MEET TIM ALLAN SIM GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS ANSWERS KEY QUESTIONS like to make our communication simpler, clearer and Tell us a little about your background. more effective. I’ve been a journalist all my working life. I joined a local newspaper shortly after leaving university, then What inspires you when life gets difficult? moved to a regional evening newspaper and then on The knowledge that what I do does not depend to a national newspaper. I’ve always loved sport, so on me. Sometimes that’s hard for me to accept it was natural for me to move into that field. Most of or put into practice because, like many people of my career was spent on red-top tabloid my generation in the UK, I was newspapers. I was Deputy Sports brought up to be very self-reliant Editor of the News of the World, then and independent. One of the great Executive Sports Editor of The Sun and I want to make storyliberating things about becoming a finally Sports Editor of The Independent Christian, which I didn’t do until I was telling front and centre on Sunday. in my late 40s, was the realisation that
of the way we mobilise
NOVEMBER 2019 • VOL 1 ISSUE 2
Q&A with an SIM leader New harvest workers
God is in charge of my life. Tell us a little about your family. new workers and ensure Kerry and I met at journalists’ training What do you do when you’re college and got married in 1987. We that our core mission, not working? have three children – Imogen, who is a vision and purpose is I spend time with my family, usually primary school teacher; Madeleine, who over a meal. I cycle and play golf as embedded in all we is an account executive for a food and often as I can. I will watch any sport drink PR company; and Fergus, who is communicate. on television and love to go to sports studying history at Exeter University. events. I walk our dog every day. Kerry How did God lead you and Kerry and I enjoy travelling, especially to to SIM? places with a wealth of history. By a very circuitous route! I was looking for a way to What is your favourite Bible verse? use my gifts and experience after leaving I have a favourite passage – Ephesians 6:10-17. Put newspapers and saw an advertisement for the on the full armour of God…. If I’m ever asked to lead communications job with SIM UK. I applied and a Bible study or devotion at short notice, that’s where started there in 2015. When I moved to I’ll go. It speaks so powerfully about the way we International, that left a vacancy at the UK office, should approach the world. which has been filled on a part-time basis by Kerry. The fact that she is a journalist too is a great What piece of technology could you blessing, both to me and do without/never to without? to SIM UK. My mobile. It is my calendar, What key things do you hope my newspaper, my means of to achieve in your time/your communication and a means role with SIM? of entertainment. Even I want to improve the though I’m old enough communications between to have lived for the communicators, many years without a which I’m trying to do by mobile, I now feel lost hosting regular comms without it. cafes and sending How can we pray out details of stories for you? published across the Pray I would always rely SIM world. I want to on God and trust in his make story-telling front good purposes; that I can and centre of the way we continue to build good mobilise new workers relationships with my and ensure that our colleagues and that my three core mission, vision and children would come to know purpose is embedded in the Lord. all we communicate. I’d
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