Charlesbye provide data driven insights that shape public opinion, manage crises, enhance reputations and move people to action
In short - we help you to change the debate.
Our deep political and media roots have been forged inside Downing Street and tested by the cut and thrust of some of the UK’s biggest political and public health campaigns.
Our insights and strategies are used by CEOs and leading politicians across the world because we translate their goals into action.
Lee
Cain
Lee served as Downing Street's Director of Communications under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A respected political strategist, Lee has been a key advisor in multiple campaign victories including the 2019 General Election, 2019 Conservative leadership election and the 2016 EU Referendum. He is also credited with creating the ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Founding Partner
Lucia
Hodgson
Lucia spent a decade in the heart of Westminster, including serving as Deputy Press Secretary in Downing Street under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She oversaw parliament’s response to the bullying and harassment crisis, wrote speeches for some of the UK's most senior politicians, and managed media during Brexit, the 2019 leadership contests and General Election.
Partner
George
Buchan
George’s insights have been fundamental to informing campaigns at a local, national and international level for FTSE 100 companies, political parties and for high-profile individuals - including research on the 2019 General Election campaign. George leads the qualitative and quantitative research stages of our clients’ campaigns.
Director of Research
Peter
Jackson Eastwood
Pete specialises in devising and implementing strategies that deliver tangible impact for clients, developing messaging, providing strategic counsel, and launching media campaigns. His corporate communications experience includes working with major sporting brands, established international businesses and exciting emerging startups.
Director
Charlie
Souster
Charlie has worked on numerous high profile campaigns for national and international clients, including Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign. Charlie works within Charlesbye's insight and research unit and also supports clients with media advice and strategies.
Senior Consultant
Georgie
Edwards
Georgie specialises in devising and executing public affairs campaigns, helping businesses use political and parliamentary levers to achieve their objectives. She has significant experience working in highly regulated sectors, including aviation, as well as industry association management.
Senior Consultant
Will
Andrews
Will specialises in securing impactful media coverage for clients in the national and international outlets that set the news agenda of the day. He has a wide range of corporate communications experience, including in aviation, healthcare, sport and with startups.
Consultant
Olivia
Owen
Olivia has spent the past two years working in fast-paced management consultancy across the private and public sectors, specialising in organisational and behavioural change. Prior to this she graduated with an MA in History and Politics from Edinburgh University.
Senior Associate
James
Matthews
James specialises in delivering impactful public affairs strategies and securing key media coverage for clients. He served as a political advisor in Australia, which refined his skills in political strategy and campaign work. Prior to his political advisory role, he worked at Sky News, where he developed a keen understanding of media relations and communications.
Senior Associate
Alicia
Pearson
Alicia works in the research team at Charlesbye. She has worked across many sectors including technology, renewable energy, politics, and non-profits. Alicia supported the inaugural ‘Talking to the Nation’ report. She is proficient in data analysis and visualisation enabling her to deliver insightful analysis that informs strategic decision-making for clients.
Associate
Ellen
Taylor
Ellen is a communications associate and has recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in History. For the past two years she has worked across different industries such as entertainment, agriculture and sustainability.
Associate
Ewan
Edwards
Ewan is an intern working across the public affairs, communications, and research teams. He graduated with a BA in Politics from the University of Exeter and was involved with various student media while there. Ewan looks forward to employing his passions and skills and learning from the Charlesbye team.
Intern
James
Milford
James is an intern in the research team. Prior to joining, he graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in History before working as an intern in a parliamentary office. James is enjoying the opportunity to work on a range of strategic accounts alongside the experienced Charlesbye team.
Intern
Lucy
Yelland
Lucy has supported high-level executives within a range of industries, and has worked with Charlesbye to streamline their business processes. Lucy ensures day-to-day organisation of the office and diligently manages the team's diaries.
Office Manager
Our team
Shape public opinion
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Insight through qualitative and quantitative research
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Strategy creation
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Narrative and message development
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Campaign execution
Manage crises
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Crisis mitigation, management, and recovery
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Media training and coaching
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Risk mitigation and preparedness assessments
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Active response
Enhance reputations
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Media relations
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Thought leadership
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Digital assets
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Brand and personal strategy
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Profile raising
Move people to action
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Public affairs
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Political intelligence
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Advocacy and stakeholder engagement
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Select Committee training
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Social change campaigns
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Purpose definition
Our services in summary
‘The work Charlesbye did for the Premier League was exceptional. Their insight and creativity helped us to re-think our approach to fan engagement at a critical time for the League. It was striking how quickly they got under the skin of how fans think and could shape that into strategic advice and practical ideas. Charlesbye’s work stands out, partly because the team can operate across a range of specialisms and because they are so good at listening to what people think and then developing strategies to change that in response. They are great to work with too.’
Helen MacNamara, Chief Policy & Corporate Affairs Officer
‘Orcadian has enjoyed a much bigger voice in the energy debate than our size alone would warrant. The interviews and column inches stack up well, but what is more important is how Charlesbye has helped shape our message so that it resonated, rather than clashed, with the conversation about climate and energy.
We are able to engineer the solutions to deliver new oil and gas with much lower emissions, but communicating how that makes a difference is hard. Charlesbye has been absolutely central to helping us craft our message, so that we can explain our ideas to the general populace and policy makers alike.’Steve Brown, CEO
‘I would strongly recommend working with Charlesbye, particularly for organisations who are looking for strategic communications advice that can support real business change. The team are incredibly responsive, proactive in project delivery and have gone over and above to support our goals. Their insight and analysis has been of huge assistance and I look forward to working with the Charlesbye team again.’
Elizabeth Gwilt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs
‘Charlesbye helped us to think through complex challenges and aided us in communicating our messages crisply to the audiences we needed to reach. The team understands how important stakeholders think and use their insights to provide us with sharp and actionable advice. I couldn't recommend Charlesbye highly enough.'
Richard Hickson, Director of Corporate Affairs