Meeting celebrities, organising campaigns, advising Governments across the world, and of course going to parties....it's all in a day's work for Riviera resident and public relations extraordinaire Miranda Leslau.

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To say that she's had an interesting career, is an understatement. After all, anyone that has a CV that includes public relations roles as diverse as the Miss World competition, The Greek Tourist Board, and translator for the Olympic Committee in Barcelona, certainly knows how to adapt.

And Miranda Leslau is multi-tasking personified. When you meet her, you know you've come up against a force to be reckoned with. Her confident personality, combined with quick wits, has carried her through all sorts of situations.

"You've got to think on your feet and use your brain," explains Miranda. "You have to be sensible over what you say and to who you say it, and be intuitive. It's not just about going up to people and giving them a kiss and some champagne, you have to tap into people. For example, if you're dealing with a very dominant male or an egotistic celebrity you have to know how to cope with them."

There have also been occasions when her role included acting as a chaperone for A-list celebrities like model Claudia Schiffer and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. She claims that one night she was instrumental in preventing Van Damme from becoming involved in a potentially compromising situation:

"I was in Madrid one night with Jean-Claude and we had an argument about a certain situation, which I can't go into! I was protecting his interests, though he wouldn't even allow me into the limo at the end of the night because of it, but the following morning he admitted that I had been right..."

Cryptic and intriguing, certainly. But the job of a good PR person is to know when to remain tight-lipped. Now based in southern Spain, Miranda continues to carve out a successful public relations business for herself, though she still has vivid memories of her time as a translator at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992:

"It was the best thing I have ever done in my life. The atmosphere was electrifying. The emotions were so intense and I don't think any other Olympics have since captured that spirit. People would walk down the street and just start dancing together. It was amazing and really put Barcelona on the map."

"I was chosen as one of the people who had to translate Catalan, Castellano, French and German, into English. I was there when Chris Boardman won his gold medal in the cycling. The stadium was bouncing so much I could hardly type to do my translation! The atmosphere was unbelievable..."

Born and raised in North London, Miranda went to University in Bristol before moving into the PR business. More recently, she decided to move to southern Spain where she lives with her Italian/Austrian boyfriend. And she's passionate about her adopted country:

"I love the sea, I love the Spanish life and I don't care much for what's happening in the UK at the moment, in terms of interest rates, traffic, the cost of living etc. I just don't think there's much quality of life there anymore."

As part of her new direction, Miranda is also launching a women's network organisation here on the Costa del Sol and has thought-provoking views on women in business and the role that a network group can provide:

"It's very much about women supporting other women. It's about old-fashioned communication. Women build relationships by talking and going out and having a good time, and I think that sometimes that gets lost in business, whereas men generally bond in a way that allows them to relax more easily.

"For example, men communicate over beer or football. It may seem like a stereotype, but they interact easily amongst themselves and can be light-hearted and jovial – they're kind of programmed to do so in groups. They socialise in packs, but they hunt on their own, whereas women find it more difficult as multi-taskers to switch off. Men are much better at dealing with one thing at a time."

Miranda pauses before giving her final thoughts on the difference between the sexes:

"Men don't talk about their problems in the way that women do. Women need an outlet to talk to each other and have some fun together. That's what it's about."

It's also about being creative and diverse. And no one can accuse Miranda Leslau of being anything other than that...

www.mirandaleslau.com