David is one of the UK’s most respected communications advisors, having provided reputation and crisis advice to some of the world's leading private individuals, multi-national companies and governments.
David founded Project Associates in 1997, bringing together an impressive team of associates with extensive media, communications, business and political experience. He has worked in over 100 countries around the world and has been named one of PR Week’s ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in PR During the Past 21 Years’.
Before founding Project Associates, he was Communications Director of Camelot, the UK's national lottery operator and was a founder member of the consortium that went on to win the first national lottery licence.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Rob leads the Project Associates Group and has primary responsibility for overseeing the Group’s activities across all divisions and regions. He has specialist expertise in advising on governmental affairs and international political trends, with particular focus on the European Union and the Middle East.
He previously worked in the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, ran a macro-economic risk consultancy, and at an earlier stage in his career was an advisor to a European Commissioner and a senior member of Tony Blair’s government.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Charlie is responsible for setting and overseeing the company’s operational policies, initiatives and goals. She works closely with the CEO to set the strategic and financial direction of the group.
Charlie has primary responsibility for overseeing the daily operations of the Group.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Mark is Director & Vice Chair of Project Associates. In addition to overseeing our US operations, Mark helps drive our global business development efforts. Mark served at The White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council and at the U.S. Treasury as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. He also worked at the State Department and the United Nations.
His business leadership posts have included: president of a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C.; president of the global private equity division of a leading asset management company headquartered in Chicago; and equity partner at a major international law firm where he led the sovereign advisory practice. He was also Vice President at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mark is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on several corporate and non-profit advisory boards, including the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, and the Wilson Centre.
LANGUAGES
English, Russian, German, Danish
Ryan has advised heads of state, ministers, and CEOs across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Europe, with a focus on international policy and strategic communications issues. He has worked on high-profile global cases involving conflict resolution, international arbitration, sanctions, elections, diplomatic crises, and communications campaigns.
Before joining PA, he worked for a number of years in Abu Dhabi. Earlier in his career, he was a strategy consultant in the UK and Geneva.
Howell sits on the Board of Project Associates Holdings Ltd.
Howell has had a long career as a senior executive and advisor in both government and multi-national businesses. He held roles at Christie’s, the global arts business, as Global Head of Corporate Communications, and at Barclays as Vice Chairman, Corporate Affairs. He was also a member of the Board of Management at the BBC. Howell was CEO of Quiller Consultants, and a Founding Partner and Director of Brown Lloyd James corporate public relations.
In government, Howell was the Permanent Secretary for Government Communication in the Cabinet Office, under prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He also served as Political Secretary to Prime Minister John Major.
Howell is Chair of Radiocentre, the body that represents UK Commercial Radio as well as Chair of the Trustees of the Arts Foundation, amongst other trusteeships. He was a Trustee of the British Council until 2016 and was awarded the CBE in 1997. He is the co-owner of El Fenn, a luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Adam sits on the Board of Project Associates Holdings Ltd.
Adam Wethered has over 45 years of international commercial and investment experience. This includes working for JP Morgan for 24 years. During the 1990s, he was head of JP Morgan’s London Offices, Chief Executive of JP Morgan Securities Ltd, Co-head of Corporate Finance and Chief Operating Officer in Europe, and Head of Private Banking and Institutional Clients, EMEA. In 2000, Adam co-founded Lord North Street – Private Investment Office, which he managed until its sale in 2014. He is Chairman of Wren Investment Office, a Multi Family Office business advising wealthy families and trustees. He is also a qualified barrister.
Adam invests in and advises several entrepreneurial businesses. He chairs the Garrick Club investment. He is also on the Development Board of the British Academy.
General Sir Mike served as UK Chief of the General Staff (CGS) from 2003-2006, the culmination of four and a half decades in the British Army. His active service included command at company and brigade level in Northern Ireland, and divisional command in Bosnia.
After a degree in Russian Studies, General Sir Mike joined the Intelligence Corps in 1963, transferring to the Parachute Regiment in 1970. He served as the Commander in Chief of Land Command from 2000, having previously served as Commander of Kosovo Force in 1999, the Commander of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Director General of Development and Doctrine at the Ministry of Defence.
Lord Darroch was the British Ambassador to the United States from 2016 - 2019. Prior to this, between 2012 - 2015, he served as the National Security Adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron, overseeing global issues and conflicts in Iraq, Libya and Ukraine. He held senior roles working on multilateral negotiations in UK-EU Policy, including working as the Permanent UK Representative to the European Union from 2007 – 2011, and as Prime Minister Tony Blair’s EU Adviser from 2004 - 2007.
Other roles held by Lord Darroch during his earlier career include Private Secretary to the Minister of State for the Middle East, Head of the News Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Adriatic Department during the Dayton Accords negotiations that put an end to the Bosnian War.
Carlo Mazzi is executive Chairman of Chora Srl – Milan, a real estate and corporate advisory company. Carlo was Chairman of the board of Prada SpA from 2014-2021, having been appointed to the board in 2004. He served in a number of roles at the Prada Group, including as deputy Chairman before becoming Chairman.
Prior to this Carlo worked for 30 years in the field of finance: from 1973 until 2000 in IMI and IMI-San Paolo Bank, where he was Managing Director of the large corporate department from 1994. He also has been board member of many Italian and Swiss banks, and of an Italian listed industrial company.
Ebru Özdemir is Chairwoman at Limak Group of Companies, a Turkish conglomerate, with major interests in construction, energy, cement, and tourism. She also acts as Limak Foundation’s Chairwoman, a private foundation established in 2016 to professionally manage social investments of Limak Group of Companies.
Ebru serves as member of the Board of Executives and Board of Directors at the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK), and Chairwoman of the DEİK/Turkey-Kuwait Business Council. She holds board membership at the Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK) and DEİK/Turkey-Korea Business Council, and membership at the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD). Ebru is a regular participant at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meetings in Davos, and is the only representative from Turkey at Bruegel, the Brussels-based think tank.
Ebru is among Founding Members and Board Members of Turkey’s 30 Percent Club, a voluntary platform aimed at developing a diverse and gender-balanced pool of talent for all businesses at all levels. She is also a member of TOBB’s Women Entrepreneurship Council and International Women’s Forum Turkey, and is an Atlantic Council International Advisory Board member.
Dr. Joseph Stanislaw is founder of the advisory firm, The JAStanislaw Group, advising Boards of Directors and institutions on strategic thinking, sustainability, and environmentally sound investment in energy (all forms) and technology. He currently serves on the International Advisory Board of Dana Gas, which is listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and was previously a Board Member of Gulf Keystone Petroleum, a UK listed E&P company.
Dr. Stanislaw is a Special Advisor Partner at private equity firm Wave Equity Partners and is also a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor in the Nicholas School at Duke University, where he was a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Dr. Stanislaw was also a Partner at the private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners, and an Advisory Board member at Good Energies Inc (GEI), one of the world’s first, leading, and largest investors in renewable and sustainable energy, with a particular commitment to improving the quality of life for citizens of impoverished nations.
Dr. Stanislaw was one of three founders of Cambridge Energy Research Associates in 1983 and served as President and CEO from 1997 until the sale of the firm in 2004. From 2006 to 2014, he served as Independent Senior Advisor, Energy and Sustainability to Deloitte LLP.
Dr. Stanislaw is the co-author of The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy and the author of “Energy in Flux: The 21st Century’s Greatest Challenge”, used as the basis for a PBS Documentary, “Oil Shockwave.” He has also authored and/or co-authored numerous reports and published papers on the geopolitics and economics of future energy supply and demand.
Isabelle is a member of the Project Associates’ Senior Management team. An expert on the intersection of technology and election integrity, Isabelle has advised social tech platforms, political campaigns, governments, and non-profits for over ten years.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Isabelle served as Head of Global Election Integrity Policy at Tiktok, where she developed policies to combat Election Misinformation, Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior and Synthetic Media. She built and led the team dedicated to safeguarding elections from harmful, deceptive content on the platform and partnered with electoral commissions globally to promote voter registration and education. Isabelle previously held the position of Digital and Technology Director at The Messina Group, where she worked on Electoral, Legislative and Advocacy campaigns both domestically and internationally.
Joe is a member of Project Associates’ Senior Management Team and leads our UK operations. He has advised numerous international clients on election campaigns, crisis communications and multi-jurisdictional reputation management strategies.
Before joining Project Associates, Joseph worked for two Westminster MPs at both constituency and national level and as a consultant advising a national planning group on stakeholder engagement and social media strategy.
Erhan leads the firm’s operations in Brussels and specialises in EU affairs and multi-lateral diplomacy. Erhan was a Special Advisor during the UN-sponsored Cyprus settlement talks. Previously, he served as the Chief Diplomatic Advisor to the Turkish Cypriot President and as an Undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During his twenty-year career in the public sector, he engaged with heads of state, senior diplomats and leading think-tankers across Europe, the Middle East and North America.
LANGUAGES
English, Turkish
Jean is a member of Project Associates’ Senior Management Team and leads the firm’s operations across Europe, and particularly in the Francophone world. He has expertise in designing, implementing and delivering pan-European communications programmes. He has advised heads of state and government in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
Earlier in his career Jean was a Press Officer in UK central government, where he briefed senior politicians and journalists.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Olivia leads marketing and events for the company and its clients.
Before (re)joining Project Associates, Olivia lived in Abu Dhabi where she worked in the Crown Prince's Court.
Dan is a member of Project Associates’ Senior Management Team and leads our operations in Africa. She specialises in government communications and capacity building and has spent significant time on-the-ground in African and Middle Eastern countries consulting on media handling, digital communications and stakeholder engagement.
Dan has extensive experience in strategic communications, having advised high-profile clients across the globe, including governments and senior political officials in Africa.
Mariana is a member of Project Associates’ Senior Management Team. She has extensive experience in the HR field, developing and managing operational processes and procedures within the full remit of the function. She has helped facilitate the design and implementation of various strategic HR initiatives, supporting organisations through periods of rapid growth.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Mariana worked in the London office of a prominent financial compliance advisory firm headquartered in New York.
LANGUAGES
English, Spanish
Julian is a member of Project Associates’ Senior Management Team and runs the firm’s Finance Team and is actively involved in providing strategic planning to the business, maintaining an overview of all client accounts.
Julian is a Chartered Certified Accountant. He began his finance career in 2005 with the international healthcare and communications group Huntsworth PLC. His roles prior to joining Project Associates include Financial Controller at PHD Media and Financial Controller at Grayling UK.
Sheila is a cultural communications and event management expert with international experience in the Arts, luxury retail, finance and the not-for-profit sectors. She has co-founded a variety of agencies and projects in Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Budapest, Rome and New York.
Sheila is on the advisory board of Volta art fairs, Basel as well as Vice-chair of the Europe Asia Center.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Art | Non-Profit | Hong Kong | Philanthropy | Partnerships
Tom is a strategic and crisis communications specialist, with nearly 20 years of experience advising private sector and government entities across multiple sectors and geographies.
Tom was previously on the board of MSL’s UK business and led the agency’s PR and reputation practice. He also worked at Ogilvy Public Relations, where he was a member of their global public affairs practice. Tom has experience working in political offices and on campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic, including for the House of Commons, the US Senate and the 2004 US Presidential campaign.
Philip provides strategic counsel to high-net-worth philanthropists and their foundations. He previously ran Project Associates' operations in Central and Eastern Europe, where he led campaigns and constructed communications narratives for governments, heads of state and leading families in the region.
Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a speechwriter for Jerzy Buzek, during his presidency of the European Parliament, Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in addition to three Polish foreign ministers. In 2014, he led the speechwriting team at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Philip started his career as a journalist at Reuters and has been published in the New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal as well as leading German and Polish publications.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Philanthropy | Media | CEE | Speechwriting
After a career and senior appointments in military intelligence, with a focus on the Middle East, Jonathan headed a global bank’s coverage of political and financial crime risks in the MENA region from Dubai, and then conducted forensic investigations in the region for a leading consulting company. Jonathan writes regularly on political and security matters affecting the Middle East, and assists companies with complex due diligence and integrity issues.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
GCC Security & Defence | Political Risk and Economics | Due Diligence | Financial Crime
Emily has extensive experience in political campaigning, as well as crisis handling and reputation building for government clients and multi-national corporations in Africa, the South Caucasus and the Caribbean.
Before joining Project Associates, Emily worked in the House of Commons as a researcher and adviser to front and back bench Members of Parliament.
Anna has a strong business development and communications background. She was a founding member of Project Associates’ international practice over a decade ago and most recently led foreign direct investment for the British Government across Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. With strong ties across the region, she’s worked with businesses from VC funds to multilatinas and mid-sized corporations. Anna has advised companies across a number of sectors from infrastructure to agriculture, tech and banking.
In her spare time, she’s renovating one of Colombia’s most iconic coffee farms.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Latin America | Communications | Advisory
LANGUAGES:
English | Spanish
Lucie is an Executive Assistant and also the Office Manager for our European and US offices.
Before joining Project Associates, Lucie specialised as an English-French translator.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Bente is a highly experienced public affairs and strategic communications advisor. She is also a national and international speechwriter, moderator, and interviewer.
For many years Bente was an advisor and speechwriter to the Speaker of the Danish Parliament and the Presidium. She then continued as an independent advisor and speechwriter in Danish politics and business. She has an extensive network and has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in consulting across politics, public government, and private business. Bente is also a former TV and Radio host at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Public affairs | Moderation | Speechwriting | Media | Danish Politics
Daniel spent over 15 years in the European Parliament, serving as an MEP between 2015-2019 and a Senior Advisor on agriculture and international trade. During this time, he authored landmark European laws covering online consumer rights, criminal record information and online terrorist content. He was also the Chief Whip of the British Conservative MEP delegation during this time.
Prior to entering politics, Daniel was a professional cricketer, and played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. He currently runs the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
European Union | Brexit | Agriculture | Trade | Sport
Sergej works across a range of political, government and corporate clients in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Sergej worked in private intelligence and political advisory in London, giving strategic advice on a range of issues from election campaigns to capacity building and post-electoral positioning to high-level international government clients.
LANGUAGES: Serbian, English, French
Jean was the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the European Union and served as a foreign policy advisor to the European Union's High Representative and Vice-President Baroness Ashton. Prior to that, he was Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, where he led the EU response to the events of 9/11.
During the 1990s, Jean played a leading role in shaping the new post-Cold War European Security Architecture; first as senior official to the OSCE, later as Ambassador to Poland, Permanent Representative to the NATO Council, and as the Belgian member of the Political Committee of the European Union. He is an Associate Fellow at the Egmont Institute and a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
EU Affairs | UN | International Security | Foreign Policy
James has over twenty years’ experience in international capital markets covering equities, derivatives, exchange technology and data services and regulation.
Before joining Project Associates, James held numerous senior financial communications positions including at the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE), the amalgamation of Continental European exchanges, Euronext, the New York Stock Exchange and most recently at the Intercontinental Exchange.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Finance | Regulation | Data Services | Corporate Communications
John is the Office Manager for our London Office.
Prior to joining Project Associates, John worked at the trade union, Equity, offering administrative support to colleagues and members in his role as Reception & Administration Assistant.
Riccardo works across a range of government and corporate projects in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Riccardo worked for the EU Commission in the field of competition law and State aid. He has collaborated with the Italian Prime Minister’s office, working on the draft Foreign Subsidy Regulation and WTO-related matters. He also spent a period with the Italian Embassy in Tokyo during the Japanese presidency of the G20.
LANGUAGES: Italian, French, English, Japanese
Jonathan has advised on EU affairs and created communication strategies for a range of public and corporate clients. He previously worked for a senior MEP and the Chairman of a pan-European political group.
Prior to this, he advised FTSE 100 companies on engagement with European institutions. More recently, he worked for an international campaign consultancy managing an EU-wide grassroots campaign.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
EU Affairs | Brexit | Grassroots Campaigning | UK Politics
Najib is the General Manager of MediaCity Mauritius, an integrated hub for the multimedia and creative industries looking to connect with African markets. He has over 25 years’ experience in the media industry, having worked as a journalist, a TV production executive, and a consultant for large media organisations.
Prior to launching MediaCity Mauritius, Najib was the CEO of TIME TV, a French media production company which made documentaries for international broadcasters, including France TV, Al Jazeera, and TV5 Monde. He was also a Director of Al Qarra TV, a multilingual network, specialising in African news. Najib is an experienced consultant, having helped international clients navigate media landscapes in the Middle East and Africa.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Media Industry | Francophone Africa | Middle East | International Broadcasting
Thomas works primarily on projects in France, Central Asia and the America’s. Thomas has a background in domestic and international public policy, having previously worked for the US Congress and the USTDA, a global development agency based in Washington D.C.
LANGUAGES: French, English
Frezer has a decade of experience advising public sector and international organisations with their strategic and crisis communications. He has extensive knowledge of political dynamics in Africa, with a particular regional focus on the Horn and East Africa.
Most recently, Frezer was a senior advisor to the Ethiopian Embassy in London, during which time he completed his doctorate at King’s College London in Politics and Geography. Prior to his time in the UK, Frezer consulted at the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the United Nations Development Programme in Sri Lanka.
LANGUAGES
English, Amharic
George specialises in public policy and governmental affairs, with a focus on the EU and its relationships with global trading partners. He has been involved in EU affairs since 1973 and has carved out a career both in the public and private sector as a UK diplomat and as a senior executive in a major UK company.
George has represented the IT industry in high-level European and global forums, He was a founding board member of EICTA (now known as DigitalEurope) and was EU issue manager on eCommerce in the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). He was also a member of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee of the OECD and is on the executive committee of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, a public-private partnership that advises the UK Government on broadband policy.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Public-Private Partnerships | Tech | Business Diplomacy | E-Commerce
Olivia is the HR assistant at Project Associates.
Previously, she worked at Warner Brothers in HR Operations, and prior to that she worked in HR at the Francis Crick Institute.
Claire is Managing Director of Pangolin Claddagh, a corporate finance and strategic advisory firm based in Cape Town, South Africa. Claire is an investment banker with a track record across global blue-chip financial institutions and entrepreneur-led businesses in developed and emerging markets.
Claire has spent the last decade working for clients in developing markets in Africa and Asia. She has advised on M&A transactions totalling in excess of USD 100bn. Claire started her career at Lehman Brothers and Rothschild in London.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Finance | Corporate Communications| Emerging Markets |Africa | Asia
Ioana works across a range of private client, corporate, and government projects.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Ioana worked in a private security firm in South Sudan where she handled numerous research and commercial projects. She has also held various analyst positions within ESG, open source intelligence, and political and security risk in Europe and the US.
LANGUAGES
English, Romanian, German
Abby is an Executive Assistant supporting PA’s directors.
Before joining Project Associates, Abby worked as an Executive Assistant at a leading London law firm.
Dana has experience in international affairs spanning intergovernmental organisations, embassies, and NGOs.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Dana worked in communications in the fields of education, gender, culture, and diplomacy. She also has UN experience working with the Department of Peace Operations. She founded a non-profit project with Syrian refugees in Jordan.
LANGUAGES
Arabic, English, French
Sarah is an experienced Accounts Payable Specialist with expertise in implementing cost-effective changes and improving internal processes.
Sarah has a GNVQ in Business and Finance and prior to joining Project Associates held senior Accounts Payable positions at several leading media companies.
George has nearly a decade’s experience leading capacity building and reputation management projects for a high-profile and global client base.
He has advised political leaders, diplomats, senior civil servants, and CEOs on five continents, in particular across the Middle East, West Africa, and Eastern Europe. Areas of focus include geopolitical risk, strategic decision-making, digital communications, campaigning, and crisis handling.
His previous work includes teaching English & Politics at Sciences Po Bordeaux, and running major events for a leading hospitality brand.
Kelly is a Senior Executive Assistant working directly for our CEO, Rob Worthington.
She has extensive experience working for Global CEO’s and C-Suite Executives for large scale companies, primarily in the Technology sector.
Marina Levi, Ph.D., leads our work in Italy, the southern Mediterranean and South America from PA’s Milan office.
Marina advises leading financial institutions across Europe, as well as a number of preeminent companies in the luxury goods sector. She is a visiting professor at a number of academic institutions in Europe where she lectures in corporate anthropology, crisis communications and behavioural economics. Marina is also a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI).
Marina spent more than 20 years in investment banking and investor relations in Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
Independent consultant contracting via Levi Certelli Consulting.
Leonard specialises in strategic communications and stakeholders’ engagement, having advised numerous international clients across Africa and Europe. He has extensive knowledge of political dynamics in Africa, with a particular regional focus on Western and Central Africa. He is also a Senior Fellow at the think tank Open Diplomacy.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Leonard spent five years working in a variety of roles within an international strategic communications firm dedicated to Africa, including time on the ground in Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Gabon.
LANGUAGES
French, English
Josh has more than two decades of experience in finance and economics spanning the private and public sectors. He has worked extensively within risk management and strategy offices of global investment banks where he has developed expertise in financial and non-financial risk assessments as part of strategic risk portfolio management teams based in London. In addition, Josh has held roles in product development and portfolio performance tracking within wealth management and has contributed to group-level transformation initiatives.
Prior to this, he has on multiple occasions worked in the International Affairs division of the U.S. Treasury Department, conducting macroeconomic and market analysis in various emerging markets as well as formulating policies and strategies for Multilateral Development Banks.
Fiona is the founder of Forming Impact and a thought leader in sustainable development and strategic partnerships. She leads a network of CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives and impact investors committed to creating solutions to key global challenges. She has spearheaded Forming Impact’s flagship events, including the Necker Island Leaders Gathering and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Week.
Fiona is an expert in bringing global players from the private sector to the impact world, consulting for ventures in sectors including investment, innovation and sustainability.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
ESG | Impact Investing | Philanthropy | Innovation | Public-Private Partnerships
Finn works on a range of corporate and government projects across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Finn spent three years working at a specialist technology public relations firm, focusing on venture capital, AI, cyber security, and corporate communications.
Heidi is the founder of Curayio, a communications consulting, coaching and training firm. Heidi enables leaders to define their personal brand, narrative, and style so they can confidently bring their communications to life on-camera, online and in-person when it really matters. She advises people globally and across many sectors including healthcare, technology, aerospace, and defence.
Heidi has worked at Brunswick, reputation.com (a Silicon Valley company which pioneered online reputation management), and has held Board positions at communications agencies. Heidi’s contributed to, and participated in, hundreds of events. She’s also a presenter / moderator for both live and virtual events including summits, launches and conferences.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Communication coaching | performance training | online reputation management | presenting and moderating
Thomas was German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and Ambassador to India. In his 36-year career as a German diplomat he also held the positions of Director General for Political Affairs, Deputy Ambassador in Washington DC and Chief of Staff to two foreign ministers. He also served as European Affairs Advisor to Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
On retiring from the diplomatic service, he worked for Deutsche Bank between 2011 and 2016, first as Head of Public Affairs and later as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank’s International Forum, the not-for-profit Alfred Herrhausen Society. He is also a Senior Advisor at Flint and sits on various non-profit boards.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Germany | EU | Multi-lateral Diplomacy | Philanthropy
Enrico Maura is executive Chairman of Salbora Srl – Milan, an Insurance and corporate advisory company. Enrico is also an adjunct Professor at IULM University where he lectures in the field of Crisis Communications.
Prior to this, Enrico worked for 30 years in the field of Insurance, specifically with the worlds leading Brokers, most recently at Unipol Sai from 2012 until 2022. Enrico is an expert in Maritime Insurance and Shipping.
Sam McAlister is a BAFTA-nominated interviews producer who has negotiated with everyone from Buckingham Palace to The White House, Tesla to Facebook. With skills honed over a decade in the BBC’s elite news programmes, notably BBC Newsnight, she is used to persuading reluctant individuals to participate in a news programme renowned for its rigour and bite.
She has worked with everyone from Jeremy Paxman to Emily Maitlis, briefing on topics from economics to geopolitics, and often deciding the questions that CEOs, politicians, and public figures will be asked in a news crisis.
Exclusives include, most famously, the interview with HRH Prince Andrew — but also Sheryl Sandberg, Prime Minister Trudeau, President Clinton, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Elon Musk, James Comey, Prince Albert of Monaco, Stormy Daniels, Julian Assange, Trevor Noah, Amy Schumer, and Eric Schmidt.
Negotiation, strategy, and public speaking have always been at the core of everything that Sam has done — from her time as a criminal defence barrister to her many public speaking and debating prizes, and her dealings with celebrities and governments.
She has extensive experience of keynote speaking– with everyone from banks to law firms, via CEOs and Embassies and has also chaired conference events, spoken on panels and hosted awards ceremonies.
Sam’s book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews was released in 2022. The book has been optioned for a documentary for Channel 4, which aired in May 2023, and a Netflix film, with the acclaimed screen writer Peter Moffat.
Anna has extensive experience in international and public affairs, and geopolitics. She has lived in an array of countries including France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Colombia, and South Africa.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Anna worked in a law firm in Paris as a public affairs manager, and as a speechwriter for OECD's Secretary-general Angel Gurria. She started her career as an intelligence risk analyst for the firm Riskline, responsible for the Sub-Saharan African region.
LANGUAGES: French, English, Spanish, Russian
Anthony specialises in strategic message development and political communication, and has worked with clients across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Anthony worked for an international strategic consultancy, closely advising governments, ministers, and ambassadors, particularly in Africa, on a wide range of complex communication issues and campaigns, as well as on capacity building programmes.
Duncan specialises in providing advice on EU affairs and communication to international governments, high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients.
Before re-joining Project Associates, he led the UK government’s GREAT campaign to promote the UK legal sector overseas. Earlier in his career, he was the communication and engagement manager for an agency of the UK Foreign Office, a press officer in a UK government ministry, and a trainee in the Council of the European Union.
LANGUAGES
English, French, Dutch, Irish
Ambassador Peter Millett was the British Ambassador to Libya from 2015 to 2018. During that time he played a role in supporting the UN's efforts to negotiate and then implement the Libya Political Agreement. He met and built relationships with the key political, security and economic players in Libya and the international community. He also managed the return of the British Embassy from Tunis to Tripoli.
Before Libya, Peter was British Ambassador to Jordan from 2011 to 2015, and High Commissioner to Cyprus from 2015 to 2010. Earlier in his career he had diplomatic postings in Venezuela, Qatar, Brussels, and Athens.
Since leaving the FCO, he has worked as a consultant for a number of major British firms, providing advice on political, economic and security issues in the Middle East, especially Libya. He is the Chairman of the Libya British Business Council.
Cameron was U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (2010 –2012) and to Serbia (2007 – 2009). He served twice in Iraq, leading the first Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mosul and Baghdad. During his three decades as a career diplomat, he served as Director for Central Europe at the National Security Council under Presidents Clinton and Bush and completed postings in Warsaw, Prague, and Bonn.
After retirement from the diplomatic service, he taught at Columbia Law School and Pomona College. He then became President and CEO of the EastWest Institute in New York. Cameron is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy. He sits on corporate and non-profit boards around the world and is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council in Washington.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
US-EU Relations | Diplomacy | CEE | Pakistan | Balkans
Sam is Founder and CEO of Farasi Strategy Advisors Ltd, a firm providing investment and strategy advice to public and private sector clients.
Sam served in senior positions in the Government of Kenya between 2002 and 2012, including Economic Advisor at both the Ministry of Planning and State House as well as Deputy to the Head of Public Service at the Office of the President.
A respected economist, public policy and business advisor with thirty years of professional experience in both public and private sectors. Sam sits on the boards on several international companies and charitable organizations.
Sir Richard was a Member of Parliament for 27 years, standing down in 2015. He was Chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2010 - 2015 and a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2005 - 2010. Sir Richard continues to play a part in foreign policy and international development issues with a special interest in Middle East affairs.
Sir Richard is an international lawyer by profession, and qualified as a solicitor specialising in maritime and commercial law. He was a partner of William A. Crump & Son in London and was a director of Coastal States Petroleum (UK) Ltd.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
UK Politics | Foreign Policy |International Development | Middle East
Melissa has extensive experience in geopolitics and EU affairs spanning intergovernmental organisations, embassies and NGOs.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Melissa worked in the European Commission in the field of migration, culture and education, health, and humanitarian aid. She also has diplomatic experience spending a period with the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Madrid and as part of the country’s delegation to UNESCO. Melissa’s experience in international organisations also involves a period with UNHCR’s EU office, while she also worked with a number of NGOs on women’s and children’s rights.
LANGUAGES: Greek, English, French, Spanish
Paulius specialises in issue management and media engagement for clients in the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe.
Before joining Project Associates, Paulius worked in the Baltics, and before that Dubai and Riyadh, advising a range of corporate and public sector clients on their communications strategies. Paulius began his career as a reporter focused on conflict zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
LANGUAGES
English, French and Lithuanian
Oliver has had a longstanding career in politics, business and communications, international conference organisation and strategy consulting for political decision makers and business leaders. He founded a Munich-based strategy strategic communications consultancy and previously worked as Managing Partner of a strategy consultancy. He was also the Head of Communications for the Munich Security Conference where he established the cybersecurity and energy security programs. He has completed several assignments as a Press Officer in the NATO and EU peace missions in former Yugoslavia.
Jeanne works across a range of private, corporate and government clients.
Before joining Project Associates, Jeanne worked at the Institute Montaigne, where she analysed international politics and helped craft a book on French foreign policy. She previously researched hybrid threats and intelligence operations for a think tank affiliated to the French Ministry for the Armed Forces.
LANGUAGES
English, French
Sarah works across a range of projects for governments, organizations, and private clients in the UK and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Sarah worked for an NGO in Lebanon where she helped manage a nationwide development project. Sarah also worked as a consultant for an INGO in London where she developed a crisis management tool that ensured better planning, organization, and efficiency.
LANGUAGES: English, Arabic, French
Stefano was Diplomatic Advisor to the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, Italian Permanent Representative at NATO and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Washington. He also served in Perth, Western Australia; New York (United Nations) and Moscow.
Stefano has substantial expertise in transatlantic affairs, international security, defence capabilities and industry. He sits on the Board of Directors of the European Leadership Network in London, the Board of Directors of the Center for American Studies in Rome, and is non-resident Senior Fellow of the Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security at the Atlantic Council. He was also Vice Chairman of Italian defence company OTO Melara.
He was a Lieutenant in the Alpine corps of the Italian army, and a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He also has honours from the governments of France, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Morocco and South Korea.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Defence | NATO | EU-US Relations | Italy
Toba served as Director of Information and Communication at the Presidency of the Togolese Republic between 2016 and 2020.
During his tenure, he modernised digital communications within the president’s administration, co-ordinating the Presidency’s crisis response strategy as well as designing and implementing communication plans promoting government policies and successful electoral campaigns.
Until 2016, Toba led a communications consultancy working on large projects in multiple countries, including Niger, Benin, Togo, Mauritania, Comoros, Senegal. Prior to his career as a consultant, he worked as a journalist for two decades.
LANGUAGES
French
General Trinquand held several commanding positions in the French army and at international organisations. He took part in operations across the world, most notably in Lebanon (1991-92) and ex-Yugoslavia (1993-95), where he advised the leadership of the UN forces in the field. More recently, in Paris and New York, as the head of the French military mission to the UN, he led the negotiations surrounding the deployment of French troops in Lebanon and Africa.
In 2010, he joined Group Marck, where he is Director of External Relations, responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with French officials and international governments. He is a high-profile media commentator and analyst.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Defence | Strategy | Civil-Military Relations | Conflict Resolution
Leena supports the team with a wide range of finance functions.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Leena worked as Accounts Associate at a Risk Consultancy company working in accounts payable. Leena is currently studying towards a full ACCA membership to become a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Pietro has expertise in developing creative campaigns for multi-national corporations and high-net-worth individuals. He has also advised governments on complex communications and political issues.
Before joining Project Associates, Pietro was a trainee solicitor at Cleary Gottlieb Hamilton & Steen, practising EU law and antitrust. He co-founded a non-profit organisation coordinating civic engagement campaigns across the EU. He also worked on the European Parliament’s 2019 EU elections campaign, as part of the team behind the “thistimeimvoting” mobilisation effort.
LANGUAGES
English, French, Italian
Eugenie specialises in political advisory and media engagement for clients in West Africa and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Project Associates, Eugenie was based in Dubai where she worked for a strategic communications consultancy specialised in providing strategic counsel to GCC governments on a range of complex issues.
LANGUAGES
English, French, Arabic
Kate is a former British diplomat with specialist expertise in East and Central Asia. Since leaving the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 2011, Kate has consulted private clients across a range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace, mining and real estate.
Kate is a published independent scholar on China and is a regular speaker on the European academic circuit. She has been involved at a senior level in the UK-China discussions on the internationalisation of the RMB.
