Making livery company history

A dozen new freemen and one future freeman became the first new members of the Worshipful Company of Communicators last night. As usual they include senior communications leaders from a wide range of organisations, from the Bank of England and Deloitte to Savills and the Federation of Small Businesses.

Adam Bray, Director of Customer and Place Strategy, Savills

Adam is currently a Director Savills, leading a customer experience team responsible for prime commercial and mixed-use assets across London. He is chair of the Savills’ LGBT+ network and sits on the Board of Directors for Pan Intercultural Arts, which drives positive social change through the arts. Prior to Savills Adam oversaw marcomms for WeWork’s expansion in EMEA and was Head of Brand & Marketing at The Crown Estate. He began his career on a graduate scheme in a global advertising agency before working in marketing teams across the country for English Heritage.

James Hotson, Head of Strategic Communications at Bank of England

James joined the Bank of England in December 2023 to set up this new function. He has worked in communications roles for around 20 years, starting in press offices and broadening his experience across other communications disciplines throughout his career, primarily in external communications. He’s worked in health, transport, energy, legal and financial services, mainly in government and regulatory settings.

Craig Beaumont, Executive Director of the Federation of Small Businesses

Craig is the UK's biggest business group's chief media spokesperson and campaigner, and so appears in Parliament and across press/broadcast as the voice of the UK's 5.5 million small firms and the self-employed - to create positive changes in public policy.  He leads FSB's policy, media/comms/PR, government affairs, and international teams.

He is part of the Government's Social Mobility Commission, the Industry & Parliament trust, X-forces Enterprise (on veterans) and STAMMA (the British Stammering Association).

Previous career roles include those at the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, tourism, engineering and the Prime Minister's Office in 10 Downing Street.

Mark Hutcheon, Director at Deloitte UK

Mark is a Director at Deloitte UK LLP in the Corporate Affairs Advisory practice, where he has led their client work with corporate affairs teams for six years.

Previously he was Brand and Communications Director at Williams F1 Racing, Director of Corporate Communications Europe for Samsung and Group Communications Director for Fitness First. He also worked for eight years at reputation management consultancy ReputationInc and began his career in Ireland working for Drury Communications.

Scott Pendry, Director of External Relations at Cranfield Aerospace

Scott Pendry has held senior communications roles spanning government relations, strategic communications, and business strategy, most recently at Cranfield Aerospace Solutions as Director of External Relations, where he leads strategic partnerships, government engagement, corporate communications, and regulatory affairs, driving the company’s role in sustainable aviation. Previously, he held senior roles at the UK Aerospace Technology Institute, the Financial Conduct Authority and Association of British Insurers.

Rebecca Harborne, Head of Communications & Engagement at Miller Insurance Services

As Head of Communications & Engagement at Miller Rebecca leads efforts to position the business as an independent specialist broker and ensure internal and external communications are of high quality and support the company’s mission and strategy. She previously held marketing & communications positions at Aon and Benfield.

Keil Mello, SVP at RenaissanceRe

Keil Mello is a Bermuda/UK citizen with over 25 years’ experience in the international reinsurance industry as a senior executive. Before taking over leads global marketing and client communications at RenaissanceRe, a Top 5 reinsurer, and relocated to the UK in 2023 to join the firm’s London office after 15 years at company HQ in Bermuda.  She has led communications for a notable New York Stock Exchange IPO and 3 multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, is a media spokesperson, and is responsible for brand strategy and reputation management.  Keil is passionate about supporting women and young people in the industry, serving as a mentor in Lloyd’s Advance Programme for future female leaders and in ‘next generation’ market initiatives. She was educated in Bermuda and America, graduating with a BA (Honours) degree in English Literature from Wake Forest University, NC. and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bermuda Society (UK).

Jackie Janssen, Head of Communications Considerate Constructors Scheme

Jackie has worked in communications for over 25 years with a focus on the built environment. She's worked for many of the developers (including British Land and Legal & General) that are delivering large-scale regeneration across the UK, building clean energy infrastructure and helping solve the housing crisis. She's currently profile raising for non-profit Considerate Constructors Scheme which works to raise safety standards on construction sites. Jackie is particularly passionate about promoting careers in real estate and construction to under-represented groups.

Elaine McCrimmon, Group Director Corporate Affairs & Communications & Communications Director at Nomad Foods  

Elaine McCrimmon is a global strategic corporate affairs and communications leader with experience building the reputation of global corporate brands. She is Group Corporate Affairs and Communications Director at Nomad Foods, a leading frozen food company listed on the NYSE, known for its iconic brands such as Birds Eye, Findus, and Iglo. Prior to joining Nomad Foods, she founded Corporate Affairs International, where she assisted clients in navigating the external environment, driving growth, and enhancing reputation. She has led diplomatic engagements in London, Brussels, Geneva, New York, and Washington, D.C., influencing policy outcomes and shaping the media debate. Elaine's expertise spans corporate affairs, marketing and communications, public relations, and sustainability. Her influence extends to major international events such as Davos, COP, and UNGA, where she enhances brand and executive visibility, navigating meetings with Heads of State and top tier media outlets. She engages employees as advocates and motivates C-suite leaders on thought leadership. She has led high-performing teams at AB InBev and SABMiller in London, Switzerland, and New York.

Elizabeth Kanter, Government Relations and Public Policy specialist

Elizabeth Kanter is a Government Relations and Public Policy specialist with over 20 years’ experience. A dual national, Liz started her career in Washington DC before moving to London in 2001.  She has held senior leadership positions with high-tech brands including BlackBerry, SAP, Yahoo and TikTok.  She currently runs her own public affairs agency serving clients in the automotive, not for profit and sustainability sectors.  

Outside of work, Liz is a fellow of the British American Project, leads on public policy issues for not-for-profit Tech She Can, and serves on the Board of Public Voice, a not for profit working to empower local communities. Liz studied at American University and University of California San Diego and specialised in international communications.

Simon Ball, filmmaker

Simon is a filmmaker from London who has been running an independent production studio for the last 8 years. Professionally he helps clients communicate complex ideas and policies into beautiful cinematic short videos, working in fields such as international development, biomedical research and grassroots community engagement. His creative work tours internationally, with his latest short film, The Future Can Be Yours, screening extensively around the UK and Europe, including in BAFTA and OSCAR qualifying competitions. He also organises an international film festival in Clapham, where he’s from.

Denise Shaw, Communications and Media Consultant

Her career background is in journalism, media and government PR, covering external and internal communications, writing, editing and speech writing.

She set up as a communications consultant ten years ago and has worked across government and private sector businesses including the Prime Minister’s Office, Her Majesty’s Treasury, Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department for Business and Trade, Health and Social Care, Education, the British Medical Association and the City of London Corporation.

Max Jones – Future Freeman, Public Relations AE

Before joining the C&B team Max worked in consumer and sports PR before moving into B2B tech and finance. He has a degree in public relations from Swansea University, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Max specialises in tech and finance PR and has previously worked on global cybersecurity companies and tech giants such as Tenable and WordPress. Since joining the team, Max has been supporting the day-to-day running of accounts and has been working on Iron Mountain, ICE, and Emburse, Inc.”

We wish them all a very warm welcome to the Communicators!