Earlier this week, PRWeek UK announced the launch of its 2021 Power Book, the definitive guide to the most influential and respected PR professionals in Britain today. Included in this esteemed list are nine UK-based BCW leaders who embody the mission and values of BCW – moving stakeholders to think, feel and act on behalf of our clients. We are delighted to see so many of our dedicated client partners featured among the best and brightest industry professionals in the UK.
Read on to learn more about our leaders’ thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on the communications industry and their own lives, along with their media consumption habits and choices for best campaign of the year.
Scott Wilson – President, Europe & Africa
Having initially joined the business in 2010, Scott served previously as UK CEO and EMEA Managing Director at Cohn & Wolfe, quickly becoming the catalyst for its business and reputational transformation across Europe. Under his leadership, Cohn & Wolfe UK experienced an incredible run of annual double-digit revenue growth, driven by the agency’s formidable reputation in the market as a creative powerhouse and ethos of marrying the magic of creativity with the potential offered by technology. Following C&W’s merger with Burson Marsteller in Spring 2018, Scott was appointed President, Europe & Africa for BCW.
Based in London, Scott has more than 20 years’ experience in global, European and UK communications. A pioneer of truly integrated marketing communications, Scott is as comfortable operating in the brand marketing arena as he is managing complex corporate reputation issues. Prior to his positions with BCW and Cohn & Wolfe, Scott headed up the European Consumer Marketing practice of Weber Shandwick.
Rebecca Grant – CEO, UK
Rebecca has led integrated UK, EMEA and global campaigns for clients including Samsung, Pfizer, Microsoft, IHG, Harley-Davidson and EDF Energy. She's a senior communications specialist developing and executing award-winning campaigns that build brand equity and deepen consumer engagement.
Rebecca developed the strategy for the global media launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the world's best-selling smartphone and the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIV. Other highlights include winning a gold SABRE award for Best Consumer Marketing campaign in EMEA for Colgate's "Keeping Britain Smiling", a WPPed cream award for Mission 31 with Microsoft. Most recently, the UK office has been shortlisted for PR Week's Best Large Agency.
Rebecca joined from Weber Shandwick where she held the roles of Senior Director and Co-Head Consumer Europe. She also ran EMEA brand and product PR programs for Harley-Davidson. She was the client relationship lead for Samsung UK. Rebecca also led the agency’s relationship with EDF Energy. Her team ran all their brand activation work including promoting their products and services, developing media strategies for price increases, sponsorship activation of the Olympics, the London Eye, and their CSR initiative: "Team Green Britain" which was a finalist for a PR Week award.
This year Rebecca was listed as one of the top 5 most influential women in PR by PR Week. Rebecca started her career at The Red Consultancy. She has an MA hons degree in History of Art from Aberdeen University.
Steve Hawkes – SVP / Director and Head of Strategic Media
Steve Hawkes joined BCW as Head of Strategic Media and Director of Public Affairs in 2019 after a career spanning more than 20 years in journalism.
He has spent six years in Westminster as The Sun’s Deputy Political Editor, covering two General Elections, the Scottish Independence Referendum and Britain’s divorce from the European Union.
He worked closely with No.10 and travelled alongside David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson to international summits such as the G20 and United Nations General Assembly.
Before politics, Steve covered business and finance news for the Press Association, The Evening Standard, The Daily Mirror and The Times before taking over as Business Editor at The Sun in 2008.
The spell in business affording a depth of experience in financial and consumer communications – covering corporate results, corporate crisis, the Credit Crunch and the banking bailout with regular, day-to-day contact with chief executives of FTSE 100 companies.
At BCW he is providing issues counsel, content development, media engagement and proactive campaign advice for several blue-chip clients both based in the UK and in the Asia-Pacific region.
Kate Joynes-Burgess - Senior Advisor, Digital Innovation & Integrated Media, Europe & Africa
Kate is an experienced digital changemaker driving innovation across BCW’s diverse European client base. In 2017 she was named as one of the Holmes Report’s Innovator 25 industry leaders across EMEA, professionals who are deemed to have "elevated and evolved engagement and influence” in marketing and communications across the region. Leading a multi-disciplinary team of digital, social and content specialists in the UK and across Europe, Kate provides strategic direction across every phase of the campaign journey from insights and strategy to content creation, optimisation and measurement for clients as diverse as Pfizer, Maserati and Barclaycard. Kate develops strategic relationships with creative technology partners to deliver breakthrough campaigns for her clients including an industry first, multi-award winning chatbot with Boehringer Ingelheim to support patients with asthma.
Going even deeper than campaign activations, Kate also specialises in digital transformation and organisational change, partnering with senior management to reshape communications and marketing teams to deliver integrated programmes. Kate has strong experience in the fields of travel, property development and place-making having directed the digital strategy to launch the online presence for Expo 2020 Dubai and advised The Shard on leveraging digital and social channels to establish the iconic building as the beating heart of London Bridge Quarter, a newly energised and dynamic business and cultural neighbourhood in the UK capital. A deep believer in the role of technology for good, Kate serves as a business ambassador for charity, the Virtual Doctors, which leverages mobile tech to save lives in rural Zambia. In a former life as a travel writer and journalist, Kate was widely published including regular contributions to the BBC, The Spectator and Travel+Leisure and has written guidebooks for Time Out, Countryman Press, Explorer’s Guides, and Travesias.
Mike Kan – Global Head of Health Solutions
Nearly 30 years ago Mike realized that he wanted to work in an area that is of life and death importance: health. Ever since, he has worked with health companies to build their brands, market access, and license to operate with key stakeholders across pharmaceuticals, consumer health, pharmacy, healthcare devices and health advocacy. Mike’s objective is to help clients successfully negotiate the increasingly complex world of trust and reputation in an age of increasing accountability to regulators, payers and the digital democracy.
At the agency since 2010, Mike is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of our integrated marketing communications offer for health-related clients globally. His responsibilities include cultivating client relationships, providing senior counsel, new business development, generating thought leadership and developing senior talent. He provides strategic counsel to a wide range of clients up to and including global CEOs and is Key Client Partner for our work with Boehringer Ingelheim. He has particular depth of experience in the areas of coronary heart disease, diabetes, central nervous system, respiratory and infectious diseases.
In addition to his healthcare role, Mike co-leads the Europe and Africa Key Client Partner Programme with Helen Searle.
Previously, Mike has held roles at global communications agencies where he was responsible for the UK and European health practice across pharmaceuticals and consumer health. His experience and responsibilities have spanned PR, medical education and advertising.
In 2013, Mike acted as an external advisor to the UK Cabinet Office (the government department that supports the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and ensures the effective running of government.) on a review of the communications effectiveness of the UK Department of Health. In 2017 Mike reprised this role for the UK Government Communications Service in a communications review of the Food Standards Agency.
Mike has a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and a Masters in Literary Theory. He speaks French and is a classic car enthusiast.
Catherine Keddie – Group Managing Director, Healthcare and Head of Culture UK
Today, health is everybody’s business. Over the last fourteen years, Catherine has supported a range of clients at a Global, regional and local level to build their brands and protect their corporate reputation, while navigating the increasingly complex, varied, fast-paced, and interconnected world of communication. She is experienced in multiple aspects of health marketing, communications and medical education, and has worked in a wide variety of therapeutic areas including virology, CVD, immunology, obesity, diabetes, infectious diseases, erectile dysfunction, dementia, respiratory disease, pain management, nephrology and oncology.
Catherine joined C&W in 2014 and is responsible for managing the 28-strong healthcare practice in London. She is passionate about delivering excellence in client service, finding the sweet spot between scientific and emotional story-telling, insight-led strategic development and growing talent. Specifically, her day-to-day role involves providing strategic counsel, fostering collaboration and leveraging relationships across the network and with other practices such as digital, consumer and corporate to deliver the best outcomes for clients, new business and developing talent within the team.
Her experience in healthcare communications includes developing and executing integrated pre-launch to launch communications strategies and programmes for her clients. Specifically Catherine has been involved in many aspects of communications including: the creation of a science story/narrative and key messages for brands and franchises; market preparation and landscape analysis; disease awareness campaigns; devising and delivering creative healthcare professional education programmes via educational meetings series’ and symposia; KOL and advocacy relationship management for early development and late lifecycle brands; devising and delivering market access training for marketers; internal communications; issues and crisis management; affiliate engagement and communication management, and EU regulatory engagement consultancy and programming where she has helped clients navigate the regulatory processes for new compounds as well as those seeking to switch to over the counter.
Catherine gained a First Class Masters of Biochemistry degree at the University of Bath in 2000. She is the author of two clinical papers which have been published in Neuroendocrinology and the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.
Outside of work, Catherine is a classical musician and she is a mum of two girls called Maiya and Addison.
Tamsin Tierney – Managing Director, Healthcare
For over 15 years, Tamsin has put her communications skills to work for healthcare clients. She has a genuine passion for developing and delivering insight-driven strategies and campaigns which are grounded in science, and help people live healthier lives or support improved patient outcomes.
Tamsin has a wealth of global and domestic experience across a diverse range of therapy areas. During her time in agency, she has led significant campaigns for clients including Janssen, GSK, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck and Bayer, and has also worked in collaboration with a range of not-for-profit organisations.
Her expertise in relationship management and strategic communications is highly valued by colleagues and clients; other core strengths include delivering data and regulatory milestone programmes, disease awareness and public health initiatives, stakeholder engagement and reputation management. Tamsin has extensive experience in leading pre-launch communications programs, and has overseen launches of a number of first-in-class therapies across therapy areas including diabetes and infectious disease.
Tamsin’s career highlights include delivering the global PR programme for communication of phase III results for the world’s first dengue vaccine, and an ambitious global partnership programme with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) to support implementation of the UN Resolution on Diabetes in each of the seven regions of the IDF.
Tamsin graduated from Kings College, London with a BSc in Biological Sciences and, is equally comfortable delivering high science medical communication programmes or direct to consumer campaigns.
Outside of work, Tamsin enjoys spending her time with her family and is a keen runner.
Pete Way – Creative Director
Pete Way, BCW’s Creative Director in London, is an award-winning senior creative and executive producer who has spent 25 years working with both agencies and brands. He currently works across all of BCW’s clients, creating content for the likes of Barclaycard, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Campari, Ferrero, Gilead, Hotels.com, Maserati, Pfizer, The Red Sea Development Company and the Sri Lankan Tourist Board.
Prior to BCW he worked as Creative Lead for PaddyPower, was the Executive Producer of Unilever’s All Things Hair, worked as the Creative Content Director at NBC Universal and oversaw the creative for all of Skype’s Global ad formats.
He has created campaigns for the likes of Electronic Arts, The BBC, Honda, Innocent Smoothies, JCB, Sheba Cat Food, Blackberry, Nokia and the global launch of New Balance Football. He has also worked for Disney and Nickelodeon working on a number of different kids brands.
Before this, he worked as a journalist and TV series producer for such iconic global media brands as Maxim, Stuff and Men’s Fitness magazines; The Big Breakfast; Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and whilst at the BBC, was nominated for a BAFTA whilst working for Children’s BBC. He has been a show runner/series producer for a number of terrestrial TV shows.
Shortlisted at Cannes with the only PR creative in 2019, he was also voted in the 2020 Top Ten Creative Directors in the UK by PR Week.
Nick Williams – Managing Director, Issues and Public Affairs
Nick Williams is Managing Director, Issues and Public Affairs at BCW London.
Nick is an extremely experienced issues, campaigns and public affairs adviser to major businesses, organisations and institutions.
He spent the last 25 years involved in some of the most complex and integrated issues campaigns covering both the UK and globally involving strategic communications, issues management, and public affairs.
He started his career as an adviser under former Prime Minister Tony Blair (also working within his campaign Private Office at two General Elections) before moving into consultancy with a global communications agency as Head of Corporate and Public Affairs.
Nick has been widely recognised for his work with a recent Cannes Lion Gold award for the United Nations campaign, “The People's Seat” as a Holmes Report Sabre Public Affairs Campaign of the Year award, 2012. Nick is also on the Board of the PRCA, which represents the UK communications sector.
He is a regular commentator on communications and issues in the media.
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