Team

Laura Oliphant She/Her

What I do at Stand:
I guide our direction and growth. This requires me to keep one step ahead of clients, competitors and the market. Day-to-day I bring ideas and a vision to our thinking, ensuring we deliver on our commitment to build brands that believe in better.

What I stand for:
Communications changes the way people think, feel and act. It should – and can – be used for good. Tackling the big challenges our society faces not only requires us to show people the power of positive change – we also need to bring them along on the journey.

My standout moment:
I’ve spent my career creating campaigns that change people’s lives. From health and finance to school meals, there’s no issue I haven’t tackled. I’ve seen first-hand what fairer access to services and opportunities looks like. The standout moment is seeing each life we touch change for the better.

Georgie Howlett She/Her

What I do at Stand:

As a Director at Stand I support Laura with the running of the business, ensuring we’re doing our best work and living by our values. I deliver strategic comms work for our clients, ranging from audience insight, to positioning workshops, to behaviour change comms strategy. 

What I stand for:

I thrive on working with complex problems, drawing on insight, behavioural psychology and systems thinking to bring about change. My experience spans education, health and the environment, and I have worked with the likes of National Trust, RSPCA, WRAP, Youth Music, Tommy’s, Big Change and B Corporations like Ella’s Kitchen.

My standout moment:

Some of my proudest moments have come from anecdotes of how our work has helped – this matters just as much as the statistics. I enjoy working iteratively, so when a series of pilot waste and recycling initiatives for a county council yielded clear results, with one pilot reducing contamination rates by 11%, it was incredibly satisfying and shaped how the project was scaled.

Grace French She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I am lucky enough to have a dual role. As an Associate Director, I harness my background in psychology to develop comms strategies driven by behaviour change, for corporates and not-for-profits. As Head of Culture, I oversee our co-created culture strategy, ensuring Stand is a great place to work.

What I stand for:

Everyone has the power to make ‘better’ a reality – something I strive to achieve in my work. Across years of campaigning for overlooked groups of different ages, abilities and backgrounds, I know from experience that the first step to making change is to start conversations that should already be happening.

My standout moment:

Championing the social care sector during the pandemic will always be a humbling experience. By counterbalancing relentless negativity and shining a light on the amazing things happening behind closed doors, at a time of unmatched pressures for the sector, we tangibly increased respect for carers and reassured a concerned nation.

Claire Brady She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I lead on Sustainability. I have over 13 years’ experience in the space, providing strategic advice and counsel to organisations ranging from FTSE100 to start ups wishing to become a B-Corp.

What I stand for:

I’m passionate about creating an equitable, sustainable future and I especially enjoy tracking emerging trends and innovations. I also love turning complex information into accessible thought leadership, creating a narrative that inspires action.

My standout moment:

My proudest moments most often come in retrospect when my advice and predictions about new sustainability trends come true. I’m often advising clients on how to exploit these trends and, when I see something that I predicted or suggested in action, it reaffirms that I’m one step ahead of when things will go mainstream!

Jennifer Hakim She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I lead Stand’s and our trailblazing clients’ storytelling so that it shines across every medium. I also inspire creativity among our growing team of experts, supporting our overall business growth through creative strategy. Before joining Stand, I ran communications campaigns for a variety of clients from luxury brands to B-corps, charities and social activists.

I’m also the Editor in Chief at The Spill, an online publication committed to amplifying the voices of people from marginalised communities.

What I stand for:

Authentic brand activism, and I firmly believe it should be intersectional: there can’t be climate action without social justice. I’m passionate about making our planet safe again, by lowering our carbon impact and building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive society where everyone feels they belong. I believe in people-driven change, and that with the concerted effort of the communications and media industries, we can inspire governments, brands, and citizens to take meaningful, impactful action. 

My standout moment:

My proudest moments come from witnessing how our stories positively impact people, whether it’s by inspiring action, reflection or a sense of belonging – showing there are brands and media that care. 

Mey Tang She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I make sure all the moving parts of the company run smoothly and effectively, from ensuring our business objectives are met, to managing our finances and heading up HR. I’m often also a motivator, confidant, party planner and baker!   

What I stand for:

Above all, I care about the team. We have a strong community at Stand. I do what I do to make it the best possible place to work, for current employees and future employees.

My standout moment:

Becoming a B Corporation! I played a major part in the rigorous process, and feel very proud that we’re now part of this global movement seeking to balance profit with people and the planet.

Cait Dacey She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I help our clients dig under the skin of their organisation to develop a long-term vision, grounded in the change they want to see. Adopting a behaviour-change approach, I create a strategic plan for how we’ll get there, guided by my experience working with global, EMEA and UK-based clients across healthcare, data, education and others.

What I stand for:

I’m passionate about how behaviour change can help combat inequities, including access to healthcare and education. With a master’s degree in Gender and Culture, I’m a strong advocate for intersectional feminism and working towards equality.

My standout moment:

Being awarded an ‘Exceptional’ mark in LSE’s Health and Economics Policy qualification is one of my proudest moments. Attaining this level in an economic qualification is something I hadn’t thought possible. Stand supported me in the training, and it was thanks to the encouragement from the team that I’ve excelled in something I’m truly passionate about.

Sean Mackenney He/Him

What I do at Stand:

As an ideas-driven person, I support our clients achieve their business objectives with creative and pragmatic solutions, often drawing on my experience helping businesses amplify their sustainability and social impact work. I bring extensive knowledge in sustainability, especially within the realm of food, having led multistakeholder campaigns for prominent NGOs in the sector.

What I stand for:

I believe in the power of collective action to solve the most pressing issues we face today. What drives me as a comms professional is the power to change hearts and minds through what we do, and ultimately mobilise change.

My standout moment:

Representing my former organisation at COP26 in Glasgow, calling for decision-makers to address issues around animal agriculture. I see my efforts, and those of my colleagues, as having paved the way for a bigger conversation around food and the impact it has on climate change.

Beth Davies She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I help clients achieve impact through their communications; whether that be through driving a national conversation about the need for batteries and energy storage in the transition to net zero or helping reframe later life, my job is all about telling the right stories to the right audience.

What I stand for:

I’m always focused on action and am motivated by ensuring teams, campaigns and clients are moving in the right direction, with the end goal in mind. When people work effectively, that’s when communications can have the best possible impact.

My standout moment:

Leading an insight project for a charity that supports deaf children, which led to valuable learnings about where communications could help most. This included looking at how to better reach donors and change perceptions of issues faced by the deaf community.

Caelan Crerar She/Her

What I do at Stand:

As well as overseeing day-to-day activity of accounts, I develop insight-informed strategies to help our clients achieve their communications goals and reach target audiences through key messaging, thought leadership and effective media relations. The clients I work with range from renewable energy companies to purpose-built banks.

What I stand for:

I have a keen interest in environmentalism and am passionate about climate change, renewable energy and sustainable finance. At Stand, I help our clients in this space tackle the challenges they face on the sustainability journey and ensure their success stories are widely known.

My standout moment:

In Canada, I managed the comms for The Great Canadian ESG Championship, a competition where asset managers competed for a $100M CAD ESG mandate. Inspired by the UK’s ESG Olympics, it showcased best practices to improve understanding of ESG investing. The coverage secured led to increased interest in robust asset management and inspired similar competitions abroad.

Liv Scarlett She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I manage accounts that range from ESG,  environmental sustainability, community engagement, behaviour change, and physical and mental health accessibility. I use research and engage with people with lived experience to create campaigns that facilitate genuine, measurable change.

What I stand for:

I’m fascinated by people and the way in which people think. In line with behaviour change principles, I love understanding barriers and motivators to human behaviour and working on campaigns that work to solve real world problems.

My standout moment:

Continuously securing key pieces of national coverage for the various accounts I’ve worked on over the years I’ve been at Stand – whether that’s been a bigger name, or a smaller organisation with a low profile. I love the challenge of finding creative and compelling ways to tell a story.

Marco Savo He/Him

What I do at Stand:

As a digital strategist, I help our clients improve their online and social media presence. I bring a wealth of expertise in all areas of digital marketing, and I am specialised in developing brand storytelling through social media and online content.

What I stand for:

I believe that if we all make small, everyday changes as individuals, we can create a ripple effect that helps to reduce global inequality and environmental exploitation. At Stand, I’m able to work closely with clients and on projects that strive to improve our society in many different ways.

My standout moment:

Every time I see my colleagues digitally upskilling as a result of the knowledge and insights I’m able to share, particularly when it comes to supporting junior team members. I love being the go-to problem solver, always on hand to help.

Tara Joe She/Her

What I do at Stand:

Having spent nearly four years in Westminster delivering strategic advice and press activity for an MP and high-profile clients, I have a strong sense of what makes stakeholders and journalists tick. At Stand, I work with a range of clients to build and deliver hard-hitting campaigns.

What I stand for:

As a creative thinker with a hands-on attitude, I adopt a big-picture approach to building comms strategies and securing engagement. With a degree in Politics and International Relations, I’m passionate about advocating for overlooked groups and fascinated by the intricacies of human behaviour.

My standout moment:

Being the driving force behind a successful internet safety campaign for a previous client. We secured the attendance of over 60 parliamentarians and industry experts at an event and generated national coverage, raising awareness of the client’s great work around the cause.

Izzy Roberts

What I do at Stand:

I help deliver internal and external comms strategies for our sustainnovation clients. I’m also on the marketing team, making sure our own brand represents everything we’re about. You’ll probably catch me writing something, like a media pitch or client report analysing the trends arising from our comms activities.  

What I stand for:

Working with colleagues and clients who also want to make a difference through their work. I’m particularly interested in sustainability and the new and innovative technologies driving the net zero transition. 

My standout moment:

Being commended for my dissertation at uni. I studied the lived experiences of people trafficked into the UK to demonstrate how it brings unimaginable suffering, and argued for better preventative policies to stop traffickers slipping through the net. Though challenging, it was the highlight of my degree.

Ashleigh Clark She/Her

What I do at Stand:

My academic background in international journalism has given me real insight into the modern media and socio-political landscape and allowed me to develop strong research and copywriting skills. I bring these skills to Stand, where I work as part of a team providing counsel and creativity to clients, helping to achieve their goals.

What I stand for:

I believe that our views of everything – from the most trivial detail to the most complex subject matter – can be influenced by the words and visuals used to communicate them. So, I’m passionate about making sure the most pressing issues are communicated in the right way to support change.

My standout moment:

Like our client Anchor, I feel strongly about raising awareness of the needs of our ageing population. Working on their Music4TheMind campaign, which highlighted the benefits of music therapy for people living with dementia, was a really rewarding experience – I saw how the information we communicated truly impacted people’s lives.

Louis Nervais

What I do at Stand:

All things digital. This includes creating long and short form copy to suit the different needs of our clients, to designing digital assets and social media strategy. I’m also involved in competitor auditing and analysis, helping clients craft a competitive edge.

What I stand for:

Being able to make a difference to people’s lives in a positive way through my work. There are many opportunities to be creative in this field too, which motivates me.

My standout moment:

Working on a campaign for the FIFA World Cup, which involved getting to know three former English international players. It was a really fun and unique experience!

Ember Lamas She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I work with a diverse range of clients, helping to amplify their voices and tell their stories across an often noisy and crowded media space. My role requires me to be analytical and creative – constantly finding new ways of communicating the messaging of brands that truly matter.

What I stand for:

Projects that allow me to bring people and ideas together while instigating positive change, particularly in the worlds of art and entertainment.

My standout moment:

During my time at university I co-wrote and directed a play that was performed at Edinburgh Fringe, where most of the profits were donated to charity. It was a highly rewarding, intense and character-building experience that taught me many of the creative skills that I bring to my job every day.

Jade Cheli She/Her

What I do at Stand:

I joined Stand after graduating from Bristol University, where I read Italian. I like being able to incorporate my passions for reading and writing into my job, and I particularly enjoy working in the sustainability and conservation spaces across the European market.

What I stand for:

I’m proud that our work in the renewables sector is helping to challenge stereotypes surrounding solar and other forms of clean energy. I like thinking of innovative ways to do this, and also finding solutions to other social issues through communications, such as healthcare and education.

My standout moment:

I previously worked for a charity that helped young school children in Kenya develop debating and public speaking skills. It showed me how being able to express yourself and communicate well can change lives, whether that’s on an individual or organisational scale. It was really inspiring to have made a genuine impact.

Lucy Knowles She/Her

What I do at Stand:

As an MA Arts and Cultural Management graduate, I incorporate the diverse skills I learnt through studying cultural policy, communications and globalisation into my client work. This includes staying up to date with sector-specific news and creating strategically driven content, always ensuring it’s creative and influenced by my analytical mindset.

What I stand for:

Mental wellbeing advocacy and support is of utmost importance to me in both my personal and professional life. I’ve been involved in mental health charity schemes and am known for supporting my peers and those around me – something which I am keen to continue doing at Stand.

My standout moment:

I conducted a research project at King’s College in collaboration with London urban artists and gallery owners to investigate the impact street art has on society. The research provided valuable insight into how the street art movement can be used as a medium for social change and highlighted the importance of accessibility in the arts sector.

Jen Hellyer She/Her

What I do at Stand:

Whether I’m making sure the office is running smoothly, working with our Office & Operations Manager on HR and recruitment, or supporting our Head of Culture, I strive to ensure Stand attracts exceptional talent and remains a great place to work. 

What I stand for:

I believe that if we work together and choose to collaborate more openly, we can make the world a happier place. 

My standout moment:

In a past role, during difficult times, it was my responsibility to support the team, and to provide them with the best platform to continue to thrive as a business. The lessons I learned through that experience were invaluable.