the ICTSD Executive Editor: coordinating the production of policy and research publications from manuscript to final layout; managing a network of copyeditors, and copy-editing and referencing when required; coordinating layout and design with a graphic designer; overseeing quality control through every step of the production process; synchronizing production through a cloud-based collaborative project management tool; developing a customized citation style guide; and collaborating with multicultural teams across different thematic programmes. Colette carried out these tasks with great skill and efficiency. She adeptly integrated an established and geographically spread production team to which she conveyed dynamism and new ideas. Colette’s professionalism and expertise brought fluidity to an extremely demanding production schedule in terms of volume, publication variety, and technical content. Of particular note was her constant attention to detail and high level of quality control at every step of the production process. This generated much trust in her work, often conducted under tight deadlines. In addition to her high level of performance as Coordinating Editor, Colette is a team player who brought generosity in her collaborations with peers. I cannot praise highly enough Colette as a professional and as a colleague.

Fabrice Lehmann, former Executive Editor, ICTSD, Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected]

Other references for recent projects available from:

James Denton-Maclennan, UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected]

Marie-Laure Granchamp, UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected]

Filiberto Beltran Velazquez, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected]

• Editor
• Proofreader