Eleanor Cragg
What employment sector do you work in?
NGO Sector
How long have you had a green job for nature?
5 years
Please describe the work that you do
I manage the Woodland Trust’s paid media work and partnership with a media agency. Together, we plan and execute paid media ads on all sorts of channels, including Instagram, TV, radio, to name a few! This work help show people how they can support us – whether that’s giving their time, speaking up for trees, or becoming a member.
What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?
I love that I can use my skills in advertising and paid media to help a cause that really matters. Even though I don’t work hands-on in woodlands, I get to collaborate with amazing experts who do, and I’ve learned a lot about trees and why protecting them is so important. And its sparked a new personal passion and respect for them.
Sometimes its a challenge to feel removed from the hands-on side of things, but the Trust makes it easy to get involved. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer with other teams, so I can still get stuck in and play my small part outside in our woodlands too.
What inspired you into this career?
I first became interested in creative advertising at school – I loved the creativity behind it, coming up with clever ideas and using imagination to evoke connection and emotion from audiences. I actually ended up on the client services side of advertising and marketing agencies by accident, but I found I was good at it, and found running campaigns from start to finish really exciting. As my career developed, I realised I wanted to work on brands that made a positive difference. That’s what led me to move from agency work to working directly for the Woodland Trust.
Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far?
Agency life can be extremely fast-paced, and commercially-focused. Its exciting and high-energy, and I progressed quickly early in my career. But it can also very stressful over time.
Moving to an in-house role (i.e. working directly for a brand or organisation, like the Woodland Trust) can be a challenge in itself. At first, it felt like I had more space to think and breathe, but it did take time to adjust to a different pace in terms of progressing projects, and career progression.
What education/training did you have?
I studied creative advertising at university, where I learned the basics of marketing and how agencies work. A key part of that was a work placement in a London agency where I got hands-on experience with both client management, and creative work. But honestly, I learned the most when I started my first job, gaining skills as I went and learning on the job.
What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession?
Getting a qualification in Digital Marketing, Creative Advertising, or Media & Communications is a great starting point and can help you figure out what areas you enjoy most. To get agency experience, lots of them offer placement or ‘graduate’ programmes so you can learn on the go. If you’re just starting a new role, I’d say being curious is the most important thing – don’t be afraid to ask loads of questions, get stuck in however you can, or make mistakes. Its all how you learn and grow!
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Tags: England, NGO sector, Media and communications roles, Woodland
Date profile submitted: 18/05/2026
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