Born in 1960 in Halifax, UK, Cathie Burton is currently acting as Spokesperson and Head of Communication at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, based in Vienna.
Alongside her professional qualifications from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists, I hold a BA (Hons) in European Studies from Bradford University and the Diplome d’Etudes Politiques from the Toulouse, France, Institut d’Etudes Politiques.
As Spokeperson of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (2010-2013), she was the main contact for media on stories coming out of the Council of Europe and the Court of Human Rights, covering the United Kingdom, Ireland and all the countries of the Balkans (Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia) and operating as spokesperson on Roma issues and Racism.
From 2005 to 2010 she performed the function of Head of campaigns and events at the Council of Europe, leading the nine-strong team that developed and ran Council of Europe campaigns in 47 countries, managing an annual budget of 300 000 Euros. During that term she designed the communications strategies on Death Penalty, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Sexual Exploitation of Children, Violence to Children, Roma and Anti Discrimination; supervised product development and event management, including PSAs, print material, outdoor campaigns and major political events; oversaw distribution and marketing to an audience of up to one hundred million. She also agreed resources and partnership with other international organisations, commercial and no-profit operations, academic and government bodies and celebrities.
From 1994 to 2005 she acted as Press Officer at the Council of Europe where she established strong contacts with media in English speaking countries and in the South East Europe, ensured visibility for major events and political statements and launched a programme to train Council of Europe officials in media skills.
In 2001 she worked as spokeperson at the Council of Europe Election Mission to Kosovo where she handled news outreach with international and national media, ensured that political sensitivities were taken into account during all media operations, organised press conferences in Pristina and Belgrade in difficult post-war conditions, worked with NATO and UNMIK to ensure media access and supervised production of B-roll and other audiovisual material for distribution via Eurovision and other hubs. Previously, Mrs. Burton pursued a rich and various career in journalism. She worked as freelance correspondent for BBC Radio, Guardian, New Statesman, Agence France Presse, Labour Weekly etc.
