About Us
We’re a talented and friendly team of PR animals, but we don't like to blow our own trumpets.
Nevertheless, here's a quick summary of how brilliant we all are.
If you want to know more, contact us.
We’re a talented and friendly team of PR animals, but we don't like to blow our own trumpets.
Nevertheless, here's a quick summary of how brilliant we all are.
If you want to know more, contact us.
Email us at firstname@velvetpr.biz
Jo will try pretty much anything once. This includes business training in Milan, international project management for the European Commission in Tokyo and earning her PR stripes with notable UK agencies like Leedex, The Rowland Company and Republic (now part of Mandate). A few years back she realised one thing she hadn’t tried was setting up her own company – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Joanna is Velvet’s reigning consumer queen, having honed her skills working with everyone from entrepreneurs to major FMCG brands. And when she’s not driving campaigns she’s an artist whose work has featured in shows around London and across the world.
As former editor of AV magazine, Bhavna was guardian of the audio-visual industry’s bible on the latest applications, technology and concepts. She is now employing her hi-tech, hi-octane and high-fiving work ethic to the other side of the media coin after 20 years of journalistic genius – Bhavna previously sat in the editorial box seat at Promotions & Incentives and, before that, Event magazine, and has freelanced - well – almost everywhere.
Given her past as senior reporter at Haymarket publishing, what Claire doesn’t know about marketing and advertising can be written on the head of a pin. She’s since broadened her horizons with expertise in social media, design and media planning – so it looks like there’s even less room on that pin.
Anil has more than 10 years' agency and freelance experience in media relations and copywriting - a fact that even surprises himself sometimes. He's worked with a wide range of b2b and corporate clients in sectors including marketing services, HR & business consultancy, automotive and property. Most of them recall with awe his endless supply of bizarre ties and willingness to wear them to important meetings.
Suzi’s expertise covers both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, including working at the Prince’s Trust and Turning Point, and she’s become a whiz at everything from media campaigns to internal comms. She can also draw on many years’ experience in baking cupcakes and watching geeky movies, both of which are more useful in PR than you might think.
Tony is Velvet's non-executive commercial advisor and knows everything there is to know about the issues facing SMEs. A chartered management accountant and corporate treasurer, he began his career at Midland Bank/HSBC, going on to become a CFO at Unisys and at Princedale's marketing commmunications arm. He formed design and communications agency Corporate Edge in 1997, which he subsequently sold to Australia's Photon Group, having grown the business organically and via acquisition. In 2008 Tony founded Green Square, the M&A and consultancy practice, which acts for a number of companies in the media and marketing communications arena.
Lauren has worked in PR for eight years. She began in the City in financial and corporate PR, followed by a five year spell in one of Wales' leading agencies before moving back to London last year. Her experience includes technology and digital, energy, sport, law, retail, leisure and event management. Outside the office she favours netball for exercise and curry and ice cream as foods (she says not together, but no-one believes her).
Having learned the ways of PR for digital and marketing services agencies in her previous role, Natasha slipped into Velvet’s B2B team with consummate, effortless ease. Her classically trained singing voice and violin skills have also drastically improved the quality of music appreciation in the office. No more Justin Bieber and N’Sync for us.
Sophie joined the agency after graduating from Nottingham Trent University, having honed her skills at movie-going and cupcake-making (yes, she makes cupcakes as well. It’s clearly a Velvet thing; don’t ask us why). Her creative and account management skills are matched only by her love of Carry On Cleo. “Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!”