Franco Capaldo

Editor | Content strategist l Journalist

[email protected] | 07790033773 l francocapaldo.com | linkedin.com/in/franco-capaldo/

I’m a seasoned editor and journalist who is leveraging my strengths in crafting clear and engaging content in the UX field. My natural curiosity drives continuous innovation in my work, while my passion ensures any project receives my complete dedication.As someone who genuinely connects with others, I bring an empathy that allows me to excel in team settings, fostering a positive and cooperative atmosphere.My originality allows me to think outside the box and approach problems from new angles, while I have a talent for planning, managing tasks, and maintaining structure in my work. My resourcefulness ensures I can succeed in dynamic environments and handle uncertainty with confidence.

Core Competencies

● Copywriting● Content strategy and creation● Editing● Voice and Tone
● Competitive analysis● Interviewing● Research● User journey mapping
● Editorial management● Cross-team leadership● Talent mentoring● Team building

Experience

S&P Global Commodity Insights | London
May 2023 - Nov 2024
A leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for commodities and energy markets

Managing Editor, EMEA, Olefins and Polymers
Led a dynamic, people-first chemicals pricing team, responsible for key pricing benchmarks, driving news coverage,
managing engagement activities, and ensuring a consistent implementation of methodologies in daily assessments.

Editorial Management: Managed content across our market reporting team, including commissioning news flow. Maintained the integrity of published work within respected reports, adhering to methodology and style guidelines.Cross-Team Leadership: Led five direct reports, while liaising globally with market reporters, product managers, IT, marketing and sales, to implement the company’s market strategy.Brand Growth: Raised the profile of the company through market engagement activities, including conference attendance, client visits and networking.Growth Strategy: Coordinated and oversaw recruitment and training of direct staff, contributing to the development of initiatives across a wider team. Crafted dynamic marketing content to drive consumer awareness.Content Strategy: Developed original content through social listening and independent sources. Produced relevant content for subscribers, enabling site visitors to quickly obtain important and time-sensitive information.

A1 Clay Shooting | Hertfordshire
Jan 2018 - Nov 2022
A North London-based clay shooting facility, offering corporate events, sporting tuition, competitions, and hospitality to high-net-worth individuals and businesses

Business Development/Content Manager
Identified and pursued valuable business opportunities to generate new company revenue. Created all online content, adhering to employers' overarching brand identity and personality. Approved, reviewed, and edited content flowing to the website, and customised brand messaging to reach and capture target audience interest and drive engagement.

UX Writing: Using UX best practices, overhauled and redesigned the company website from start to finish, improving all aspects of the user experience. Created SEO-optimised content, including design and copy, in line with the business' new style, managing content distribution to online channels and social media platforms.Business Development: Created, supervised, and executed business plans, while communicating the company’s vision and objectives to inform and motivate teams. Defined a strategy to focus business on corporate events and drive revenue. Collaborated with contractors to create a brand which became the company's foundation.Team Building/Management: Conducted training and mentored team members to promote productivity and a commitment to friendly service. Guided employees to foster the proper completion of assigned duties.Customer Experience: Formed strong relationships with customers to understand and identify opportunities to improve engagement across all product offerings. Researched and proposed new solutions to make the website more user-friendly, while implementing strategies to increase online traffic.

ICIS Energy | London
Sep 2009 - Dec 2017
ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) provides businesses across chemical, fertilizer and energy markets, industry and margin analytics, pricing intelligence and forecasts, 24-hour breaking news and insights

Global Editor, World Crude Report May 2016 - Dec 2017
News Editor, Europe May 2013 - May 2016
Deputy News Editor, Europe Feb 2011 - May 2013
News Reporter, Europe Sep 2009 - Feb 2011

Across 8 years, progressed from a news reporter to a global editor for a highly respected intelligence service provider. Trusted to oversee the creation and publication of accurate and engaging digital content.

New Content Development: Generated ideas for stories and features daily, while showing meticulous attention to detail. Oversaw European operations and responsible for the quality of 9,000 articles published annually.Tone and Voice: Produced a company-wide style guide for how all content, including graphs, charts, and tables, should be viewed across the news website.Team Building and Cross-Team Leadership: Hired and retained all my team for three years with the creation of a positive working environment, with colleagues offered the mentoring needed to develop their careers.Market Compliance: Ensured the accurate assessment of daily market prices, including the company's North Sea oil benchmark price. Set out action plans to respond to audit discoveries and compliance violations.

Other experience of note
Chief correspondent | www.FMWF.com | Mar 2008 to Jul 2009
Junior financial journalist | Mail on Sunday | Mar 2008 to Mar 2009

Education and qualificationsUX Writing Academy Certificate, UX Writing Hub
Oct 2022 – May 2023
NCTJ Accredited Newspaper Certificate, NoSWeat Journalism College, London
Apr 2008 - Apr 2009
Italian Language Cert. Level 2, Università Per Stranieri Di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Oct 2006 - Jan 2007
BSc Degree, Economics and Geography, University of Reading, Berkshire
May 2002 - May 2005

Technical Skills and Software
Microsoft Suite | Figma | Miro | Adobe Creative Suite | AI tools | Indesign | Keynote

Additional Information
English - Fluent (mother tongue) l Italian - Intermediate; conversational and competent, written and spoken
Interests: Cooking, travelling, live music, gaming and spending time with family