Back to my roots – but everything has changed!

In 2015, I stepped away from Buchanan - one of London’s top financial PR firms - to focus on a broader client base, strategic issues and corporate communications. I wanted to dive deeper into the bigger picture: how trust, influence, and reputation were evolving in a world turned upside down by digital shifts, political uncertainty, and growing public scrutiny.

Now it’s 2025, and I’ve come full circle - back at what’s now Burson Buchanan, born from a merger that brings together sharp capital markets thinking with the scale and creativity of a global comms powerhouse.

So, what’s changed in the last decade? Honestly, everything. And with that, a whole world of opportunity - for companies navigating tricky terrain and for advisors who can connect financial fluency with strategic storytelling and stakeholder insight.

Financial PR is now about reputation, not just reporting

Back in 2015, financial comms was still mostly about earnings, IPOs and M&A deals. Today, it's about building long-term value, staying aligned with the full spectrum of stakeholders, beyond shareholders and defending your licence to operate in an unpredictable world.

Our role now spans advising boards, talking to regulators, managing activist approaches, advising on ESG strategies and telling stories that cut through the increasingly busy funding landscape - whether it’s to media, investors, government, employees or the wider public.

The digital fast-forward

The media cycle is now constant, thanks to social platforms, algorithmic trading, and always-on newsrooms. What used to take days to unfold now happens in minutes. Expectations for speed, transparency and accountability are sky-high.

Today’s financial comms playbook includes real-time risk management, smart digital content, and data-led insight into how messages are received and reshaped.

That’s what Burson Buchanan is built to deliver - blending old-school financial PR with digital intelligence, AI tools, and a global reach.

Retail investors, activists and the new noise

Retail power has grown louder. Activists mobilise fast and public opinion can shift on a tweet. Whether it's climate policy or tax practices, companies are under pressure from all sides - and not just from Institutions.

Communicating with communities, critics, customers and shareholders alike takes precision, credibility and calm under fire.

Helping boards manage through those moments - especially where the politics or public sentiment is tough - has been a key focus of mine these past ten years and is a skill that I’ll be bringing to the fore now I’m back at Burson Buchanan.

ESG isn’t a sideshow – but its role is evolving

A decade ago, ESG was an afterthought – a page or two in the annual report. In recent years, it moved to the forefront, especially in Europe and the UK, where purpose, sustainability and governance became deal-makers (or breakers), right alongside financial metrics.

Today, the conversation is more nuanced. ESG and sustainability may not be quite as front and centre as it once was – but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important. The scrutiny is sharper, and the bar is higher. My time outside the City helped me see how ESG can be harnessed not just as a box-ticking exercise or a risk mitigator, but as a genuine source of resilience, differentiation and long-term value.

This isn’t the same kind of agency

Rejoining Burson Buchanan isn’t just a return -  it’s a reinvention. This isn’t just financial PR plus. It’s a new kind of agency: one that blends strategic comms, capital markets insight, global perspective, and creative muscle. One that sees comms, brand, value and reputation as tightly interwoven.

For clients, whether listed companies, PE-backed firms, or those gearing up for capital events, this means real partnership, joined-up thinking, and advice that goes beyond press releases.

Bringing experience to a new era

The fundamentals of UK financial communications have been rewritten over the last decade. But what still matters - and always will - is clear thinking, honest counsel, and the ability to earn trust for when it matters most. As I return to this evolved consultancy, I see a chance to help shape the next chapter - not just helping companies communicate with markets, but lead them.