Anthony Coombes

Creative Director

Ant leads our creative team, overseeing all work that comes through the studio.

He acts as a critical eye and a creative support, drawing on a wealth of corporate branding experience for the likes of Boots, RioTinto and Vodafone.

Ant has won a range of industry accolades including DBA Design Effectiveness Awards for British Gas and the NHS.

Like many creatives, from Banksy to the Brontës, Ant also shares some of his own work under a pseudonym, Faddy Finch.

Rachel Saxby

Project Manager

Rachel is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of our projects, keeping everything moving forward smoothly.

She keeps stakeholders happy and informed throughout every project, making sure we deliver precisely what is needed.

Since graduating from University of Sussex with a degree in English Language & Linguistics, Rachel has managed agency projects across the sporting and financial sectors.

Outside of the office, she’s a keen ‘classpasser’ and tries to explore a new exercise every week. She’s also a huge animal fan, so make sure to tell her about your pets.

Izzy Daly-Carnell

Resource Manager

Izzy coordinates and manages our in-house and freelance resourcing. 

She ensures the unrivalled quality of our projects across all departments, making sure systems run smoothly and commercial opportunities are maximised. The role also supports the wider business through a variety of impromptu tasks.

Izzy joined Bladonmore following operations and client engagement roles at Centre for Entrepreneurs, Blue Sky PR and Network Marketing.

In her spare time Izzy volunteers with Mind, including fund raising by running 100km in thirty days.

Afea Begum

Senior Management Accountant

Afea supports our client teams with managing the finances for their accounts.

From running monthly reports to forecasting, she helps to balance the numbers and keep on top of our costs. She manages her work alongside her studies, currently working towards her AAT qualifications.

While considered in her work, Afea is also quite a spontaneous character: she once booked a one-week holiday to Bangladesh and ending up staying for a year.

Chris Merrett

Design Director

Chris overseas our design team.

He uses his 18 years of design experience to deliver striking creative campaigns and content for our clients.

Prior to Bladonmore Chris was Design Director at Brunswick Creative, working on largescale brand projects, websites, and reporting projects. He’s also held roles at MerchatCantos, and Pauffley Design.

He’s a keen mountain biking trail rider who loves to explore the Cotswold landscape at the weekends. The hills are his own personal mental and physical detox.

Nick McAlpine

Director, Film

Nick leads Bladonmore’s film team, producing, writing and directing films that bring our clients’ business stories to life.

With three decades as a professional film maker, Nick has proven and award-winning experience of telling stories on film, throughout the world.

His work spans a range of industries; recent projects include films for Arq, Bridgepoint, Baring Vostok Capital Partners, Caledonia Investments, Poste Italiane and UniCredit. In recent years, he has developed a focus on investor communications.

Henri Piat

Senior Designer

Henri brings creative flair to our design team.

His role is to ensure that the content we produce for clients wows.

Prior to joining Bladonmore, he worked as a creative in the investment industry. He focused on brand identity, print collateral, UI design and video animation for clients including Amundi, MSCI, Fidelity International and Hermes GPE.

Henri is a big theatre buff and in his spare time can be found catching a movie or a show in West End. Whether the Oscars, the Baftas or the Olivier Awards – he’s got a great track record of picking the winner.

Andy Burridge

Director, Client Services

Andy leads our client services team, overseeing our approach to all projects.

Working closely with our clients, he makes sure all of our work consistently meets the same high standards and delivers against the brief.

He has delivered award-winning brand campaigns for companies including RHI Magnesita and PwC, employee engagement campaigns for Allianz, Essilor and Refinitiv, and investor comms for Aviva, Caledonia Investments and Lloyds Banking Group.

Andy is a Derby County fan, partly because watching them play helps him take a break from the structured approach to his week.

Georgie Russell

Associate Director

Georgie delivers executive media and presentation coaching.

She coaches clients to become more confident communicators, advising them on techniques and strategies to deliver their messaging more successfully, for broadcast, print and live audiences.

Georgie has over 16 years’ experience working as a broadcast journalist, for the BBC, ITN and Global Radio. She spent a decade freelancing for the BBC’s Westminster bureau as a political reporter, interviewing politicians of all rank and reporting on major political events, including three general elections and the EU referendum.

In what feels like a former life, Georgie was an international lacrosse player. Nowadays, she’s more likely to be spotted walking the footpaths of Suffolk.

Cathy West

Office Manager

Thanks to Cathy, day-to-day life at Bladonmore’s London HQ runs without a hitch.

Cathy ensures the smooth running of Bladonmore’s office, managing our resources and suppliers to create the best possible working environment for our team. She also supports with events, health and safety and marketing administration.

Before joining Bladonmore, Cathy worked as a project coordinator in the energy industry.

In her spare time, she’s a big fan of the open water and enjoys going sea fishing – whatever the weather!

Gam Dhliwayo

Senior Designer

Gam brings creativity and discipline to our design work in our New York offices.

She uses her love for branding as a way to connect with people and help tell their stories.

Gam joined Bladonmore following 5 years experience in design across a variety of organisations including Superunion and Group Nine Media.

She’s a keen runner and hopes to take on the NYC marathon next year.

Barbara-Anne Lowrie

Project Manager

Babara-Anne keeps our creative teams on track, making sure we deliver our clients precisely what they need.

She’s always on hand to be the bridge between clients, consultants, and creative, keeping everyone on the same page and moving towards the same goals.

Barbara-Anne joined Bladonmore after six years experience in client services at Emperor and BORN Group, working on a variety of design and print projects.

When she’s not at her desk you can find Barbara in the gym, curled up with a good book, or in the kitchen baking up a storm.

Sara Tingström

Producer

Sara manages our film projects, from first concept to the final cut.

With a deep understanding of digital media, she works directly with our clients, film crews and post-production team to understand the requirements of each film and ensure we always have the best team in place.

She has delivered film work for clients including Marks & Spencer, Essilor and the Actis.

You’ll normally see Sara wearing black or white, and this choice of colour palette spills over to other parts of her life, too – she is the dedicated owner of her ‘tuxedo cat’, Luuve.

Maisha Rahman

Assistant Accountant

Tamsyn Nother

Senior Project Manager

Tamsyn leads on client management for our coaching clients and is focused on building and developing client relationships.

She takes ownership of the coaching projects and is responsible for end-to-end project management.

Tamsyn joins us with diverse experience on projects across a variety of sectors joining us from Ryder Architecture, previous organisations she has worked for include Burberry, BBC Worldwide and PM Deveraux.

When she’s not running our projects you’ll find her running for fun. She’s already completed the Royal Parks Run and Great North Run, with more planned soon.

Richard Carpenter

Chief Executive Officer

Richard is responsible for driving Bladonmore’s strategy and the running of our global business.

Over his career, he has helped a large number of the world’s leading organisations to define and deliver their stories. Covering investor communications, sustainability and employee engagement, he has worked with the likes of Aviva, Facebook, Alibaba, HSBC and the London Stock Exchange.

Before joining Bladonmore, Richard was CEO of MerchantCantos, part of Brunswick Group. A former journalist at the Mail on Sunday, he is also author to various books on corporate governance and investor relations.

Outside of work, Richard likes to sign up for lots of challenging races and then come up with great excuses not to do them.

Calum Park

Motion Designer

Natalie Powell

Consultant

Natalie Powell delivers media and crisis communications coaching to senior leaders and has a particular specialism in broadcast news media.

Natalie was previously a presenter and news journalist for Reuters TV, fronting many large business stories in recent years. She has also been London Bureau Chief at Feature News Story for 7 years, reporting live and leading a team of video journalists to cover major news stories in the UK. She has also reported for Mail+ and BBC World News.

Natalie has recently delivered coaching sessions and programmes for clients including Euromoney and Aviva.

When not in the office, you’re likely to find Natalie playing the very niche sport of tag rugby, which involves running around a pitch with velcro patches on her shorts. She’s a self-confessed addict!

Francis Grabowski

Associate Consultant

Francis works across a range of strategy, content, and engagement projects.

Before joining Bladonmore, he worked at a corporate culture consultancy and creative communications agencies. He’s experienced in digital communications, as well as uncovering, communicating, and changing cultures.

Outside the office you can find him on the golf course or walking his dog. He’s not as good at golf as he should be, but his dog doesn’t mind the extra walking.

Jamal Dayes

Director, Digital

Jamal oversees the creation of all our digital content – from website builds to app development.

With over 18 years’ experience, he has developed digital platforms for a number of high-profile institutions, from Goldman Sachs to the BBC and Downing Street.

Before joining Bladonmore, Jamal was lead developer and head of digital at content agency Ten Alps. He’s also worked on a range of leading IPTV platforms including Public.TV and Teachers.TV.

Jamal runs more than website analytics. He has already completed 8 marathons – and is now eyeing up a 9th.

Hayley Day Calder

Assistant Producer

Hayley supports the film team through the different phases of production, from booking in external resource to finding voice over artists.

She started her career on the front desk at RY before moving into film and joining the production team. More recently, she has produced content for brands marketing themselves through TikTok.

Hayley is a champion baker and makes the best chocolate chip cookies.

Michael Marijeanne

Creative Artworker

Michael adds the all-important final touch to our creative projects. 

His work is in the detail, the added consideration that makes creative concepts a reality – and good design great.

Whether through thoughtful typography, imagery or slide layout, Michael ensures that the practicalities of presentation never detract from its impact.

With close to 20 years’ experience in both agency and pre-press, he has worked with a range of global brands, including Manchester United and Walt Disney.

The best artwork requires a lot of creative discipline. Michael is certainly not short of that, having once been asked to perform martial arts for the Queen.

Jasmine Pole

Project Manager

Jasmine keeps our coaching projects on time and on budget, helping our clients to get the training they need.

She earned her project management spurs at the Department for Health & Social Care working on projects to reform the adult social care sector, filling a stint in the NHS during COVID.

She’s an expert upcycler of mid-century furniture and knows all the best eateries in North East London.

Scott Paer

Managing Director, New York

Scott is responsible for driving and overseeing Bladonmore’s New York Office.

He has extensive experience across strategic communications, client relations, business development and operations, helping entrepreneurs and global leads tell their stories and connect with key audiences.

Before joining Bladonmore, Scott was a Managing Director at Caliber Corporate Advisers, a New York-based marketing communications agency. He has also held roles as Head of Communications at boutique investment bank PJ Solomon and as Director at Montieth & Company, setting up their London Office.

True to his surname, he collects decorative pears and has already amassed over 35 in his apartment.

Nicodemos Pinto

Producer

Nicodemos takes what we capture on camera and cuts the content for the screen.

He’s on hand from the very first briefing, to provide a technical steer and explore the possibilities of what a narrative can look like – literally.

Above all, Nicodemos makes sure that all of our clients end up with a polished end product. With a wealth of experience, he has helped produce films for clients including Bain Capital, Actis and Fidelity International.

Occasionally, our film projects throw up a curve ball; but, as a professional Tenpin bowler in his youth, Nicodemos is more than capable of handling them.

Leonie Dixon

Executive Director, Operations

Leonie’s role has a dual aspect with senior level client service responsibilities and a brief to oversee operations across the business with a particular focus on the US.

She has worked on a wide range of communications projects for clients from GE Power and Philips to Merck KGaA and Facebook.

Prior to Bladonmore, Leonie held senior positions in the creative division of a global PR firm – with experience in London and New York.

Outside of work, Leonie is an active runner and enjoys undertaking sporting challenges combined with her other love of glamorous travel locations.

Lina Saigol

Director, Coaching

Lina delivers executive media and presentation coaching.

She helps our clients to deliver their messaging more successfully, providing them with techniques and strategies so they can communicate confidently for broadcast, print, and live audiences.

Lina has more than two decades experience as a business journalist working as a reporter, editor, and columnist for some of the world’s biggest media organisations. During her 16 years at the FT, she covered M&A, investment banking, private equity and corporate finance, where she landed hundreds of scoops as well as writing deep dives about deals and companies. 

Although a specialist in the world of finance, Lina volunteered to report on the wars in Iraq and Syria but when at home she likes nothing more than a good novel.

Cathal Smyth

Executive Director, Strategy

Cathal works with clients on brand, employee engagement and digital strategy.

He has been working with blue-chip clients since 2000, to create and deliver effective, compelling engagement with all types of audiences. His focus is on creating brand strategies and working with design teams to create practical visual identity architectures. His client work has included large-scale brand and communications projects for Aviva, Centrica, Diageo, IHG, Kantar, Legal & General, Tesco and WPP.

Before joining Bladonmore, Cathal was an executive director at brand agency Superunion and managing director at corporate digital specialists The Group. He began his career with the US brand consultancy Siegel & Gale.

In his spare time, Cathal enjoys camping and trying to instil an element of discipline into his enthusiastic whippet.

Kurtis Justin

Associate Information Architect

Kurtis helps build a whole host of digital platforms – from websites to apps.

He works closely with our designers, turning creative concepts into fully functioning sites.

Kurtis has just come back in house, having spent some time working on freelance projects. Before that, he worked for the homelessness charity Shelter as well as a number of other agencies.

If he’s not listening to true crime podcasts, in his spare time you’ll find him rock-climbing – or driving his friends up the wall with puns, memes and sarcasm.

Erin McConlogue

Business Analyst

Erin acts as a trusted advisor to our clients, digging into their business to find the areas where our bespoke solutions will make the biggest difference.

She works closely with clients to understand their needs, so that we can create meaningful communications that truly add value.

An experienced leader, Erin ran her own business before joining Bladonmore. She ran a team productivity consultancy, successfully fostering and delivering complex solutions to tech industry giants including Google, Apple and Adobe.

Erin is passionate about American football and her favourite team, the Miami Dolphins.

Olivia Tharian

Account Director

Olivia keeps our content projects on track from beginning to end, managing timings, budgets and our own studio resources.

She acts as a regular point of contact for our clients, including Caledonia Investments, Refinitiv and Safanad, and is always on hand to tackle any challenges that pop up along the way.

Olivia started her career working in tech PR, helping her clients communicate their messaging through media relations, social media and various other channels.

Her responsibilities don’t let up outside of the office, as she’s kept on her toes by her most demanding client, Poppy – her Borador (a Labrador/collie mix).

Kai Wong

Senior Web Developer

Kai helps build our client and campaign websites.

Working closely with our design team, he has transformed creative concepts into fully functional sites for the likes of UniCredit, Caledonia Investments and Virgin Group.

Before Bladonmore, he held a variety of tech-focused roles, from designing and creating interactive museum exhibits, researching facial expressions and web development.

Kai has the odd unexpected party trick up his sleeve and can throw a playing card over 25 metres.

Shreena Patel

Associate Director, Critical Issues

Shreena focuses on a range of strategic positioning, narrative and development projects.

For organisations including Mastercard, Marks & Spencer and ArcelorMittal, she helps to define and articulate the messaging for our clients that resonate with their audience.

With a financial services background in both the public and private sector – working for the Financial Services Authority (now FCA) and HSBC – she also spent three-and-a-half years in Hong Kong, working as Editor-in-Chief for publishing house Hong Kong Living.

A fan of detective novels, Shreena’s approach to consultancy is inspired by one of her favourite fictional sleuths, Sherlock Holmes: “I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee.”

Richard Rivlin

Chairman

I spend two-thirds of my time helping clients to refine their narrative and verbalise it. This means constructively speaking truth to power every day. The other third is spent obsessing about our own organisational development, supporting our CEO and leadership team to develop an environment where careers can blossom

My experience:

• Trusted advisor to Diageo, Goldman Sachs and Royal Philips amongst others.
• Project work with numerous Fortune 500 and Private Capital clients – including Bridgepoint, our very first client who we continue to serve 21 years on.
• Extensive international business development: Oversaw launch of our Gulf operations in 2009 and Bladonmore Inc in 2019 with our US operation now accounting for a quarter of our revenue and rising.
• Award-winning business journalist for the Financial Times and The Sunday Telegraph, working in both London and New York.

I’m as ambitious and upbeat for our future, as I was when we set sail on 11th March 2002.

Michael Holland

Senior Film Editor

Michael supports the editorial and post-production elements of our film process.

He spends some time assisting ‘on set’, but his main focus is on the finer detail of how our final productions are pieced together. He is also responsible for maintaining our resource libraries and managing our archived footage.

With an academic background in music and media production, Michael previously spent four years as part of the Arcuro and Videojug Networks.

While he may be the go-to man for accessing Bladonmore’s archives, his real specialist subject is something different; he prides himself on an encyclopaedic knowledge of 90s football.

Tom Brown

Senior Consultant

Tom produces a variety of strategic content, built around clear, creative messaging. 

He helps clients like HSBC, Aviva and Mastercard take control of their narrative – from internal campaigns to investor comms – and makes sure it lands with the right people.

Tom started his career in the design industry, helping to develop the visual identities for a number of the world’s largest FMCG brands.

He’s a keen cricketer and also takes an interest in ancient history; but, unfortunately, finds it easier to focus on centuries in books than on the pitch.

David Willans

Director, Sustainability

David is a sustainability specialist and advises our clients and the wider team on ESG positioning, responsible investment issues and any other sustainability topic.

He sits within our consultancy team and works in tandem with specialists in our other areas of expertise.

He has a Masters in Sustainable Development and has worked with a wide range of companies and organisations during his agency career. He specialises in embedding sustainable working practices into organisations and communicating about it to drive change.

Outside of work he runs BeingDads, a project exploring what it means to be a great Dad – including coaching, writing a blog and working with the Fatherhood Institute.

Hayley Fletcher

Business Manager

Hayley keeps everyone and everything in the business on track. 

With three offices in three different timezones, she’s always on hand to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, as well as helping run client events from our London office.

Hayley was previously executive assistant to the worldwide president of Burson-Marsteller (now Burson Cohn & Wolfe) and has a decade of experience in events and marketing roles.

Resilience and a global outlook have always been a constant for Hayley; she has travelled a lot of the eastern hemisphere, including India – five separate times.

Alfred Sadler

Technical Assistant

Alfred provides a wide range of support to our film team.

He helps manage all our footage and backups as well as getting involved with the editorial process.

Prior to joining Bladonmore, he was a freelance photographer and videographer.

Alfred is a keen SCUBA diver and describes his best dive as being at a feeding frenzy in the Galapagos islands, surrounded by hundreds of hammerhead sharks.

Sandra Davis

Director, Coaching

Sandra leads on Bladonmore’s presentation coaching.

As a close advisor to senior management at organisations including Land Securities, Rio Tinto and GE, she helps leaders to articulate their message and ensure it cuts through.

Sandra has spent her entire career in communications – but in different guises. She originally started as a speech therapist, developing a scientific interest and understanding of how we process and respond to language.

Before joining Bladonmore she held directorships at a number of PR firms and was head of corporate communications for a FTSE 250 company.

Paul Rush

Associate Director, Finance

Paul is responsible for all financial and management accounts across Bladonmore’s global business.

He helps our client teams manage their projects and maintain good cash flow within the business.

Paul has over 10 years’ accounting experience within the creative and media industries as company accountant at Bell Pottinger Group and group management accountant at AMV BBDO Group.

Numbers and music often go hand in hand – and Paul is no exception. While he used to manage the accounts for the Ministry of Sound Group, he’s also a DJ in his own right.

Suzanne Chapdelaine

Project Manager

Suzanne oversees projection from start to finish, understanding goals and desired outcomes while paying close attention to the details in between.

Before Bladonmore, she worked out of the New York office for a global PR firm, handling various client projects and managing studio resourcing.

After work hours you can find her practicing guitar, scoping out tickets to a show, or swinging kettlebells around her home gym, otherwise known as the space between the couch and the TV in her shared but beloved Brooklyn apartment.

Venetia Lazenby

Account Director

Venetia makes sure we give our clients exactly what they need.

She keeps us on track so that we deliver the best possible work, on time and in budget.

Before Bladonmore, Venetia was Client Director at Brunswick Creative where she oversaw the project management and client relationships of large integrated projects across brand, ESG and employee engagement.

Prior to corporate communications, she worked in film and TV and was lucky enough to spend 2 months filming in the Australian outback with wild kangaroos, hundreds of shooting stars and a lot of flies.