Alison GriffithsHR & Office Manager
Much of Alison’s career has been working in Strategic and Financial Communications consultancies. She joined Sanctuary Counsel in 2021 bringing over twenty years of solid administrative and management support across a variety of roles.
Amber WakeleyOffice Assistant
Amber joined Sanctuary in 2022 with a Professional Business Diploma from Oxford Media and Business School. In addition to ensuring the office runs efficiently day-to-day, she provides admin support across the team and plays a key role in our Events Programming team.
Amelia HarrisonAssociate Consultant
Amelia joined Sanctuary Counsel in 2022 and works across a range of the firms clients including corporates, governments, and individuals. She holds a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from King’s College London and an undergraduate degree in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick.
Benjamin AbbottAssociate Consultant
Benjamin joined Sanctuary Counsel in 2022 as a trainee consultant. At Sanctuary Counsel he has participated in international government and media stakeholder engagement strategies for high profile clients. Ben has in-depth knowledge of national and international government systems following a degree in Politics and International Relations from the LSE.
Ben UllmannChief Executive
Ben advises individuals and corporate clients and manages the day-to-day business of Sanctuary Counsel. He was previously a Managing Director at Teneo, the CEO advisory firm, and before that Director of Communications & Public Affairs for the late Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. He sits on the board of Smart Thinking.
Richard KanareckPartner
Richard has spent over twenty-five years working for and advising leaders, brands, businesses and organisations through growth, transformation and turnaround.
He specialises in strategy, reputation management & campaigning, corporate and public affairs, employee engagement and change management, getting to the heart of the opportunity or problem and how communications can deliver meaningful outcomes.
David McDonough OBEChairman
David has been advising on strategic communications at the highest levels for over 40 years. He has advised businesses, business leaders, professional firms, foreign governments, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of State and major charities. In addition to his professional commitments, he is personally very active in the charity world.
Deborah StainesExecutive Assistant
Deborah is an experienced EA. Working at a top 10 PR agency with David McDonough, before re-joining him when he founded The McDonough Partnership in 2006, Deborah has extensive knowledge of our clients and the industry.
George Fitzherbert-BrockholesDirector
George has worked in communications for 8 years, based in both London and the UAE, across sectors including Defence, Energy, Industry, Insurance and Telecoms. His work spans government affairs and political risk advisory, corporate and financial communications, stakeholder engagement, crisis management, media relations, narrative construction, and organisational design.
Helen MyerDirector
Helen has delivered complex programmes, partnerships and operations in 10 Downing Street, Mansion House and Buckingham Palace, including extensive programmes of domestic and overseas events & visits, the UK Government presence at multilateral global summits, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 hosted by HM The Queen.
Jonathan McCloryPartner
Jonathan is a globally recognised expert on soft power, public diplomacy, foreign policy and place branding. He advises government and non-government clients on matters of reputation, policy, campaigning, and effective global engagement. Prior to joining Sanctuary Counsel, he was based in Singapore as General Manager for Asia at Portland. Jonathan began his career in the Westminster think tank world and is the creator of The Soft Power 30, a global ranking of country reputation.
Katie O'BrienConsultant
Katie works across a wide range of sectors and is a key member of our growing work in the life sciences. She leads on media engagement for several clients and has advised on communications strategies, narrative development, high-level stakeholder and political engagement, and events programmes and delivery.
Kitty RyderConsultant
Kitty works across a broad range of our UK and international clients to advise on their communications and reputation management. Kitty is an experienced media handler, acting as the press office for a number of clients, and has experience in financial communications, narrative development, political engagement and issues management work.
Olivia HarveyDirector
Olivia has provided reputation advice and strategic communications support to governments and philanthropic organisations spanning Europe, Central and South-East Asia, and the Middle East. Olivia also has experience in the academic sector, having helped set up a programme at a leading geopolitical think tank in Washington, DC.
Rachel MillerDirector
Rachel is an experienced reputation management practitioner with a background in financial and corporate communications. Rachel creates and delivers communications strategies for corporates, individuals and non-profit organisations and has extensive media relations, crisis management, financial calendar, M&A and narrative development experience. Rachel previously worked at global CEO advisory firm, Teneo.
Robert MorganPartner
Robert is a highly experienced communications adviser having worked in leading corporates and consultancies. He has particular expertise and experience advising businesses and their leaders manage high stakes reputational challenges and opportunities including M&A, crises and capital markets communications. He joined from Teneo where he was a Managing Director.
Sami Azam-AliAssociate Consultant
Sami studied Economics and International Relations at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 2021. Prior to joining Sanctuary Counsel, Sami was an international researcher to the CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has also led on special projects for a Malaysia-based Islamic FinTech.
Anna WatkinsConsultant
Throughout Anna's career she has designed programmes and events to advance leaders' and organisations' reputations in their field. Anna has previously worked on global mental health campaigns and advocacy programmes; and supported private sector clients to develop their voice and thought leadership in Global Mental Health, and intersecting topics.
Sir David Green CB KCSenior Adviser
Sir David is a partner at the law firm, Cohen & Gresser. Over a long legal career, he has served as a criminal barrister, Director of Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office, and Director of the UK Serious Fraud Office. He was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court and Queen’s Counsel in 2000. Sir David is also Chair of the Trustees of the Fraud Advisory Panel, a Visiting Professor at King’s College London’s International School for Government, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
Susan WaltonSenior Adviser
Susan is a senior finance and media executive with over 25 years of experience running the global institutional investment research franchises of top tier investment banks in London, New York and Hong Kong. She is an investor and entrepreneur, founding a number of start-ups in the technology and digital media space including Unherd Insight and serves as a board member and senior advisor to leading think-thanks, universities, cultural institutes, social enterprises and charities.
Sir Stephen LamportSenior Adviser
Sir Stephen is a senior career diplomat and public servant, having served on diplomatic missions and as private secretary in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He was Private Secretary for ten years to the then Prince of Wales, and subsequently Group Director for Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Royal Bank of Scotland. In March 2023, he was appointed an Extra Equerry to King Charles III.
Professor Simon HefferSenior Adviser
Simon is a leading journalist, author and historian. He has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph and also writes for Perspective magazine and the Spectator. A former Deputy Editor of the Daily Telegraph and the Spectator, he is a Professor of Modern British History at the University of Buckingham.
Lord Cooper of WindrushSenior Adviser
Lord Cooper is a leading pollster, businessman and political strategist. He has an extensive career in politics including as Director of Strategy for the Prime Minister 2011-2013 and a business career as co-founder of the research and strategy consultancy Populus. He was made a life peer in 2014.
General Lord DannattSenior Adviser
General Lord Dannatt was a soldier for forty years concluding his military career as Chief of the General Staff. Currently he is President of the National Emergencies Trust and Chairman of the Normandy Memorial Trust. Previous roles include being Constable of the Tower of London and Chairman of the Royal Armouries. In 2011 he became an independent life peer and is a member of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.
Richard ClarkSenior Adviser
Richard is a distinguished lawyer and a former Managing Partner of Slaughter and May. He is a commercial Mediator and holds a number of non-executive board roles including Chair of The College of Legal Practice and Chair of MGC. He is also a trustee of The King's Fund, the Thrombosis Research Institute and an honorary fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford.
Stewart NeilsonChauffeur
Providing around the clock service to our Chairman, Stewart is an experienced chauffeur and everyone’s right-hand man when it comes to practical support in the office.
Our People
Our highly experienced and motivated team is drawn from a broad range of advisory backgrounds and capabilities including communications firms, corporates, think tanks, Governments and charities. We have a singular focus on delivering value for clients and construct teams with the right blend of skills to meet the client’s needs.
