Simon Wright

Director

Simon Wright has specialised in marketing and communications for over 15 years, with the past decade focused on internal communications. He has worked and consulted for a number of large organisations across a variety of sectors, including financial and professional services, insurance, telecoms, retail and travel & tourism, in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

As well as a being a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications (IoIC) and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Simon is a Director of the Managing Partners’ Forum’s Communication panel and an member of the IoIC London Executive. In 2009 he published ‘The A-Z of Internal Communication’ and was a contributing author to ‘The Gower Handbook of Internal Communication.’

His work has won a number of awards, including recognition in creative campaigns, event planning and communication programmes.

Lee Smith

Director

Lee Smith, a co-founder of Gatehouse, is an award winning communicator with over 15 years’ experience. Most recently he was Head of Internal Communication for Ernst and Young and previously he held senior positions with the HBoS Group and West Bromwich Building Society.

Lee is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), chair of CIPR Inside, a visiting lecturer at Wolverhampton University and Trinity & All Saints, and a judge on a number of major industry awards programmes.

He is active in promoting the development of internal communication skills and is the author of one of the most prolific blogs on the subject of internal communication which can be seen at www.internalcommunications.co.uk/

Mark Ford

Consultant

Mark Ford joined Gatehouse as a consultant in 2011 after he completed an MSc International Public Relations, where he undertook research into the use of social media as an internal communication tool.

His interest in this area grew throughout his studies, Mark explains “social media is a phenomenon that has changed the communications industry and through my research I was able to assess the benefits, dangers and potential of using it as a channel within internal communications. I am now relishing the chance to work for Gatehouse on larger projects to help our clients get the results they need”.

Mark has already worked with several organisations including the NHS, the Labour Party and Weber Shandwick as well as numerous clients throughout his degree.

His interests away from work mainly consist of playing golf, tennis and football whilst holding a penchant for international travel.

Ben Hunt

Director

Benjamin Hunt is one of the founders of Gasp!

After a number of years in the events industry Ben has cultivated a well-earned reputation for creativity and an obsession with quality that is matched only by his enthusiasm.

When not working on events, Ben can usually be found with his nose in a book or in his kitchen making something terrifying out of perfectly innocent ingredients.

Steve Manning

Director

Steve Manning co-founded Gasp! after working in the events and employee engagement business for over 10 years.

His unique approach to client care, his unrivalled industry knowledge, vast network of venue contacts and boundless energy make him the first port of call for some of the most prestigious clients in the UK and overseas.

Some of his clients include Microsoft, BP, Aviva, HSBC and Coca Cola.

When not working on current projects he spends his free time dreaming up new events.

Agnes Costa

Consultant

Agnes Costa joined Gatehouse following five years working at a Parisian communications agency and specialising in HR and people communications. Her experience includes project management, research, consulting and managing full channel campaigns. She holds a Master degree in Political Sciences & Communications and she speaks multiple languages including French, German and English.

Outside of work, Agnes enjoys exploring London, planning trips to European capital cities and reading.

David Peacock

Research Consultant and Coaching

David Peacock is a widely experienced senior executive combining careers in manufacturing, corporate financial services and the education sector.

He has successfully led marketing, product management, business development and market strategy functions in a major UK corporate banking organisation managing business planning, research, market evaluation, proposition development and product compliance & governance strategies in support of annual product sales of £350m.

He has in-depth experience of developing and delivering sales training and management development programmes and has focused particularly on the development, coaching and mentoring of people in the organisation to help realise their potential and raise their business effectiveness.

David also has extensive experience of designing and delivering effective internal & external communications and brings particularly strong ‘big picture’ understanding and strategic insights to the development of business vision and direction.

Sophie Jefferies

Consultant

Sophie has twenty years’ experience helping clients listen and engage with their people. Having started out in the events industry organising Europe-wide car launches for General Motors and large motivational events for IBM, she moved into employee engagement, focusing on identifying the solutions which will achieve long-term attitudinal or behavioural change not just a short-lived upturn – and that remains her philosophy today.

She has particular expertise in the Financial and Professional Services sectors and most of her work is undertaken during times of organisational change.

Sophie lives in Cambridge with two daughters, a husband and a cat.

Malcolm Sutherland

Consultant

Mal Sutherland specialises in digital media and content creation. He works across the Commercial and Broadcast Sectors and has been involved as a Consultant in Digital Strategy since 1995.

He holds Prince 2 Project Management Certification and in 2010 he completed a Masters in Informatics building on his interest in the challenges of presenting information effectively across multiple channels, platforms and devices.

Mal has worked in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on branding and communication projects, including, in 2006, the rebrand of the Telecoms giant, Etisalat and more recently with the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport. UK projects include work for London 2012 Olympics, as well as Dresdner Kleinwort, Boots and the Army.

Steve Young

Communications Consultant

Steve came to internal communication nearly 20 years ago when he saw, gained support for, created and realised the value to the business of a simple staff newspaper in the Bank of England.

Now a knowledgeable and enthusiastic internal communication professional, passionate about human-centred change, he has worked as Head of Internal Communication at defence research company QinetiQ during its privatisation, and at leading insurance brokers Marsh UK Ltd, part of Marsh McLennan group. Along the way he gained full diploma membership of the BACB and served on its London and South East regional committee.

Steve Doswell

Consultant

Steve Doswell is a change management and communication consultant, with wide experience in large employer organisations spanning several economic sectors. His key professional communication interests are grouped around three key themes: change, professional development and Europe.

In addition to working with Gatehouse, Steve holds the CEO role for the Institute of Internal Communications and is president of FEIEA, the European federation of Internal Communication Associations, making him one of the industry’s leading figures. As a consultant he has vast experience in facilitating training sessions, workshops and discussion groups as well as leading strategy and research programmes.

As a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, Steve speaks degree-level French and Spanish as well as conversational German. In 2010, he was awarded a Master’s degree in European integration by the University of Birmingham.

Sally Hinder

Training Consultant and Coaching

Sally Hinder is a coach, trainer, facilitator and communications specialist. Her passion is to help individuals and organisations achieve better results and work to their full potential, by focusing on the effectiveness and impact of their communication. She is a qualified coach and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Internal Communication Management.

Sally has 12 years’ experience in financial services and public sector and 10 years’ internal communications experience, and has managed the communication for various change programmes. Sally has extensive experience in training, coaching and facilitation both at a corporate and personal level.

Martin Bisiker

Video Director

Martin Bisiker is our resident video director and has worked on many Gatehouse productions. Having specialised in broadcast productions for independent organisations as well as mainstream such as the BBC, Martin joined Gatehouse in 2009 to drive our video production side.

In addition to directing and driving the live elements of our video work, Martin is also responsible for producing our animation through our various animation partners.

Darren Richards

Creative Director

Darren Richards graduated in fine art in the early 1990s and since then has been involved in many aspects of the design industry. Prior to joining Gatehouse, Darren was a preferred supplier to a number of financial and professional services organisations, designing a wide range of corporate documentation from magazine, newsletters and brochures through to full blown internal campaigns.

In addition to focusing on corporate work, Darren has developed his passion with the music world and designs for festivals, theatre and mainstream acts. His work includes Live8, Reading, Leeds, Isle of Wight and more recently designing for Take That, Westlife, Jason Donovan and Genesis.

Alice Chan

Creative Consultant

Alice Chan is a highly experienced graphic designer and has recently completed her MA in Design Innovation, majoring in Graphic and Multimedia Design in the UK.

She has a particular flair and passion for illustration and fine art, and has extensive experience of creating innovative designs for a diverse client base, including many organisations based in the Far East, spanning private, commercial and public sectors.

Matt Stanbridge

Creative Consultant

Matt Stanbridge has over 6 years experience in the Design and creative industry, working with a diverse range of clients such as HSBC, Disney, CityJet and Pearson Education.

Prior to becoming a Creative Consultant, Matt has worked both in the design and PR industries, completely understanding the design process and always finding the right outcome.

Nick Wright

Creative Consultant

Nick Wright has a career in graphic design spanning more than 10 years. He has worked both agency and client side on a number of high profile projects covering all areas of the design and communications spectrum from brand development and graphic design through to copywriting.

Prior to establishing himself as a creative consultant, Nick had built an extensive career working in the financial sector for a number of major financial institutions. This experience has proved invaluable in understanding the needs and expectations of clients in the commercial world enabling him to consistently deliver effective design solutions against tough budgets and tight deadlines.

Javier Moreno

Creative Consultant

Javier Moreno studied Films and Media and has over 5 years international experience as a Digital Designer, having worked in various advertising agencies and audiovisual companies.

His work has covered all media areas from video editor, motion graphics and web through to graphic designer. Adidas, ING, Disney, Vodafone, RedCross, Fiat, are just some of the clients Javier has worked with.

Outside of the office, his interests include photography, films, theatre, internet and TV.

Tony Sephton

Creative Consultant

Tony Sephton, has worked for Gatehouse for two years in that time he has worked on projects for National Grid, Telefonica and DENSO, offering intranet and secure extranet solutions for the aforementioned clients.

Prior to him joining Gatehouse he has worked in the industry for 18 years building sites for Channel 4 and the BBC as well as sites in the corporate sector and the vast majority of work for Revlon Professional.

Tony has also conducted numerous training courses over the years training people of all ages in the field of art and design as well as running one and one training courses on WordPress.

Amit Vachhar

Online & Media Consultant

Amit Vachhar is an experienced IT Manager and works out of our satellite office in India. Following completing his MBA in Information Management in the UK, he returned to India where he worked on numerous projects with various technology organisations, including IBM, Wipro and Sun Microsystems.

Over the past few years, Amit has developed a wealth of experience in building and running intranet and internet solutions, as well as managing the variety of technical issues which face our clients!

Paul Weston

Creative Consultant

Paul Weston has over 20 years experience as Creative Director / Illustrator in the Design and Advertising industry, working with a diverse range of clients such Alfa Romeo, Birmingham Midshires, Greene King and Hanson plc.

Prior to becoming a dedicated Creative Consultant, Paul ran an award winning agency, where he learnt that the key ingredient when using creativity is to ‘keep it simple!’