Mary Ballard owns and runs Ballard PR agency as well as being a company director of Showcase Cumbria Ltd which is a media platform which showcases everything our great county has to offer and where you can read the latest community and business news and many more. 

She has worked in a number of roles across the marketing and advertising industry (worked for 5 newspaper groups and was an editor of a monthly UK sales catalogue) with particular focus on sales growth, social media, graphic design and PR support. She has also been involved in a successful start-up during covid which covered the whole of the UK looking after clients such as Matalan, Superdrug and military defence organisations. She has also worked for Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and helped a lot of businesses through that. 

She has also been a finalist of BECBC Awards 2022 Rising Star Awards, nominee for Cumbria Women of The Year 2022 and Northern Power Women Awards 2024.