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Hello and welcome to Women of Balls, where I Katie Balls, speak to today's trailblazers.

My guest today is a public relations expert who has worked for two prime ministers.

She led Boris Johnson's mayor Royal campaign before going on to

become the first female director of communications in number 10 for Theresa May. However, she left her role

after the announcement of the 2017 SNF election, following issues with May's top aides, Nick Timothy

and Fiona Hill. Reflecting on her time in May's Downing Street, she said,

Great leaders lead by bringing people with them, not alienating them before having even digested breakfast. She has had her own practice, in-house communications, since 2006, and its clients

include Spirits Maker Diageo, and more recently the Football Super the football super league reflecting recently on a career

working in Westminster she said I've worked in politics for most of my adult life and I can

hand on heart so that I don't think I would want my children to work in Parliament at this

point my guest today is Katie Perrier so Katie thank you very much for joining us today

to begin on this podcast, we ask,

did you have a happy childhood? I had a perfectly normal suburban upbringing where my dad went to

work and my mum stayed at home and I went to a not very good performing school locally,

which did influence my view of education. So I have certain

views about school ever since. And then my dad passed away when I was 15, unexpectedly, in the night.

And so everything changed at 15. My mum couldn't really cope. And so she had several bouts of

really bad depression and bipolar disorder. And so I was basically an adult at that

point and I offended for myself at that point. So from the age of about 15, 16, all the choices

that I've made in life are mine, good and bad. And it gave me a really good insight into what

...