Meet Mel: Reef-World's Communications Manager
Name: Melissa Hobson
Nickname
Depends who you ask… usually Mel (but also Mellie, Malu, Pudding, Pud, Smudge or Honey!)
Where are you from?
Originally from Reading in the UK and spent almost 10 years living and working in London before the rat race got the better of me. Most recently, I’ve been living in Tofo Beach, Mozambique, and I’m now based in Dumaguete at the Reef-World field office.
If we asked your friends about you, what would they say?
Mel’s “pet” scorpion Donald - he lived under her shower…!
If you asked my friends, they’d probably tell you that although my “work self” is super organised, I’m pretty clumsy and trip over or walk into things all the time.
They might also mention my fondness for: diving, travel, Dave (my awesome cat), Donald (the scorpion I once accidentally adopted) and The Rock.
What’s your background?
I started working in Public Relations and Communications in London around 10 years ago. Since then, I’ve had clients across the charity, travel, consumer, corporate and tech sectors. Working with such a wide range of brands and organisations – from tourist boards and ice creams to back end travel reservation systems and everything in between – gave me a solid grounding in all aspects of communications strategies; but it also helped me realise I was particularly interested in organisations that make a positive difference. Around five years ago, while specialising in travel PR, I also fell into travel journalism: what started as a happy accident has developed into a bit of a side hustle, giving me by-lines in the likes of Diver magazine, Lonely Planet, MTV, Family Traveller, Daily Beast, Fodors and more. I usually write about scuba diving, eco travel and to marine conservation although I’ve been known to cover many other topics too (robot yoga, anyone?).
What inspired you to get into marine conservation?
Diving with Sam and Jula from Reef-World
There’s nothing like being underwater and I’ve seen so many awesome – and often rare – species while diving. So much damage is being done to the ocean and it would be so sad to lose these spectacular creatures.
The hope that all is not lost is what’s drawn me to working in marine conservation and trying to make a positive difference.
What brought you to Reef-World & why do you care about the work we do?
While I’ve been fascinated by the ocean since qualifying as a diver, it was a long journey before marine conservation became my career. After nearly a decade working for busy PR agencies in The Big Smoke, I decided I needed a change. In what, on paper, might seem like a slightly extreme move, I quit my job, left everything behind and moved to Mozambique to volunteer with the Marine Megafauna Foundation where I spent eight months looking after their communications. Of course, unpaid placements inevitably have a time limit and, before I knew it, it was time to move on. I’d just started looking for permanent comms jobs in the marine conservation sector when my friend forwarded me a job advert he’d seen to become the Comms Manager at Reef-World. I applied and the rest, as they say, is history. This is a cause I’m truly passionate about and having a great team around me motivates and inspires me to keep making a positive difference.
Spending time in the water with whale sharks while volunteering with MMF
What’s your role at Reef-World and what does that look like?
Training new Green Fins assessors in Ambon, Indonesia
I’m the Communications Manager at Reef-World which means I look after PR, marketing, social media and all other forms of communication. We’re a small, tight-knit team so we’re all very hands on, which means every day is different. I could be writing a press release about one of our key developments, speaking to a journalist about a sustainable tourism feature they’re writing, running Comms training sessions for the team, liaising with the UN Environment Programme around Green Fins’ communication strategy or dealing with admin such as searching for and recording press coverage or replying to questions and comments on social media. As well as my office-based responsibilities, I also support the team in the field with Green Fins training sessions and assessments.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
Being able to use my comms experience to have a tangible conservation impact by raising awareness of the threats faced by coral reefs and how people can positively change their behaviours to have a positive effect.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to get into the marine conservation sector?
You don’t have to be a scientist to make a difference! There are lots of roles in marine conservation that don’t require a scientific background and it can be beneficial to have a totally different skill set. Organisations and charities working in the field will likely already attract many marine biologists but they’ll still need support from skilled professionals in other fields: comms, IT, strategy development, design etc. Think about what make you stand out from the crowd and where you can add the most value. I’ve actually written a blog post about it!
Outside work, what are your hobbies?
Mel & the famous Dave
Diving (obviously!) and being by the ocean. It’s my happy place. Even though my work does involve some scuba, I’ll still go diving for fun when I can. I also enjoy yoga and freelance as a writer so, when I’m not in the office, you’ll often find me curled up in a café crafting a story for one of my editors.
When I’m back in the UK, I like to catch up with friends and family as well as spending time with Dave: my adorable ginger tomcat!
What’s your favourite marine animal and why?
I love manta rays – I’d wanted to see one since qualifying as a diver, but it was many years before I saw my first one. Living in Tofo, Mozambique, I was lucky enough not only to spend time in the water with many mantas but also help MMF taking identification photos (the pattern on each manta’s belly is as unique as a human fingerprint). I’ve also been lucky enough to spend two humpback whale seasons in Mozambique; during which time I’ve developed quite a soft spot for humpbacks too – so I’d say humpbacks and mantas are probably tied!
