Facebook has announced its intention to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram and its Messenger app. While all three will remain as standalone apps, the services will be linked, so that you can send message across platforms. The messaging app merger will redefine how the 2.6 billion people that collectively use these apps connect with each other. […]
Andrew is an experienced and award-winning editor, strategist and content marketer specialising in business and finance. He has helped create and implement content campaigns for clients including RBS, Coutts, EY, Savills, Experian, St James’s Pace, RS Components and many more. As Content Services Director, Andrew is part of Formative Content’s senior leadership team with overall responsibility for the writing, video and social teams.
Mark is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in small to medium enterprise marketing agencies.
Mark oversees all financial aspects of the company, providing professionalism to procedures as well converting business intentions into structured plans.
He was previously Finance Director at PR and brand building agency, The Communications Store, for 13 years. There he worked alongside the agency’s founders to manage the growth from 15 staff to 150 staff.
Mark has two young children and loves skiing, watching cricket at Lords and supporting Liverpool FC.
Stefanie is a highly experienced and performance-led client services lead, with over 15 years’ experience across both B2B and B2C sectors working with well-known finance, pharma, healthcare and B2B brands. She has expertise in delivering successful customer-centric engagement strategies across multi-channel platforms including social, web, email and print, as well as lead gen and lead nurturing campaign development. Stefanie is passionate about understanding how people act, how they buy, and how clients operate, and the role content plays in making connections with their audiences. In her spare time Stefanie is a keen runner, and enjoys theatre and immersive dining experiences.
Erin is a senior human resources leader with a background in high tech and high growth companies. In every part of her practice, she subscribes to the #DisruptHR mentality and describes her human resources philosophy as “HR done differently.”
With a focus on innovation, business partnering, and always being solutions-oriented Erin is on an unwavering mission to create a culture and environment where employees thrive and become evangelists of the Formative employment brand. Her goal this year is to become one of the UK’s top employers.
Outside of the office, like any parent, family time is precious for Erin and her three children certainly keep her on her toes. But when she’s not playing Crazy Chef or kicking a football, you can find her indulging her foodie tendencies in the kitchen, training for the next triathlon or espousing ATP tour facts.
Rob has been a B2B journalist for over five years, starting his career at trade magazine Process Engineering, where he covered topics including cyber security, oil and gas exploration, and the Internet of Things.
More recently he was senior reporter at comms industry bible PRWeek, focusing primarily on consumer PR agencies, brand campaigns and thought leadership.
Outside of work, Rob spends his time cycling, going to the gym, and cheering on the (mighty) Spurs.
Utam has been producing video content for over 5 years; planning and executing video campaigns for a range of clients. Some of the clients Utam has produced content for include EDF Energy, Ernst & Young, Hard Rock Café, Cummins and Newland Chase.
When he’s not producing videos Utam is either at the gym, on his PS4 or window shopping for things he really doesn’t need. He’s also a big fan of chicken wings, the spicier the better.
Will is a social policy graduate from the University of York where he was part of a successful flagship radio show at university. During his time on the show, he created and edited podcasts for the demanding student audience.
He went on to work at Leading Britain’s Conversation radio and had his own radio show at local radio station Radio Jackie. He picked up the passion for writing when preparing scripts and blogs for his various shows. Will continues to put that passion for writing into practice in his role as Content Producer at Formative Content.
In his spare time, Will plays football, travels the world and searches for the next great podcast idea.
Caroline has a background in Customer Care for blue chip FMCG companies and more recently new build residential and commercial property. As the Office Manager at Formative Content she is responsible for the smooth running of the office, including travel arrangements, onboarding new members of the Formative team, HR and procurement.
When not keeping the office in check, Caroline enjoys road cycling and has a personal goal to cycle a hundred mile organised bike ride at least twice next year, in Birmingham and London.
Caroline has been lucky enough to live in the Czech Republic and Croatia and still enjoys foreign travel when family and work commitments permit.
Laura joined the Formative Content team after graduating from the University of Reading having studied Film and Theatre. Laura discovered a passion for writing after scripting and directing a full-length play for her final year assessment.
The piece received the Tom Wild award for ‘best performance in drama’ for the year group and spurred Laura on to find a career in writing. Laura brings this creativity and passion into her work at Formative Content and makes sure all the work she does is of high quality.
In her spare time Laura enjoys watching films and catching up on the latest TV series.
Adam has spent 29 years in newspaper, magazine, book, web and periodical publishing and has been making some kind of living out of writing for even longer. Adam spent 10 years editing special reports at the FT, where he edited the highly respected The Connected Business technology reports.
He also spent a decade at the old Times Educational Supplement, where he was deputy editor of TES Primary magazine and then an assistant editor on the TES Teacher supplement. Adam is also a film historian and previously wrote for Marvel Comics’ Hammer Horror Monthly and Shivers fantasy film magazine. Aside from movies, he likes walking, spending time with his family and trying to write the novel.
Briony developed her editorial leadership skills by working as a senior journalist in the BBC newsroom for more than 15 years. Much of that time was spent as a producer and duty editor for Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, having begun her career as a writer for the BBC news website.
Her career highlights include being in charge of live broadcasts on Radio 4 the day after the UK voted to leave the EU and curating in-depth coverage of the global recession and the refugee crisis. Briony holds an MA in foreign languages from the University of Cambridge and is totally in love with the great outdoors (as long as her news feed is close to hand).
Bella has over 10 years experience working across all elements of on and offline marketing for a leading B2B professional services firm. Her experience combines running high profile campaigns and buyer programmes with digital strategy and delivery.
At Formative, Bella is our Content Marketing Executive, responsible for helping to drive our own inbound and outbound marketing activities.
Outside of the office, Bella runs her own nutritional coaching business, and loves to drag her long-suffering husband out for lengthy walks around the countryside.
Alex has over 20 years client and agency side marketing experience, working with businesses as diverse as Marks and Spencer, O2, Virgin Money, HBOS, The AA and RAC. She’s headed up acquisition, retention, CRM and more recently digital marketing teams, resulting in a deep all round knowledge of the marketing and sales environment.
At Formative Content, she’s consolidating all of that experience by heading up the Sales and Marketing Team, responsible for driving agency inbound marketing activity and ensuring it is closely aligned with achieving our sales targets.
Outside of Formative Content, she loves spending time with her young family, and in the few minutes she has to herself, playing tennis and socialising.
A graduate of the University of Birmingham with a degree in English with Creative Writing, Whitney has a keen interest in reading and writing short stories; skills that come in handy in her role as Content Producer at Formative Content.
In her spare time, Whitney can be found dreaming up ideas for her first novel, listening to music, scaring herself with a true crime podcast and indulging her inner Mary Berry with cakes and souffles.
After studying English Literature, Business Studies and Psychology at A-Level, Maryam went on to study NCTJ accredited Journalism at Brunel University London, a career choice she has been certain of since her time in secondary school.
Throughout her time at university, Maryam developed a stronger understanding of the world of journalism and will be putting her knowledge to use as a Content Producer.
In her spare time Maryam enjoys writing for her blog and watching movies.
Chinmay joined the Formative Content team after graduating from University College London with a History Degree.
He has a keen interest in writing and has worked as a student journalist and copywriter throughout his time at university. He puts his writing ability to good use at Formative Content, crafting compelling copy for his clients.
In his spare time, Chinmay enjoys reading, writing, making music and re-watching the same two TV shows on Netflix.
Sam’s love of film and books has always informed his love of writing. After graduating from the University of Winchester with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Drama, he set off into the big wide world with a head full of ideas.
Sam loves being a part of the innovative, creative environment at Formative Content. His love of storytelling means that he is always striving to find the right words to captivate an audience.
In his spare time, Sam loves to read Stephen King books, write stage plays and put his Cineworld Unlimited card to good use.
As a fan of the humanities, Rachel completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology & Criminology before moving on to do a masters in Journalism.
Her creative interest in writing and love of all things social has meant that she has embraced her role as a Content Producer in the Formative team- and the responsibility of organising staff events!
When she’s outside the office, Rachel is often found climbing walls, attempting to lift weights or planning her next travel adventure.
Emma works across our range of international clients. She brings a new approach to social media management with skills gained through the running of her own personal lifestyle blog.
Her love of writing content, as well as her talent at keeping things within 140 characters, has allowed her to become an integral part of the Formative team.
When she’s not absorbed in all things social media, Emma enjoys watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race, sharing funny videos of cats with her colleagues and going for walks.
Luca is an video editor and motion designer. Experienced in just about everything video; from editing, corporate communication, idents, motion graphics, stop motion, visual effects, 3D animation, to the kitchen sink itself.
In their spare time, Luca has a passion for film, and has done everything from producing them, helping shoot them, to winning awards for doing the visual effects for them.
Maddy is a visual and graphic designer, experienced in visually bringing ideas and concepts to life and working to enhance information and understanding through design.
She has a keen interest in start-ups and companies that want to disrupt the market, alongside a huge love for people that create happiness through clever thinking.
Adam joined the Formative team shortly after finishing his Master’s degree at Swansea University.
Bringing a keen eye for detail thanks to his previous work in software quality assurance, Adam works on most of Formative’s technology clients clients.
A fan of both rugby and football, Adam spends most of his free time watching, talking about, and blogging about sport.
Joe is a multi-skilled Account Director for our range of international clients. He is experienced in live conference coverage, social media analytics and has a track record in producing high-quality, fast-turnaround written content. Day to day, Joe uses his keen eye for detail to ensure consistently high standards in everything Formative does.
In his spare time, Joe enjoys playing golf, watching rugby and being sarcastic.
Or does he?
As a foreign correspondent and journalist, including for the BBC and EuroNews, Catarina has written about everything from politics and economics, to healthcare and culture. She has had stones thrown at her in Northern Ireland, drunk whisky with Scottish nationalists in Aberdeen, eaten cakes with Woody Allen, and even been given a piglet by Portuguese farmers.
As a consultant, Catarina has worked on media strategy and digital communications with British police forces and local government. At the leading academic publisher Oxford University Press, she ran communications for large change programmes, such as digitisation.
Prior to this, Catarina was media relations manager at IHS Global Insight, where she media trained 100 economists and political analysts in the UK, France, and South Africa. She’s also run media training for CEOs and senior leaders in global companies.
Catarina is fluent in Portuguese (her mother tongue), English, Spanish and French. When she’s not writing facts, she’s writing fiction, walking and cooking Southern European food.
John is an award-winning business journalist with deep specialist knowledge of energy, infrastructure and project finance.
He has worked for trade titles including Infrastructure Investor and Construction News, and his stories have appeared in national newspapers including The Times and The Daily Telegraph.
When he’s not working, John is usually playing with his children, riding his bike or helping Christian charities with their PR and social media.
After almost a decade spent in newsrooms in Britain and Australia, including five years at the UK’s leading multimedia news agency the Press Association, she expanded into copywriting and social media.
Her articles have appeared in publications around the world including The Independent, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Irish Times, The Scotsman, Buenos Aires Herald, Yorkshire Evening Post, and MSN Travel UK.
From interviewing a comic-book creator about his fight against ISIS, to reporting from a particularly tricky session at an international conference, Alex’s eye is always on the story.
Alex is one of our Senior Writers, and consistently gets great feedback from our clients for her “impressive coverage” of complex topics.
Day-to-day Alex produces fast-turnaround but thoughtful and engaging blogs for our international clients. She also regularly hops on a plane to report from conferences both in Europe and further afield. During livestream events, Alex can be found live-tweeting the latest soundbites.
Alex has had a long and varied journalism career, and before that was an analyst at Goldman Sachs International.
Keith has nearly 20 years of experience as a national journalist at the BBC, ITN and the ABC and has worked extensively in the corporate sector. A highly skilled story teller, Keith has first class live reporting and filmmaking capabilities.
Whether making client video, writing blogs or live-tweeting an event, Keith brings a wealth of experience to any situation and can make sense of even the most intricate subject matter.
As the father of young twins, Keith’s main interests are sleeping and silence.
A news journalist for the past 10 years, Callum joins the team from Money Saving Expert where he helped lead the news section of a personal finance site that commands 13 million subscribers. He’s your man if you’re in need of any money-saving tips.
Callum cut his teeth as a reporter in local newspapers – where he pounded the streets of Chester, Slough, and Grimsby in his hunt for the next big scoop – before moving on to B2B publishing where he spent five years covering the general insurance market.
Career highlights to date include winning back to back Headline Money awards, bagging the first interview with banking heavyweight Stephen Hester following his move to RSA, and getting under the skin of London 2012 Olympics leader Sebastian Coe.
Charlotte has over a decade’s experience in business journalism across a number of sectors including legal and professional services, as well as the healthcare and global pharmaceutical industries.
From interviewing leaders of billion dollar businesses to writing and editing stories about innovative start-ups, she can turn her hand to most things and really enjoys getting her teeth into big projects.
She tries to offset her dark past studying pathology by working for various charities and is a major advocate of corporate responsibility. (You won’t find her running any charity marathons though.)
Andrea has a 20 year track record in B2B communications. Previously a PR director, she has designed and led campaigns for some major technology players as well as helping many start-ups establish their reputations. Creating compelling content has been fundamental to all these campaigns, reflecting Andrea’s passion for writing – whether it’s business blogs, position papers, research reports or technical articles.
Andrea holds an M.A. in communication science and languages from Mainz University, Germany, and a Postgraduate Diploma in strategic marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). She has achieved both CIM Chartered Marketer and CIPR Accredited Practitioner status. Bilingual in German and English, Andrea also speaks fluent French.
In her spare time, she enjoys her dance classes, horse-riding, popular science books, rock music and the odd sporty challenge – like an open water swim to raise funds for an education charity.
Sam manages the finance and accounts for Formative. Before joining the content marketing world, Sam was finance manager for Media and Marketing at JPMorgan in London.
She’s recently returned to work following a career break to look after her growing family.
Prior to JPMorgan Sam had a varied career including Business Manager for a Trade Finance Company in the City and helping to set up a new Trade Association.
Simon joined Formative Content after a long career in television news. He joined the BBC in 1994 as a junior producer before quickly progressing to the position of senior programme editor.
In 2006, Simon moved to Qatar where he was a senior member of the launch team at Al Jazeera English. As Executive Producer, Simon led the coverage of stories including the election of Barack Obama, the Arab Spring and the war in Syria.
In his spare time Simon flies drones (he’s a qualified pilot), sails his classic wooden boat (he’s a qualified sailor) and ferries his daughter all over the place (he’s not a qualified taxi driver but often feels like one).
A Psychology graduate of University College London, Neil spent 10 years ‘on the client side’ before joining Countrywide Communications (now Porter Novelli) as an account manager in 1982.
In 1993 he became Group MD and worked to develop and implement the ‘go global’ strategy which saw Countrywide merge with Porter Novelli in the US and ultimately become one of the top 3 International PR Groups with more than 100 offices across 50 countries.
Neil ‘retired’ from his post as CEO (EMEA) in April 2004.
Today, he trains future MDs on commercial management whilst sitting on a number of Boards as a ‘non-exec’. His book – Managing Professional Communications Agencies – is widely acclaimed and he has been honoured with Outstanding PR Professional of the Year from CIPR and with a Founding Fellowship of the PRCA.
Damon is a Founder and Shareholder of The Brandwidth Marketing Group, which comprises of marketing services and recruitment businesses, based in Windsor, London and Los Angeles.
A Chartered Marketer, Damon has experience of international brands and many market sectors. Damon is also a Chartered Director, and Non Executive Director of the Institute of Directors.
He is a local Councillor, managing the environment and licensing. Damon’s charity work includes many years as a volunteer for The Starlight Foundation children’s charity.
Gay founded Formative in Sydney in 2010, working for clients including Ernst & Young, Bupa Health Foundation and KPMG.
A journalist for more than 20 years, Gay worked as Managing Editor for both Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News in the UK; she’s an adept corporate communicator with client experience on location across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Gay, who has an MBA from Warwick Business School, has trained senior global executives and communications teams in crisis response, social media strategy & content development across Australia & Europe. Her consultancy clients include the ABC, Maersk Oil, AMP Bank (Australia), Australian Human Rights’ Association & the Australian Red Cross.
Paul is an accomplished digital strategist with extensive experience managing corporate reputation and brand through the strategic use of digital content and social media. He drives the day-to-day content production in Formative‘s busy client newsroom.
For over a decade, Paul worked as a senior journalist at the BBC, ITN and the ABC in Australia where he was a key member of the team that launched the corporation’s 24-hour news channel. He also ran the team of journalists producing content across the corporation’s radio, television and digital platforms.
At Formative, Paul has a strong record of turning client vision into content reality. When not creating outstanding content or spending time with his young twins, Paul enjoys rambling and box sets.
