OUR PEOPLE
Meet the leadership team
ALISON CLARKE
SENIOR ADVISOR
CHRIS GENASI
SENIOR ADVISOR - AFRICA
SIMON ELLISTON
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. This has included advising on many of the highest profile M&A and IPO transactions of recent decades, including amongst the largest ever cross border transactions ever in both the oil & gas and telecoms sectors as well as many of the UK’s most closely 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 CIS and across Africa.
James is an Economics graduate and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He has over 30 years’ experience as an accountant and in that time has managed finance teams in media companies (including Warner Bros., WPP, and LBC Radio) and in professional services and law firms.
He has broad commercial and accounting experience and has led finance teams and supported firms through periods of fast growth and change, including post-acquisition integration
Onyebuchi oversees our West Africa Business and has over 15 years experience working across Africa, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom. She has extensive experience helping blue chip and growing clients (including GE, MTN, Shell, RBS, Kraft Heinz, Coronation Bank, and Oando) across a range of industries – from Oil and Gas to Real Estate to Finance to -FMCG to Telecommunications and Technology – build trust, communicate their value and impact and deliver sustainable growth. She also worked with Foundations, public sector stakeholders and other philanthropic corporations to leverage advocacy and stakeholder engagement to accelerate sustainable development through education, gender equality, financial inclusion, nutrition, and poverty alleviation, amongst other themes.
Buchi has a Masters in Business Analytics from The University of Warwick and is on the Board of Haima Health, Nigeria’s first mobile blood bank.
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.
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.
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.
Charlie has worked in Corporate & Financial PR for nearly 20 years. He has strong understanding of business-to-business, trade and international corporate positioning public relations campaigns.
Charlie continues to advise a large number of mining companies, including amongst others, Hochschild plc a FTSE 250 precious metals producer, Anglo Asian Metals, rare earths producer
Aclara Inc, leading Brazilian iron ore business Bamin and royalty finance business Trident Royalties. He has considerable experience in advising management teams through IPOs, M&A and special situations and recently advised Nova Resources on its successful bid for Kaz Minerals.
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.
Mark brings 20 years’ experience in investor relations and business communications to help build equity stories that align corporate strategies with the make-up of share registers to maximise valuations.
Mark is sector agnostic and works with issuers of all sizes to build IR strategies that maximise C-suite’s time. He has set up multiple IR functions and has acted as outsourced IR solutions for a number of equity issuers, both in the UK, the US and in Europe.
Alexey has worked in corporate and financial public relations for 20 years.
He advised a large number of companies in metals and mining, oil & gas, power generation, telecommunications, retail and financial services industries in the region of CIS, including BP, Telenor, Tele2, Polyus, BAT, LVMH, Tefal, Yandex, X5 Group and Halykbank, among others.
Alexey has strong experience in advising companies on communications during business transformation, litigations, special situations, M&A and IPOs.
Alexey is a native Russian speaker
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.
Emily has worked with a range of large-scale international corporates, including many in emerging markets and the natural resources sector, providing strategic counsel and managing day-to-day communications around financial transactions and Capital Market events as well as corporate newsflow and sustainability campaigns.
Emily is a French and Russian Speaker.
Maria started her career in financial and corporate communications in 2003 and specialises on the fintech sector and emerging markets. She has worked on a number of international IPO and M&A transactions, as well as advising clients on their ongoing communications programmes aimed at building long-term shareholder value and a strong corporate reputation.
Natalie is a global strategic communications professional with a focus on sustainability and emerging markets. Her career spanning nearly 20 years, encompassing both in-house and consultancy roles across a range of industries. Experienced in sustainability & communications strategies development as well as reputation and brand management. Experienced in working with diverse and geographically distributed stakeholders. Fluent in English and Russian. MA in International Studies & Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London.
Lucy advises both private and public retail, travel and F&B brands on their financial and corporate PR strategies.
Lucy’s relevant transaction experience includes the IPOs of Virgin Wines, Tortilla Mexican Grill and In The Style (2021), QUIZ Clothing (2017) and British lifestyle brand Joules (2016).
Other selected consumer sector experience includes PPHE Hotel Group, Greene King, Franco Manca owner The Fulham Shore and nightclub operator REKOM UK.
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.
Chris has worked extensively across the continent advising African multinational corporations, multilateral organisations, foundations, state aid bodies and NGOs focused on African development. He has a proven track record of growing businesses in Africa and in the UK. Chris previously built a thriving business in Kenya as Managing Director of Grayling Kenya Limited. Prior to that Chris founded his own corporate communications consultancy, Eloqui Public Relations, which was bought by APCO Worldwide.
Chris has held senior leaderships roles the UK, Kenya, the US, and Abu Dhabi, including Global Strategy Director and CEO Corporate at Weber Shandwick and Senior Director at APCO Worldwide.
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.
John has 15 years experience on the buy-side, prior to moving to investor relations and corporate communications in 2003.
He spent 5 years as Global Head of Investor Relations at Rio Tinto, prior to which he spent 7 years as Head of Corporate Communications at Kazakhmys.
John has wide experience at exco and board level, including lead roles in various high profile transactions.
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.
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!
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.
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.
With 16 years’ experience across Africa, Michelle oversees our East Africa business and has extensive experience supporting public, private and non-governmental sector clients to tell their brands and businesses’ impact and success stories. She has a strong track record in the development of award-winning integrated communications campaigns; crisis communications; digital communications; employee and executive communications; media relations; people management; stakeholder relations and advocacy.
Michelle holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nairobi, a Degree in Information Sciences from Moi University and serves as a Council Member at The Public Relations Society of Kenya.