Who are we?
We are an international strategic communications consultancy based in Oxfordshire, UK. Our experienced team of strategic consultants come from the worlds of journalism, marketing, international PR, political consultancies and senior corporate roles. Our international network offers our clients local in-country support or global crisis communications management.
International network
Our international network of similar agencies and professional freelancers spans 12 countries, offering our clients local in-country support for regional campaigns led by a Global Account Director.
We also manage a global crisis support network with experienced team members ready to be deployed in Benelux, Sweden, Spain, USA, Brazil, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Meet the team
Richard Adams
Board Chair
Richard has a strong track record in leading and building businesses with recent successes including the growth and sale of Prisym ID, a series of acquisitions for Wilmington plc, and the development of Doctors.net.uk. He was most recently CEO of the life sciences cloud solutions enterprise, Exeevo.
Andrew Baud
Founder & Chief Executive
Andrew founded TALA in 2007 and has 30 years’ experience in top consultancies and senior in-house roles, leading successful and creative reputation management programmes for a diverse range of organisations.
Corin Allen
Managing Director
Corin is an experienced senior communications specialist and has led both in-house and large agency teams across corporate, consumer and B2B for brands such as Burger King, eBay, Jaguar Land Rover and Microsoft
Harriet Mountford
Deputy Managing Director
Harriet is an accomplished client relations director with a strong track record of project management and event execution, coupled with excellent relationship building skills.
Graham Smith
Director
Graham has 40 years of experience in the PR sector, founding his own PR agency, in the mid-nineties after a decade delivering PR campaigns for some of the UK’s most influential organisations and honing his craft working both in-house and in leading London agencies.
Graham is relentlessly focused on delivering high impact results. A powerful creative and strategic force, clients also value his straight talking and incisive counsel.
Nicky Smith
Director
Nicky is a research sage. With a publishing background at Haymarket and The Guardian and Observer newspapers, Nicky has initiated, researched and authored numerous ground-breaking and highly influential reports.
Nicky was a Joint founding director of Twelve and an expert in the use of research to campaign, inform, empower, entertain and engage, Nicky is master of the penetrating question, tables and stats and will spot a compelling story in the numbers a mile off.
Sarah Garstin
Operations Director
As Operations Director, Sarah leads TALA behind the scenes, from running the finances to keeping major projects on track, and implementing HR policies to organising the best team nights out.
Chris Rowland
Associate Director
Chris is an experienced communications consultant with a track record of delivery in public relations, public affairs and grassroots campaigning. Chris blends creative energy with technical proficiency to deliver strong and engaging campaigns.
Louise Coxon
Associate Director
Louise’s extensive experience in senior in-house corporate communications roles have honed her expertise in protecting and enhancing reputation while delivering communication outcomes that translate into positive behaviour change and advocacy.
Claire Barry
Associate Director
An experienced communicator, having worked previously for a top London agency before leading the external affairs function for Starbucks Coffee Company. For the past ten years she has provided communications counsel to a range of global and UK organisations including Oxfam, Cochrane UK, the Global Canopy Programme and OXPIP. Claire is also an accredited psychotherapeutic counsellor, working with young people and adults.
John Moorcraft
Public Affairs Specialist
John has more than 20 years experience working in Westminster and Whitehall for cabinet ministers, shadow secretaries of state, party spokesmen and MPs, as well as leading political campaigns for public, private and third sectors and businesses, from multinationals through to micro-enterprises
Becky Charman
Associate Director, Media
A direct-talking consumer and business-to-business PR expert with over 20 years in-house and consultancy experience across some major brands, Becky develops and implements UK and global PR campaigns and strategy, leveraging her extensive network of contacts and expertise in delivering engaging media relations and events. Known for her pitching tenacity, Becky’s sector experience includes health and leisure, food, legal, property, personal finance, automotive, careers/HR and publishing.
Jessica Friend Bartlett
Account Director
Jessica has over ten years’ experience working within public relations, marketing and communications roles across the packaging and manufacturing sectors in Europe. She has been account director for well-known industry names including Tata Steel and within the UK, has worked for industry associations such as the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association and Canned Food UK. Her experience spans both business-to-business and business-to-consumer.
Jess won the Outstanding Young Communicator Award from the industry’s trade association in 2016 and has a natural affinity for all things digital.
Claudine Fontana
Content Manager
Claudine specialises in social media strategy and content development, and has over 20 years’ experience developing communications strategies and high impact PR campaigns for major consumer brands and national visitor attractions
Laura Parker
Content Manager
Laura is a business copywriter and researcher specialising in written content for industrial and professional services clients including Tata Steel, Amey, and AB Agri.
Neil Coffey
Content Manager
Neil is a former speechwriter and senior communications adviser with over a decade’s experience working at the heart of Government. Now Neil supports clients across the public sector, tech & life sciences.
Catherine Stuart
Content Manager
Catherine has a gift for creative content that makes you think ‘I wish I’d come up with that’! This, and her meticulous attention to detail and skills in community building are valuable assets in her social media role.
After volunteering for an INGO primarily focussed on conservation, Catherine is focussed on environmentally responsible businesses as well as those which intersect with her passion for food, wine, arts and culture.
Verity Thomas
Content Manager
An experienced and innovative healthcare communications and engagement manager with broad experience in the NHS, private and charity sectors, Verity spent ten years leading internal and external comms at Health Education England (now NHS England) before joining TALA.
Declan Laycock-Watts
Client Service Manager
Declan is a competent Client Service Manager, with a plethora of experience in retail compliance, creating and implementing new policies and procedures, recruitment, HR, and branch legality. Declan supports the team with policies, procedures, aspects of HR and any back-end client needs.
Lex Rosenthal
Senior Account Manager
Lex began her communications career working in-house at an international development NGO. She now applies her strong writing and research skills to sectors as diverse as automotive, tech, and healthcare, communicating specialist subjects with creativity and clarity.
Beth Milton
Account Manager
Beth is a recent journalism graduate and is skilled in producing written content across a wide range of topics and supports many of TALA’s clients.
Max Heather
Senior Account Executive
Max joined us for a work placement while studying for his Masters in Economics and Finance, and has now started his career in PR and Communications with us, supporting a wide range of clients.
Lauren Ball
Account Executive
Lauren joined us as a Media and Communications Graduate and has now started her career within PR and communications with us, supporting with a wide range of clients.
Lotta Baud
Junior Account Executive
Having completed her A-Levels in the summer of 2022, Lotta was keen to pursue a career in PR. She joins TALA as part of her Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in Public Relations, delivered through the PRCA.
Bob Walker
Media Specialist
Bob leverages more than 30 years as an expert broadcaster and BBC journalist to help facilitate spokesperson courses and crisis simulation exercises.