Marketing Consultant Fraida Silver Scoops Xchangeteamís Freelancer of the Year Award

Freelance marketing consultant, Fraida Silver, has been crowned Freelancer of the Year by people resourcing company, Xchangeteam. The following freelancers also won the top prize in each of their categories: Melanie Vrakas for design, Sophie Banks, comms and PR, Sarah Nix, events, Jim Callender, digital and media and Karen Kay won both the editorial and advertising categories.

Overall commendations were given to Melanie Vrakas and Sophie Banks whilst Isabelle Goldstein and Mike Parkinson were commended for their comms and pr work and Duncan Marshall was commended for his work in advertising. The winners, who beat 167 other freelance consultants nominated for the title, were announced at a ceremony in Central London.

Now in their third year, Xchangeteamís Freelancer of the Year Awards have been designed to showcase freelance talent and reward those consultants who have demonstrated that they have added real value to a clientís business and to UK plc overall. All entries were assessed by a panel of industry experts* who were also looking to reward the key characteristics that make freelancers successful - adaptability, flexibility, insight, customer focus and the commitment to adding real value to their clients business.

Commenting on Fraidaís achievement, Diana Watson, Director of Bespoke Marketing and judge of the marketing category said: ìFraida presented a concise and well thought through case study of an assignment that would challenge many individuals. She clearly demonstrated the strategic and operational aspects as well as excellent communications skills. What also stood out was her good international and cultural insight and how she had cultivated good internal relationships at Firstsource which is crucial as a freelancer.

I was looking to find an all round marketer who could demonstrate a good understanding of the communications mix, the internal perspectives of marketing as well as how effective marketing can work within the wider business context. Fraida certainly demonstrated all of those things in the case study she presented.î

Fraida won the award for her role where she was covering for the marketing director at Firstsource, (previously ICICI OneSource). Fraida was responsible for corporate communications at an exciting time, as the company expanded to establish a global presence. In addition to the standard marketing activities, Fraidaís role extended to support the companyís launch into Northern Ireland, a high profile event involving the Secretary of State. Her role was pivotal in establishing the companyís brand in a new region and she worked closely with a local pr company to spread the word that a new company was investing in NI and jobs would be created. Fraida was also part of the confidential strategic planning for the companyís rebranding as Firstsource and she worked with the corporate communications team in Mumbai to map out the strategy and delivery to ensure a smooth operation.

Picking up her award, Fraida Silver said: ìIím delighted to win the award. Freelancers usually work in the background and donít seek attention for their work, so it makes quite a change to be recognised as contributing to Firstsourceís success in the UK. I decided to go freelance three years ago and highly recommend freelancing to anyone who enjoys a challenge, variety and can hit the ground running.î

Emma Brierley is CEO and founder of Xchangeteam and the Freelancer of the Year Awards. She believes that the award has become an important window on the capability and ambitions of the excellent freelance resource that exists in the UKís marketing and creative industries. Her aim was to create an award that would promote the value that freelancers bring to their clientsí businesses and the marketing and creative industry as well as inspire the growing freelance workforce. She said: ìMany potential clients have yet to fully understand the quality of freelance talent available and the benefits that freelancers can bring to their business. The Freelancer of the Year Awards serves to give freelancers a well deserved pat on the back, to acknowledge their work and celebrate their often unsung achievements.î