OUR PEOPLE
Meet the leadership team
ALISON CLARKE
SENIOR ADVISOR
TIM CLARK
SENIOR ADVISOR
Meet the leadership team
Michael founded Hudson Sandler in 1988 after ten years at the then market leader in London. Since that time he has provided board counsel across most sectors from high growth start-ups to many FTSE100 constituents. He has a particular expertise in the real estate, financial services and consumer sectors. Before joining the PR industry, he practiced as a property surveyor. He sits on the boards of the Weizmann Institute (UK) and the British Heart Foundation. He is a graduate of Boston University.
After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1987, Andrew joined the corporate advisory division of a leading investment bank with capital markets, therefore, in his DNA. He joined Hudson Sandler in 1990 just after its inception and became Managing Partner in 2000. Andrew is one of the most experienced Board advisors in London today. He has supported organisations across most sectors and advised on many of the highest profile M&A and IPO transactions of recent decades, including Russia’s biggest ever transaction as well as many of the UK’s most high-profile contested bid situations. He has also counselled on numerous corporate campaigns, brand launches and re-positionings. Over the last ten years he has also led the development of Hudson Sandler’s emerging market franchise, spending a significant amount of his time in Russia and across Africa.
After graduating from Bangor University, Wendy joined Hudson Sandler in 1995 to pursue a career in strategic communications. For more than 25 years she has worked with listed and private organisations advising boards and senior executives on equity and debt market communications, as well as broader stakeholder engagement. She has worked across a variety of sectors, including retail, leisure and property, and has analyst and media relations expertise. During her career, she has advised on a range of corporate transactions, including M&A, fundraisings and IPOs, as well as corporate campaigns, crisis communications and reputation & issues management.
Victor has 25 years’ experience in strategic marketing and communications, having established one of London’s earliest digital agencies, Randommedia, in 1997 which went on to win multiple accolades, including a BAFTA, for its pioneering work in the early commercial internet. More recently he sat on the global board of Grayling as its global creative director and working on complex clients across the world, particularly in frontier and developing markets, including PayPal, Qatar Foundation and the government of Kenya. Victor joined Hudson Sandler in 2018 to oversee our strategic insights and planning offer across our entire client base ensuring that everything that we do is based on data and research led insights. He is also heavily involved in the arts acting as a non executive director for LAPADA, the association of antique dealers, as a trustee for the charity Positive View and sitting on the fund raising committee of the Royal Academy Schools.
Alex joined Hudson Sandler in 2008 following an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and master’s degree in Management & Finance from the University of Bristol. Over more than a decade, Alex’s focus has been on advising businesses in the consumer and digital industries on their strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. He has advised a range of retail brands, leisure companies, food & drink operators and tech-disruptors including through high-profile M&A transactions and IPOs as well as profile raising and issues management.
Dan qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC in London in 2000. After a short stint in corporate broking at Credit Suisse, he then decided to change careers and has spent the last 20 years working in financial communications. He is highly experienced in capital markets, having advised on several IPOs and M&A situations. Dan works across a broad range of companies and sectors – from FTSE 100s to small-mid caps – but has a particularly keen interest in growth companies and working in dynamic industries such as media, technology, consumer industries and healthcare.
Mark joined Hudson Sandler in July 2021. He is a highly experienced strategic business communications and reputation management consultant with a thirty year+ track record advising C-Suites and Boards of both public and private corporates on business and stakeholder critical issues. His broad sector experience includes infrastructure; building and construction; business and support services; natural resources; aviation; hospitality and hotels; and, luxury goods.
Mark also has extensive international experience having worked on-the-ground advising corporates, governments and parastatals in, among others, India, South Africa and across the wider sub-Saharan African region.
Chris joined Hudson Sandler in 2019 to lead Hudson Sandler Africa. He has advised multinational corporations and organisations at a senior level around the world and has a proven track record of developing communications strategies and creative campaigns for some of Africa’s most prestigious and high-profile brands, corporations, NGOs, and public sector bodies. He was named by PRWeek as one the UK’s most influential PR practitioners; and one of the most influential international PR professionals. Chris is a Fellow and former President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, as well as a member of the Public Relations Society of Kenya. He is the author of several books on public relations, including Winning Reputations: How to Be Your Own Spin Doctor and Creative Business.
Rebecca is an award-winning sustainability communications expert, creating programmes that improve global companies’ ESG ratings, develop their reputations for responsibility and drive industry leadership positioning. Built on more than 20 years’ experience of crisis and reputation management, her work today helps organisations overcome industry-wide ethical, environmental and social issues. Rebecca advises a broad range of industries – from extractives to food service – and provides senior counsel to governments and regulators. Rebecca is currently developing sustainability strategies and profiles for the world’s largest producer of low carbon aluminium, a leading sustainable palm oil producer and companies in the mining, food and FMCG sectors.
An Oxford University Chemistry graduate, Richard then moved to London where he passed his ICAEW exams and became a qualified Chartered Accountant in 2003. Application of technical knowledge has long been his driver so in 2004 he moved into the head office accounting team of Lend Lease Europe, a global real estate business. There in 2008 he transferred onto the project team working on the Athletes Village for the London 2012 Olympics. Prior to joining Hudson Sandler, he then spent 9 years building a finance team at Gambit Research, a technology business in the betting and gaming space as it moved from start up to established business with a £10m+ turnover.
A father of two, Richard is also a keen runner with a marathon time of under three hours. However, he will always insist that being a father is the harder challenge!
Sue specialises in corporate reputation and brand communications across a wide range of sectors and has extensive experience in planning and delivering complex, multi-channel campaigns. Prior to joining Hudson Sandler, she led the communications programme for British Airways in Europe and APAC for over six years. She has a degree in English from the University of Birmingham and is a postgraduate of Cardiff University Journalism School.
Maria was born in Moscow and graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in journalism. She worked for a number of leading Russian media outlets covering energy and mining before she moved to London and joined Hudson Sandler in 2007.
She led the development of Hudson Sandler’s emerging market franchise dividing her time between Moscow and London and advised on many major international transactions, including Russia’ biggest ever M&A deal. She supported the clients on crisis situations and on-going capital market communications.
She is based in Hong Kong since 2014 and now amongst the most experienced advisors on Russian related financial and corporate communications in Asia.
After graduating from Newcastle University in 1997, Charlie knew that he wanted a career with exposure to the fast-moving worlds of equity and debt capital markets, the financial media and the business sector. He quickly settled on strategic financial communications. Over 20 years later, his passion for these areas of commerce remains undimmed. Charlie leads the Natural Resources practice, and is a day to day advisor to large, mid-market and growth companies in the resources and energy sector. The practice supports a number of energy companies both in production and exploration development phases. With extensive media relationships and a deep understanding of the vital IR and ESG issues to address, Charlie has significant experience in creating communication strategies to help clients achieve appropriate valuations for their assets, equity and debt. He has advised on a number of high profile transactions including the $8.9bn IPO of Polyus, Uralkali’s $500mn eurobond and the readmission of En+ to trading on LSE.
Andrew has worked in strategic communications for more than ten years advising UK and international listed and private companies as well as individuals. For more than 20 years Andrew was a senior business journalist at leading regional and national newspapers in the UK. His last role was at the Mail on Sunday where he initially edited the Midas investment column before becoming Associate City Editor. Andrew heads Hudson Sandler’s media training and crisis franchise drawing on his experience as a journalist to help clients navigate the media and tell compelling stories. He advises clients across the metals and mining, real estate, industrial and private equity sectors on financial, corporate and reputational matters.
Nick has more than 25 years of communications experience across a wide variety of UK and international companies, both large and small. He has advised on nearly every aspect of corporate scenarios ranging from IPOs and hostile bids to capital raisings and crisis management. He continues to provide counsel on media and investor relations activity to UK and international clients and has long experience of advising companies in emerging markets including Africa and Russia. Nick is a graduate of Oxford University.
After graduating from the University of Kent in 2001 Anna began her HR career at a leading data insight consultancy whilst simultaneously embarking on a part-time Masters in Personnel & Development at the University of Westminster. Anna has spent over 15 years supporting senior leaders within the Media, Creative and Communications sectors. With a keen interest in PR and Strategic Communications, Anna joined Hudson Sandler as their Head of People in March 2020. A passionate and curious people leader, Anna understands the importance of putting people at the heart of the agency, enabling everyone to grow and develop their careers whilst delivering a best in class employee experience. Responsible for leading and delivering both strategic and operational HR activities across the agency, Anna is committed to driving our progressive people agenda ensuring Hudson Sandler differentiates itself from the crowd and always remains an Employer of Choice.
Daphne is an international strategic communications consultant with experience across EMEA and APAC, having worked in Singapore, Australia and now the UK. A specialist in sustainability communications and reputation management, she has extensive experience advising global organisations and governments on a wide range of issues, in often complex and multifaceted environments. Daphne’s expertise spans multiple sectors including technology, cleantech and renewables, telecommunications, and financial institutions. She has a track record of delivering high-impact campaigns for brands that are closely aligned to their organisational and ESG objectives.
Simon joined Hudson Sandler in 2020 to support the growth of our Africa practice. Simon has been based in East Africa for more than seven years and brings a track record of delivering regional and pan-African campaigns. Simon has led pan-African communications for a range of international corporate and philanthropic clients including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg, Hyatt, FSD Africa, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. He brings a sound understanding of the media and political landscape across the continent and an extensive list of media contacts and has delivered events in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Senegal and Somalia.
Originally from Australia, Simon is a trained journalist and spent several years covering agriculture for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
After graduating with a degree in Modern Languages from Bristol University in 2010, Emily spent some time in Russia before joining Hudson Sandler to work specifically on the agency’s growing Russian franchise. Since then, she has worked with a range of large-scale international corporates, including many in the natural resources sector, providing strategic counsel and managing day-to-day communications around financial transactions and Capital Markets events as well as corporate newsflow and campaigns. Emily is a Russian and French speaker.
Having started her career in financial and corporate communications in Moscow in 2003, Maria is now one of the most experienced and trusted advisors to Russian and emerging markets companies. She played a leading role on many IPO and M&A transactions including some of the largest deals in the Russian market, as well as advising clients on their ongoing communications programmes aimed at building long-term shareholder value and an international reputation.
Alison has over 30 years‘ consultancy experience advising on reputation, implementation of multi-market strategies , CEO counsel and crisis management.
Following a successful UK consultancy leadership career she was appointed CEO of Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific where she was responsible for profitable growth across 12 markets in the region.
Alison joined Huntsworth PLC as Business Development Director working on identification of affiliate partners and acquisition targets in UK, Middle East and Asia. She was then appointed CEO of Grayling UK , a consultancy within the group.
Alison is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Public Relations & Communications Consultancy Association and a Fellow and former President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Tim is a former Senior Partner of Slaughter and May where his practice primarily involved mergers and acquisitions, corporate and general corporate finance. He is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Economist Trust and HighTide Theatre and a Senior Adviser to G3.
Tim is a member of the Council of RADA, the Board of Senior Advisers of Chatham House and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for European Reform.
Tim was previously Chair of WaterAid and the Royal Air Squadron and a member of the Board of the National Theatre. He was also Senior Independent Director of Big Yellow Group, a member of the Development Committee of the National Gallery, the Audit Committee of Wellcome Trust and the International Chamber of Commerce UK Governing Body.
After graduating from York University Simon qualified as a Chartered Accountant and subsequently pursued a career in the energy industry, and banking. He started his career in the City as an equity analyst with a predecessor firm of UBS and moved to Citigroup working in various senior leadership positions in project and structured finance, and mergers and acquisitions. While at Citigroup he co-authored the Equator Principles, which is now a globally accepted risk management framework, adopted by financial institutions, for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risk in projects. After leaving Citigroup Simon joined the UK government as Commercial and Finance Director at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and then at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy. Simon joined Hudson Sandler in September 2019.
