Our People, Your Secret Sauce
Meet your outsourced communications team. Working with our diverse bunch of skilled journalists, editors, authors, marketing and business content writers – and other communications wizards – you’ll always have the right expertise at your fingertips. Our team is an innovative content creation powerhouse (minus the staffing cost) that loves ideas, information and creating in depth relationships.
Daniela Cavalletti
Founder + Communications Expert
Chief Content Consultant
Daniela is an accomplished copywriter, editor and ghostwriter, and heads the international tribe of wordsmiths at Cavalletti Communications (‘CavaCom’). A meticulous organiser and vibrant ideas-person, Daniela is your first point of contact. She’ll discuss and plan your project with you, before pairing you with our best-match writer, editor or proofreader. Multilingual, dual national – and with a global career spanning 25-odd years in corporate and small business – Daniela has a deep understanding of organisational and cultural nuances. She’s applied her life-long love of asking questions, analysing facts, and solving problems to tell powerful stories in fields from finance to film before starting CavaCom in 2009. Devouring books since the tender age of three, Daniela has a real knack for captivating and connecting people through the power of the written word.
Favourite Word – Juxtaposition. “I always loved how the ‘jux’ sound seemed to perfectly describe close proximity of two opposite things. So close, but yet so far apart.”
Diana Riekstina
Office Manager
Problem Solving Expert
Prior to joining Cavalletti Communications, Diana’s story has been a twist on the lawyer-turned-freelancer path of someone who enjoys digging deep for answers and solutions (and is making a career out of it). She has gone from focusing on media rights in the beginning of her career to diving into the tricky world of insurance business later on, to ultimately find herself most comfortable in the ever-changing life of a freelancer. Since joining CavaCom team, Diana has been keeping her finger on the pulse of day-to-day administrative and operational processes. Making big decisions in a blink of an eye is her fuel, including moving to a different country with a half-full backpack. Being trilingual, Diana deeply appreciates not only reading others’ stories, but also the ability to express herself through creative writing in more than one language. Her other favourite means of expression include cooking and baking.
Favourite Word – Infatuation. “It’s truly hard to choose just one! ‘Infatuation’ is among the top bunch. For me, the sound of it represents the meaning of it perfectly – it’s just the right match.”
Alina Bain
Senior Marketing, Business, Technical Writer
Legal, Media, Trade + Government Policy
A lawyer by education, Alina has worn many hats in her career – from solicitor at a large commercial practice, to CEO in the not for profit sector, representing industry and making their case to government and civil society. A common thread in all of Alina’s roles has been her ability to communicate persuasively with her audiences, which have been as varied as her career. Alina works through and identifies relevant facts from highly technical material to develop and present arguments for maximum impact. She is a master translator of that which seems incomprehensible. Alina is a single mum of two adult children, who she fondly calls “adultings”.
Favourite Word – Discombobulated. “A most excellent word, which can be used in a variety of circumstances.” Alina particularly likes how people look discombobulated when she uses it. Alina is rarely discombobulated.
Amanda Crawford
Marketing + Business Writer, Book Editor
Change Management Expert
Amanda is a chameleon of style and medium. Over the past 20 years, she has written and edited everything from speeches for government ministers to leadership development books. With top qualifications in English Literature, Editing and Publishing, Financial Services, and Business Management, Amanda is highly skilled at shaping language to help business owners achieve their goals. She has worked with organisations of all sizes across the private and public sectors to develop and implement communications, marketing, and social media strategies. Amanda‘s speciality fields are change management, and business and digital transformations, focusing on corporate and high level stakeholder communications. A razor-sharp mind with creative flair, Amanda‘s writing captivates and convinces.
Favourite Word – Adventures. “Ever since I was little, my mum has described all sorts of things as ‘adventures’ – good things, challenging things (cold showers in Austrian caravan parks!), thought-provoking things – so for me it’s infused with a sense of wonder, encouragement, and a reminder to be open and curious. It’s a wonderful legacy, packaged into a single word.”
Barbara Barkhausen
Writer, Editor, Journalist
German Transcreation Expert
Barbara is a versatile journalist and media professional. As the Asia-Pacific correspondent for a European news agency she’s the one who knows what’s hot and what’s not. Fluent in English and German, you can also hear her on SBS Radio’s German program. Barbara writes books across a number of topics, and fronts the camera producing programs for television and corporate videos. As an integral part of Cavalletti Communications since 2012, she’s been adding ghostwriting articles, newsletters and blogs to her impressive portfolio. Always with her finger firmly on the pulse, there’s no interesting story that escapes Barbara. Just don’t get her started on politics!
Favourite Word – Unbelievable. “I’ve always been drawn to it; it just rolls of the tongue so smoothly.”
Bryan Szabo
Editor + Ghostwriter, Author Coach
Business Books
Bryan has translated his lifelong love of reading and writing into a decade-long career as an editor, copywriter and ghostwriter. With a well-tuned ear for the music of language, he helps authors make their powerful ideas sing and realise their potential. Having studied the art of writing and the science of reading, Bryan understands what moves readers – what draws them irresistibly towards an article’s or book’s heart – and he has helped dozens of authors turn their books into powerful marketing tools.
Favourite Word – Eidolon. “In eighteenth-century England, authors adopted a pseudonym to publish their social commentary. It was the public but masked face of the intellectual – their eidolon –, and allowed them a greater degree of freedom to speak truth to power. The eidolon, therefore, represents the freedom of anonymous authorship (something ghostwriters know quite a bit about).”
Di Mace
Strategic Copywriter + Brand Writer
Brand Development + Messaging Specialist
Di is a story-based brand copywriter, strategist and ghostwriter who loves working with businesses, marketers and brands that dream deep. Her forte is turning mere messages and materials into heartfelt content – centred on a brand’s culture, customers and core values. As a corporate marketer-turned-copywriter, she’s equal parts strategist and writer, so clever phrases aren’t all she cares about. After 30+ years in communications, she believes that creating words that are meaningful to your ‘right people’ comes from knowing them, your purpose and the experience you want to leave as your legacy. An all-rounder, her expertise spans corporate materials, articles, blog posts, award submissions, websites, brochures, profiles and bios, case studies, newsletters and culture magazines.
Favourite Word – Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. “A wonderful word for those moments, when words escape you … or someone asks your favourite word!“
Fiona Stocker
Writer, Editor, Author
Tourism, Agriculture + Farming
Fiona is a published author and experienced content creator and editor. Whether it’s about travel, tourism, farming, agriculture, food or wine, Fiona writes with flair, clarity and creativity. Fiona loves to cut through jargon and write content that jumps off the page. She has worked in the corporate world, which makes her a stickler for detail, but her heart is in the SME sector. She writes very well with humour, if required. Fiona is also an accomplished creative writer. She is enrolled in the Master of Arts in Writing and Literature at Deakin University, where her work consistently earns High Distinction.
Favourite Word – Oleaginous. “My favourite ever word, meaning oily and slick, and perhaps also elusive. I once challenged a friend of mine to fit it into an opera review he was writing for the Times. He did! Perhaps that wasn’t so hard, as it’s a word with such immense musicality.”
Jessica Komlos
Marketing Communications Strategist + Writer
Legal, Insurance + Medical Sectors
Delivering impactful marketing communications that generate sales, support retention, and build positive brand equity are what get Jessica out of bed every morning. Her career has seen her take on a mix of content writing, marketing, and leadership roles in the professional services industry – in particular in the legal, medical and insurance sectors. As a corporate communications professional, Jessica offers experience developing house publications, annual reports, crisis communications, and writing content for online and other print formats. Jessica’s experience developing national marketing strategies is what makes her communications go beyond just a well-written piece of content. She brings innovative ideas to the table and is skilled at guiding large groups of stakeholders to achieve the best outcome for projects.
Favourite Word – Vivacious. “A beautiful sounding word that has an equally beautiful meaning – who doesn’t want to be full of life!”
Jessica Stewart
Bid + Technical Writer, Book Editor
Government + Commerce
Working closely with our clients, Jessica crystallises and crafts their thoughts into compelling and attractive documents. A professional writer and editor, her range is impressive. Jessica is equally at home delivering change management comms and technical instructions as editing books across genres. She brings specialist expertise to complex submission-writing, having advised state-government Ministers for 16 years and worked with a federal Member of Parliament for six. Jessica understands how to position a case. With a Masters degree in Editing and Publishing, and degrees in both Government and Commerce, Jessica has a deep understanding of language – its rules, power and beauty. When not working or studying, Jessica reads! She’s also a black belt in taekwondo, loving the precision and focus of martial arts.
Favourite Word – Distil. “I love ‘distil’: it’s so simply conveying what is important; a pared-back essence.“
Josephine Pang
Subeditor + Proofreader
Print + Digital, Business Books
Josephine has loved polishing stories to a shine since her teens. When she first edited fiction written by her friends for fun, the term ‘subediting’ was completely unknown to her. Today, she has spent over 10 years successfully working as a subeditor covering a wide range of material. Josephine has improved business writing, polished lifestyle, health and travel content, and tweaked articles and infographics for digital content hubs. The highlight of her career to date has been subediting Discovery Channel Magazine, a monthly print publication that covered topics as diverse as the technology seen in Star Wars, art fraud, the science of humour, the illegal wildlife trade, and the events that led to the Global Financial Crisis.
Favourite Word – Precise. “It seems so neat and tidy, somehow. The word ‘precise’ gives me a mental image of a single, sharp poke with the very tip of a scalpel.“
Julie Nance
Senior Health + Social Issues Writer
Publishing, Commerce, Government, NGO
A writer and editor of more than 30 years, Julie is passionate about bringing powerful stories to light, and enhancing information and ideas. As a seasoned journalist of 15 years, her news and feature articles have been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, plus a wide range of other Australian newspapers and magazines. Over the past 12 years Julie has led communications, stakeholder engagement and publishing teams at major organisations including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCANSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. In addition to her specialty area of health, Julie has extensive experience across a range of fields servicing the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors.
Favourite Word – Serendipity. “It’s such a playful, happy word that makes me think about the whole concept of chance and those sliding door moments that can alter the course of your life.”
Lucy Burnage
Senior Copywriter + Editor
Non-Profit, Government, Arts
Lucy is a dedicated communications specialist who has worked with words for over a decade. Following a lifelong connection to writing, Lucy started out with a first class Honours degree in English and Creative Writing from Goldsmiths University of London. She then applied her skills to her other passion — social affairs — resulting in a productive career in the non-profit sector and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from RMIT University. Whether she’s writing website copy or proofreading a 100-page report, Lucy believes there is always an opportunity to elevate content through wordsmithing. She prides herself on her thoughtful and thorough approach to work, and enjoys supporting clients to create purposeful communications.
Favourite Word – Visceral. “There’s a sense of drama around the word ‘visceral’. It represents the untamed and the instinctual, yet it’s elegant and smooth when spoken. There’s something intriguing about that contrast.”
Mario Carballeira
Technical Writer, Spanish Transcreator
Web3, Engineering + Technology Expert
Mario is an aerospace engineer by education and a Web3 believer. At some point he realised that wasn’t enough for him, and he became an educator and storyteller: a professional copywriter. While his curiosity first led him to become an engineer and delve deep into the crypto space, ever learning and evolving, his thirst for knowledge led him to transition into writing to share his passion. Mario’s diverse background gives him the ability to translate technical jargon into clear messages that your reader will understand. Fluent in both English and Spanish – and able to adapt to both cultures – Mario connects with a broad global audience.
Favourite Word – Pizzazz. “I love how it sounds. It has the same energy as a pizza with extra serving of delicious melting cheese.”
Melissa Hughes
Medical Writer + Editor
Commerce, Government, Not-For-Profit
Melissa is a respected health professional [BPharm, MMedSci(Clin Epid)] with over 20 years’ experience in medical writing, editing and proofing. She is passionate about health literacy and ensuring people are provided with quality medical and pharmaceutical information. Melissa excels in distilling copious amounts of literature into succinct, key points, to ensure a client’s message is clearly communicated. She delivers high quality, evidence-based medical and medicines information, tailored for patients, general practitioners or specialists. Melissa specialises in preparing manuscripts, health pathways and ehealth tools such as mobile phone apps, iDetailers (iPad based), eDMs (electronic direct mailers) and website resource hubs. Melissa’s keen eye for detail is balanced with her appreciation of witnessing copy come to life through design.
Favourite Word – Anastomoses. “I love the precision of anatomy and this word describes the connection or communication between two structures, such as arteries and veins. A metaphor for so many aspects of life!”
Merryl Naughton
Technology, Transformation, Change
Program and Project Expert
Merryl is a career change-agent and technologist. Her industry experience is broad: having started out in the world of banking and finance, she’s worked in manufacturing, service delivery and government. She has written business cases, requests for tender, tender submissions, grant applications, technology strategies, training material and manuals, organisation-change documents, communication and training plans, roadmaps, project health-checks and remediation reports, business requirement documents, website content, and so much more. Merryl is also the co-author of “How to Get a Payrise.” When she isn’t writing, Merryl’s a cider maker and music festival organiser/promoter passionate about community, renewables, reusables, good food, wine, and family and friends.
Favourite Word – Tricky. “A friendly word, yet complicated, multi-faceted, unthreatening, even quirky. When someone says “it’s tricky” you really have to unpack what that means!”
Rachel Clemons
Writer, Journalist, Subeditor, Proofreader
Consumer Comms, NGOs, Food + Nutrition
After completing a Masters in Nutrition in London, Rachel got a job writing about food issues for UK consumer group Which?. Little did she know she was embarking on a twenty-year career of creating content for consumer groups, most recently Australia’s CHOICE. Needless to say, Rachel’s knowledge of what makes consumers tick and how to engage them is extensive. An experienced and versatile writer, Rachel is comfortable creating copy for various audiences and platforms. She relishes the challenge of distilling scientific and technical text into consumer friendly language. Rachel also has a flair for visual storytelling, and gets great satisfaction from the creative process of video editing and production. But she’s never happier than when writing about food and nutrition. In her downtime – and when she’s not child-wrangling, walking her dog or eating delicious food – Rachel enjoys the literary diversions of her long-running book club, of which she is the founding member.
Favourite Word – Organoleptic. “Both the scientist and foodie in me are satiated by this word, which refers to the aspects of food and drink that we experience via the senses – including taste, sight, smell and touch.”
Rajan Venkataraman
Senior Report + Policy Writer
Research + Government Comms Expert
Never one to rest on his laurels, Rajan has had a diverse and interesting career. He is a man with an infectious enthusiasm to get things done. Rajan served as an Australian diplomat in South America, negotiated trade agreements in the United States and Southeast Asia, and worked as a senior adviser in the Prime Minister’s department. His background in scientific research took this published molecular biologist diving on the Great Barrier Reef, an experience he still treasures. And he has even run his own cafe! In all these roles, clear and compelling communication has been absolutely vital. Rajan believes that using the right language will help bridge the gaps in society between businesses, governments, academics, and the general public. In his latest incarnation as a full-time writer and editor, Rajan uses his vast experience to help our clients present themselves and their services in the best possible way.
Favourite Word – Indubitably. “I have been volunteering for a number of years as a teacher of adult literacy. I like to share with students my love of words and how they are constructed. ‘Indubitably’ is a great word to analyse. But it’s also just fun to say.”
Ruth Dawkins
Senior Copywriter + Editor
Government, Education, Science, Tourism, NGO
Ruth has 15 years of experience in a diverse range of communications roles, including copy and content, feature writing, and proofreading.
After graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in English Literature and Art History, Ruth spent several years as an environmental campaigner. In 2009, she switched to freelance writing – a move that allowed her to pursue career opportunities while also enjoying time with her young son.
Now living in Tasmania, Ruth works with a diverse range of clients, including tourism and travel organisations, education and research institutions, not-for-profits, and the public sector. She loves unravelling complex topics and using simple language to make them accessible to a broader audience.
Favourite Word – Outwith. “. It’s a very helpful word that means ’outside of’ or ‘not within’, and I didn’t realise it was unique to Scotland until I moved elsewhere and started to get funny looks from people when I used it. I promise not to include it in my written copy, but can’t promise that I won’t occasionally drop one into conversation.”
Sarah Kneebone
Inbound Content Writer + Editor
Digital Marketing + Health Specialist
Sarah is a lifelong communicator, using the written word to convey her ideas. In her previous life as a marketer, content marketing, copywriting, presentation-building, etc. – anything requiring her written craft – were always her biggest passion. Moving from the UK to Sydney after university was supposed to be a whistle-stop working holiday for Sarah. Instead, it turned into multiple years of ocean-drenched bliss, rendering her unable to imagine leaving the year-round sunshine. Over the years, she has supported numerous businesses in cultivating genuine connections with their ideal buyers. She believes that words (much like people) are most effective when they feel friendly, helpful, and a little bit playful. Sarah has worked across FMCG, retail, services, software, and more. And her specialty – the topic closest to her Health Coach heart – are health and wellness.
Favourite Word – “This is so hard! I’ll go with ineffable. I don’t get to write ‘ineffable’ very often, but I love the fact that it is used when something is far too great for any words to be enough.”
Shirley Driver
Barrister, Solicitor; Writer + Editor
Legal Expert
Words are the tools of Shirley’s trade. She qualified as a UK barrister some 25 years ago, followed by an illustrious career in central London prosecuting crimes of every description. She greatly enjoyed the cut and thrust of advocacy in the courts. An opportunity to work in Sydney led to a permanent move to Australia where she requalified as a solicitor specialising in family law. Shirley has spent many years honing her skills to articulate her clients’ interests using clear, concise and persuasive language both in the spoken and written word, choosing the right words to make the right impact. An early love of books led her mother to remark that as a child she would rather read than eat. Now, as a busy mum of small children, that is a rare pleasure indeed.
Favourite Word – Humongous. “It is a humorous, expressive word, impossible to say without the appropriate emphasis!”
Tom Thomas
Columnist, Educator, Literacy Expert
Tech, Education, Sport, Music
Tom is a writer and columnist with a focus on sport, music, the arts, tech, and Australian culture. Writing weekly segments for nearly five years, Tom follows contemporary trends and enjoys nothing more than interviewing people about their passions and expertise. With a Masters degree and professional history in education and training, Tom brings specialist knowledge in literacy intervention and the science of reading, including how the brain processes language. This has given him keen skills in communication and the processes of storytelling. In his free time relaxing with a book, Tom prefers Australian history texts and whacky sci-fi novels in equal measure.
Favourite Word – Rigmarole. “Great mouth feel, fun to use in both an earnest and an ironic manner, and you could say it rolls off the tongue!”
Will Willitts
Writer, Editor, Journalist
Finance, Politics, Culture
Will remembers how he could read before he began school, and being bored listening to fellow pupils stumble over “Jack is a boy, Jill is a girl”. He’s got a love of reading and languages to this day. English in particular, because it can be so precise and, with the right twist, give grades of shading to the recounting of any event. To Will it was only logical that he would become a reporter, which led him to work in Latin America, Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia. His international experience has given him a good perspective on business and politics worldwide, and the importance of the economy, which he finds fascinating to this day. Will has a deep-seated love for learning languages, and understanding of different cultures that comes with that. Growing up in Canada, he’s known French since he was a kid. Through work, study and travel he’s become proficient in German, Italian and Spanish over the years. Now, Japanese and Arabic beckon Will.
Favourite Word – Élan. “I like to think of this noun when I write; wanting to avoid stodgy text, and keeping things light and bright with a certain flair. Another favourite word I found in a dictionary as a teen is stercoraceous. Though, sadly, I have yet to find an occasion to use it.”