Our senior team have real-world experience, as business communicators, functional specialists and national journalists. This "coal face" background enables us to identify and successfully present a clear, compelling and brand-enhancing narrative for our clients. Our senior team are award-winners, expert at telling and reporting stories on a national and international level.
Hamish has twenty years in-house strategic communications experience in the technology, retail and professional services industries. An international award-winning communicator, Hamish has advised on numerous reputation and communications issues - from major product launches to mergers and acquisitions - and has made more than a hundred national and international broadcast appearances.
Most recently, Hamish was director of group media relations at DSG international plc (formerly known as Dixons Group), Europe's leading specialist multi-brand electrical retailer, with High Street brands including Currys, PC World, ElectroWorld, Elkjop, Kotsovolos and UniEuro in its stable. At DSGi, Hamish was responsible for the Group's pan-European media relations strategy, overseeing media strategy for the Group's financial calendar announcements, consumer announcements, product and service launches, acquisitions and disposals. He oversaw the media strategies for the sale of Freeserve, the Group's transition from UK to pan-European retailer, the transition of the Dixons chain from High Street retailer to leading e-commerce brand and the launch of the TechGuys, the UK's first national digital support service for UK homes.
Prior to DSGi, Hamish led EMEA communications for Broadview International LLC, a global investment bank focused on the IT, digital media and communications industries.
In 2006, Hamish led the team that won the Chartered Institute of Public Relations President's Grand Prix for Consumer Campaign of the Year.
Hamish has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Australian National University and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. He is a board director of a Hertfordshire charity.
Hamish can be reached on +44 (0) 7702 684290.
Nicola Carslaw has worked in the front line of national and international news for more than 20 years. Following a career in print journalism she moved to broadcast and reported extensively for BBC flagship programmes including Radio 4’s Today programme, the Ten O’clock News and Newsnight, as well as News 24 and Online.
Nicola was the BBC’s first dedicated Consumer Affairs Correspondent, a post she held for almost a decade. During her tenure, she covered a wide range of consumer and CR issues and her reports regularly led the national consumer news agenda.
Prior to this she was one of the first women to hold an international post as foreign correspondent for the BBC. Career highlights included covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
Nicola is a contributing editor for BBC News, specialising in editorial strategy, communications and compliance.
Nicola is a regular speaker at industry conferences and she lectures on risk communication issues for Harvard School of Public Health and the European Food Safety Authority. She also judges the prestigious Bradford & Bingley Personal Finance Media Awards.
Mike has extensive experience of global financial markets gained during a twenty year career with some of the world’s leading investment banks.
At UBS and NatWest he was number one ranked for both the European Oil and Utility sectors in the Extel Survey of Equity Fund managers. Later, as Head of European Equity Research at Schroders Securities he helped build a market leading small and mid cap stockbroker which received awards and plaudits for the high quality of its research. As co-head of European Equity research at Citigroup, he helped build a business that was ranked number one for European Equity Research in the 2003 Institutional Investor Survey. Mike and his co-head were also voted the number one research management team in the Sammons Associate Survey the same year. Mike’s experience of research and equity capital raising spans the spectrum of industry, from large cap to small and from developed to emerging markets. From 1996-2000 he was a board member of Schroders Securities and from 2000-2003 he was a board member of Citigroup Europe’s Corporate and Investment Bank. He graduated from Manchester University with a First Class Degree in Chemistry.Tracey has more than 20 years’ experience as a newspaper journalist, working as the Daily Mirror’s consumer correspondent and, previously, as a reporter for the Daily Mail.
Since leaving the Daily Mirror she has freelanced extensively for national newspapers on a range of business and consumer issues, written company reports and provided strategic advice to PR agencies.
During her time as consumer correspondent Tracey developed strong relationships with many major British retail companies, placing many exclusive, front-of-the-paper stories about them in the Mirror. She retains great contacts at the nationals and knows what does, and as importantly doesn’t, make a story.
Tracey graduated in history from Bristol University, and then gained a postgraduate diploma in journalism at City University. She is chair of governors at an Essex primary school.
Penelope is responsible for the day to day administration of Twelve Thirty Eight, covering account management, compliance, legal and financial matters and team development. A qualified solicitor, Penelope started her career in private practice for a leading London law firm before moving in house, firstly for a trade union and latterly for an employers’ association. After a period lecturing in law, she spent four years as a freelance journalist and professional writer.
Penelope is also a qualified workplace, commercial and community mediator and is a member of the Board of Mediation Hertfordshire.
Penelope graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature.
