Blending the art of storytelling with the science of understanding, we create exceptional work for ambitious organisations.
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London | New York | Los Angeles | Dubai
We’re an international team of strategists, coaches and creators. Our collaborative culture means that every project benefits from multiple perspectives, sector specialists and broad expertise.
Our people
Sandra Davis
Director
Sandra Davis
Director
I lead Bladonmore’s presentation coaching team.
I have spent my entire career in communications, but in very different ways. I began as a speech therapist and while I no longer practice, it gave me a fascination of how we process language and respond to it. This fascination has been reawakened in recent years as advances in technology have revised our understanding of these areas.
At Bladonmore, we know how to craft information which will be impactful and memorable, and why some types of language are more effective in communication than others. We use this information to coach our clients to be better communicators.
As well as forming a great team, we are privileged to have great clients. Whether working with CEOs from FTSE 100 companies, the leaders of the world’s largest banks or some of the most exciting private equity firms around, every day is a rewarding challenge.
My experience
- Fifteen years’ coaching experience
- Trusted adviser to senior management at Land Securities, Rio Tinto and GE
- Head of corporate communications for a FTSE 250 company
- Director of global PR firms, helping companies build their business
- Speech pathologist and therapist
Ben Shore
Director
Ben Shore
Director
I deliver crisis communications, media and presentation coaching sessions.
I challenge clients to be better storytellers. Often that means asking tough questions: does this content express what you want to say? Is this message too risky to be delivered publicly?
At other times, I help people overcome nervousness about talking to journalists or presenting to large audiences. In these situations, my job is to build confidence by identifying what is going well and using that as a basis for improvement.
I love my job because every day I am grappling with complicated and fascinating issues. Sometimes I’m helping medical professionals at the front line of primary care; at others I’m working with decision makers in the City to talk about Brexit. These are the types of conversations I would have killed to hear when I was a journalist, and I know I am privileged to be in the room.
My experience
- Six years’ experience coaching Bladonmore clients including M&S and SABMiller
- BBC Europe business reporter in Brussels
- Producer of BBC 2’s Working Lunch
- Politics reporter for BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour
Paul Rush
Financial Controller
Paul Rush
Financial Controller
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.
Vilam Vuong
Creative
Vilam Vuong
Creative
Vilam uses visual language to bring stories to life.
With over ten years’ experience in the creative industry as a graphic designer, photographer and director of photography, he understands the importance and impact of good design.
Vilam has helped to solve creative challenges for a wide range of organisations, including BNP Paribas, EMI and UNICEF.
Outside of the studio, he loves travel – and his motorbike – and is happiest riding around some of the world’s most beautiful places.
Hayley Fletcher
Executive Assistant
Hayley Fletcher
Executive Assistant
Hayley is a lifeline to our partners and 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.
Richard Carpenter
Managing Partner
Richard Carpenter
Managing Partner
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.
Allie Lindly
Business Co-ordinator
Allie Lindly
Business Co-ordinator
Our clients have some incredibly powerful stories to tell, each in their own individual way – across different audiences, mediums, time zones and geographies. Much of my role is in the detail, bringing together all the working parts that ensure these stories deliver lasting impact. As a central link between clients, creatives and consultants, I take an overarching view of our projects, keeping everything running smoothly from day-to-day.
My experience:
- Executive, client and project support across a range of industries: communications, financial services and real estate
- Los Angeles native with a degree in Spanish from the University of Southern California
Shreena Patel
Consultant
Shreena Patel
Consultant
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.”
Ella Stoltzman-Thomas
Commercial Manager
Ella Stoltzman-Thomas
Commercial Manager
I co-ordinate and plan Bladonmore’s coaching projects, managing relationships, budgets and briefs.
Bladonmore’s coaching department is a fast-paced, complex and exciting place to work. I make sure we deliver the outcomes and level of excellence that we and our clients expect by meticulously planning and orchestrating a range of strategic and operational projects.
Building strong, lasting and open relationships — with clients, suppliers and colleagues — is key to how we operate. I love getting to know our clients and their worlds; not only is it fascinating, it’s how we develop the strategies that help them to craft and then tell their best stories.
I feel enormously privileged to have the trust of our clients, and it is an honour to have them come back to us time and again — it’s a sign that we ‘get’ them; that we truly understand the challenges and opportunities they face. Seeing how people engage with our work and how we make a real difference to the way they communicate – that is what is incredibly rewarding.
My experience
- Operations manager at an events company
- Prior experience in consular services and business administration
Charlotte Gibson
Project Manager
Charlotte Gibson
Project Manager
Charlotte helps run our content projects, from first briefing to final output.
She is the direct point of contact for a number of our clients and has delivered projects across a range of industries and focus areas, including employee engagement campaigns for Essilor and ESG film work for Arq.
Her background combines financial insight with a creative eye. Before joining Bladonmore, she worked as an analyst and practice manager for St James’s Place as well as at brand company Four by Two.
Charlotte is very fond of her Scottish heritage… but of Irn-Bru, whisky and haggis, a little less so.
Olivia Tharian
Project Manager
Olivia Tharian
Project Manager
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).
Liz Felisberto
Finance & Operations Manager
Liz Felisberto
Finance & Operations Manager
Liz oversees the coaching department’s finances and supports the day-to-day management of all Bladonmore’s money matters.
Across our coaching clients, she is responsible for analysing and reviewing the numbers on every project, making sure it all adds up.
With a keen eye for detail, she’s a dab hand at Origami and can make models of anything from flowers to frogs.
Sonum Tailor
Marketing Manager
Sonum Tailor
Marketing Manager
Sonum leads Bladonmore’s marketing team and is responsible for all things on brand.
Whether identifying new business opportunities, managing our social channels or running events, she supports Bladonmore’s growth strategy and develops our own marketing materials.
Sonum was previously head of marketing at Blackbridge Communications, where she devised and led the agency’s strategy to improve brand awareness.
As a true Canadian native and a star baker, she makes the best banana bread this side of the Atlantic.
David Ladds
Partner
David Ladds
Partner
I bring insight, advice and focused execution to help organisations and individuals communicate more effectively with their key audiences.
I provide messaging, writing and coaching support across a wide range of projects. I particularly enjoy the intensity of investor communications work, such as preparing CEOs and CFOs for results announcements, writing investor day scripts or supporting private equity firms with fundraising initiatives.
Recent work includes:
- Messaging, scripting and coaching support ahead of investor days and Capital Markets Days for UBS, UniCredit, Poste Italiane and Generali.
- Brand refresh and fundraising support for InterEnergy, plus numerous pitch book writing projects for private capital clients.
- Extensive work throughout USA and the Gulf, including large projects for International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group), GardaWorld, and Aldara Hospital and Medical Center.
Nicodemos Pinto
Production Manager
Nicodemos Pinto
Production Manager
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 ten pin bowler in his youth, Nicodemos is more than capable of handling them.
Cathy West
Front-of-house
Cathy West
Front-of-house
Thanks to Cathy, day-to-day life at Bladonmore’s London HQ runs without a hitch.
As the first face to welcome our clients into the office, she makes sure that all our visitors feel right at home. Additionally, she supports the wider team with events, diary administration and managing our suppliers.
Before becoming part of Bladonmore, Cathy worked as a project coordinator within the energy industry.
In her spare time, she’s a big fan of the open water and enjoys going sea fishing – whatever the weather.
Mohammed Esmail
Office & IT Manager
Mohammed Esmail
Office & IT Manager
Mohammed keeps Bladonmore online and up to date will all the latest tech.
Always on hand for any glitch in the system, he keeps an eye on all Bladonmore’s equipment, managing maintenance and system upkeep.
Throughout all his years at Bladonmore, Mohammed always keeps his cool – however much his patience is tested.
Mohammed’s interest in computing is reflected in his love of video games, but supporting Tottenham Hotspur is his real Call of Duty.
Michael Holland
Assistant Editor
Michael Holland
Assistant 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 access to Bladonmore’s archives, his real specialist subject is something different – he prides himself on an encyclopaedic knowledge of 90s football.
Lauren Webb
HR Manager
Lauren Webb
HR Manager
Lauren brings in – and gets the best out of – our Bladonmore talent.
Whether through mentoring schemes, career development or more pastoral matters, she makes sure we bring the best people into the business and that all staff make the most of their Bladonmore experience.
Lauren has worked across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, having previously been UK HR manager at Quarto Publishing plc before joining Bladonmore.
She also has two keen interests – fitness and astrology; and, in true Aries style, likes to wind down in the gym with a pair of boxing gloves and a punchbag.
Anthony Coombes
Creative Director
Anthony Coombes
Creative Director
Ant leads our creative team, overseeing all work that comes though 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.
Richard Rivlin
Chairman
Richard Rivlin
Chairman
I spend two-thirds of my time helping clients to refine their narrative and verbalise it, as effectively as possible. This means constructively speaking truth to power every day. The other third is spent obsessing about our own organisational development, striving to develop an environment where careers can blossom.
My experience:
- Trusted advisor to Diageo, Philips, Virgin Galactic and numerous other clients.
- Project work with numerous Fortune 500 and Private Capital clients – from BlackRock to Bridgepoint, our very first client who we continue to serve 17 years on
- Extensive international business experience throughout the United States; the Gulf, the EU and Switzerland.
- 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.
Afea Begum
Management Accountant
Afea Begum
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.
Sonja Jones
Content
Sonja Jones
Content
Sonja manages a number of content projects and provides editorial consultancy for our clients.
Working closely with our creative team, she draws on her background as a marketing manager to get inside our client’s world and ensure the work we deliver truly represents their brand.
With over 12 years’ experience working for creative agencies, she has delivered strategic, digital and creative projects for the likes of Pernod Ricard, Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline.
Originally from Speyside, she’s much like a ‘wee dram’, and can really pack a punch. But you’re always left with her sweeter side.
Sara Tingström
Assistant Producer
Sara Tingström
Assistant 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.
Kit Cooper
Strategy Director
Kit Cooper
Strategy Director
Kit helps businesses join the dots between purpose, products and services, sustainability and performance.
With over 25 years’ experience in branding and communications, her focus is developing impactful narratives, content strategies and engagement tools for clients.
In the agency world and as an independent consultant, she has worked with high profile organisations across multiple sectors, including Unilever, HSBC and Vodafone.
Kit is a keen painter, mixing bold colours in an abstract style. She’s a natural talent but is convinced her work gets better with three cats and Radio 4 in support.
Andy Burridge
Client Services Manager
Andy Burridge
Client Services Manager
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 he enjoys using his Saturday to take a break from the structured approach he adopts midweek.
Tom Brown
Associate Consultant
Tom Brown
Associate Consultant
Tom produces a variety of strategic content, built around clear narrative and 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 FMC brands.
He’s a keen cricketer and also takes an interest in ancient history; but unfortunately, finds it easier to focus on the first century in books than on the pitch.
Michael Marijeanne
Creative Artworker
Michael Marijeanne
Creative Artworker
Michael adds the all-important final touch to our creative projects.
His work is all about 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.
Jamal Dayes
Head of Digital
Jamal Dayes
Head of Digital
Jamal oversees the creation of all our digital content – from website builds to app development.
With over 15 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 five marathons – and is now eyeing up a sixth.
Nick McAlpine
Executive Producer/Director
Nick McAlpine
Executive Producer/Director
Nick leads Bladonmore’s film team and produces, writes and directs 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 to meet the objectives of clients.
Nick’s work spans a range of industries and 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.
Matthew Guarente
Partner
Matthew Guarente
Partner
Matt is the senior member of Bladonmore’s coaching team
He helps the leaders of organisations deliver their narrative in a clear, compelling way – providing advisory and counsel on content and expression of ideas between the stakeholders who form a company’s reputation.
With over 15 years’ consultancy experience, he has delivered trusted relationships among a number of world-leading companies including Royal Philips, HSBC, BAE Systems and Airbus, among others.
Prior to Bladonmore, Matt held editorial management roles at Sunday Business, The Business and was launch editor of Square Mile. He was also head of the equities desk at Bloomberg News and director of the New Business Division at The Condé Nast Publications
Jenny Torrie
Project Co-ordinator
Jenny Torrie
Project Co-ordinator
Jenny is all about the logistics – she’s responsible for bringing together all the moving parts of our coaching projects.
Whether liaising with our camera crews or coaches, Jenny gets to grips with all the details in the build-up to our media and presentation coaching sessions to make sure everything runs smoothly.
She spent seven years in Hong Kong, working within the housing and recruitment industries, before returning to the UK to join Bladonmore.
Growing up in a small Irish seaside town, Jenny is also a fully qualified lifeboat driver.
Drew Lawrence
Camera & Playback Operator
Drew Lawrence
Camera & Playback Operator
Drew manages the filming, playback and aesthetics of our coaching sessions making sure technical aspects run smoothly.
With over 15 years’ experience as a cameraman, he films our clients in live, pre-recorded and studio situations, working with them to consider the visual aspects of their natural communication.
Drew’s background includes advertising, drama, documentary and long-form narrative filming, which brings diverse influences to his work. His work is further enhanced by his fascination with the language of visuals, semiotics and the use of imagery to convey complex ideas in media.
Clarisa Angaramo
Web Developer
Clarisa Angaramo
Web Developer
Clarisa builds websites and mobile apps for our clients – and us too.
She is a full-stack web developer, with a focus on front-end design, and is digitally fluent across a wide range of programming languages and platforms.
Working closely with our design team, she has transformed creative concepts into fully functional sites for clients including Pernod Ricard, Caledonia Investments, Arq and the Scale-Up Institute.
If you catch Clarisa out-and-about in your spare time, you’d be excused for thinking you’re seeing double – she has an identical twin sister.
Loud Halo
Loud Halo was set up in 2013 to do some of what we do on a pro bono basis for charitable and not-for-profit organisations that we wish to support. We apply our expertise to help these types of organisations — which are often competing in a crowded market for share of voice and funds — to be heard.
To date, the organisations we support have fallen into three categories:
Charities, NGOs and organisations we select, or those who ask us for a helping hand
Similar groups selected by our clients
Educational and research organisations striving to promote fresh initiatives
To find out how we can support you, contact hello@bladonmore.com
Let’s talk about your story
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