For the past decade, Charles has helped clients across the sustainability, financial services and energy sectors develop impactful corporate reputation and thought leadership campaigns to effectively reach their most valuable audiences.
He joins Hawthorn Advisors from H/Advisors Maitland, where he co-led the agency’s sustainability and ESG practice. In collaboration with Maitland’s corporate and financial teams he advised asset management firms, investment trusts and energy providers on their communications and stakeholder engagement strategies.
He has an M.A. in International Communications and Development and holds a number of investor and sustainability and ESG reporting qualifications. He previously worked in Edelman’s public affairs team.
Emily is joining Hawthorn Associates as an Associate Director, Sustainability and Purpose. Emily specialises in supporting clients with environmental, social and purpose-led communications strategy, for clients including Zurich Insurance, Nespresso and The Donkey Sanctuary.
Outside of work, Emily can be found watching athletics, playing board games and chasing after her terrier cross Willow.
Nathan is a strategic communications specialist, supporting clients across public and private sectors to deliver national and international communication campaigns, improve stakeholder relations, and to implement robust incident response strategies. His experiences working for the former Shadow Education Secretary and alongside UK government departments has helped him to successfully influence legislation in Westminster.
Prior to joining Hawthorn, Nathan worked for a global agency and led strategic communication functions for a range of organisations and people in the counter terrorism space. In these roles he has delivered effective crisis communication responses.
Outside of work you’ll find Nathan on his road bikes or at the Emirates supporting Arsenal.
Fiona McAra is an Associate Director at Hawthorn, specialising in corporate communications, alongside reputational management.
Prior to Hawthorn, Fiona worked at a financial and professional services agency, leading the eToro account, where she was also seconded twice. Having gleaned this in house experience, she brings stakeholder management expertise, alongside a deep understanding of ‘Corpsumer’ financial communications. She was also instrumental in developing and reinvigorating her agency’s client services offering, having gleaned valuable insights from her time working in-house.
Throughout her career she has experience working with clients operating in a range of sectors, such as energy, healthcare, tech, financial and professional services.
She holds a Classics degree from the University of Nottingham.
Fiona is a keen golfer, and when she’s not on the course, she can be found walking her dog, or cheering on Chelsea Women.
Suezelle D’Costa is an Associate Director at Hawthorn, advising founders, business leaders, and boards on how best to use communications to build credibility and protect their reputation. She specialises in providing strategic counsel in times of issues and crises, helping both individuals and businesses navigate challenging situations.
Suezelle currently advises a financial technology and data conglomerate, a media group, and an organization delivering on the vision of making the UK a global leader in financial innovation.
Suezelle is also a former journalist who, alongside her extensive network built through her career in communications, has worked with the media in India, the UK, parts of EMEA, as well as the US and Canada. She brings to the team her knowledge of the Indian market, having worked in Mumbai and Delhi for close to a decade.
Suezelle earned a bachelor’s in mass media, with a major in journalism, from the University of Mumbai, India.
When not at work, she is probably exploring a section of the Capital Ring Walk, a scenic walking route encircling London, cooking a feast for two, binge-watching a TV show set in some part of Europe, or turning the pages of a captivating historical fiction. Suezelle is also a student mentor and school governor at Salvatorian College.
Sarah Clarbour is a communications specialist advising corporates across various sectors on their communications strategies, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, and media profile. Sarah advises Hawthorn’s clients, across a number of specialisms from technology to environmental and social impact, both in the UK and internationally.
Before joining Hawthorn, Sarah spent five years in Edelman’s London Technology team. In this role, she managed a portfolio of global and emerging accounts, working with a wide array of consumer and enterprise technology clients. Her responsibilities included shaping consumer stories, overseeing strategic executive communications, and enhancing investor awareness. Sarah played a key role in developing media strategies and cultivating thought leadership among senior stakeholders. She also designed integrated campaigns aligned with business and communications goals.
Sarah studied Economics and Social Studies at The University of Manchester, with a focus on International Development and Social Anthropology. After graduating, she worked as a Community Liaison Officer for an NGO in Malawi.
Outside of work, Sarah enjoys cooking and travelling. When given the opportunity she is a keen scuba diver.
Max Wrey is an Associate Director of Digital Audit and Research at Hawthorn. He is responsible for conducting investigations and helping clients understand the risks they face in the digital space and how they can mitigate these.
Prior to joining Hawthorn, Max worked at online reputation management company Digitalis and business intelligence boutique Alaco. Prior to this, he held various roles in the Middle East, including for a trade event organiser in post-Gaddafi Libya, a security risk analysis company in Basra, and a real estate development project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
An obsessive student of the Arabic language, Max’s studies and travels in the Arab World have ignited an insatiable interest in all matters of history, culture, and politics in that geopolitically crucial part of the world.
His appetite for Arabic is only matched by that for the cuisines of the world. Outside of gourmandising, Max is riding the Padel wave and a keen cricket follower.
Johanna is a strategic communications specialist advising individuals and organisations at all stages of their growth, from startups to FTSE100 companies, on their strategic positioning and corporate communications.
She works closely with in house teams, senior leadership and CEOs on their reputation management, stakeholder engagement, crisis communications, narrative development, and thought leadership.
She has advised clients across a broad range of sectors including retail banking, financial services, media and agriculture and has experience of working with major international organisations including in the US, Latin America and Africa.
Johanna is a Mental Health First Aider and a member of the Employee Engagement and D,E&I committee.
Johanna joined Hawthorn from Durham University, where she read English Literature. She previously also worked with German CDU politician Ursula Groden-Kranich during her Bundestag election campaign in 2013 and at her parliamentary office in Berlin in 2014.
In her spare time, Johanna is a keen traveller, festival goer, netballer, cyclist and foodie.
Campbell Findlay is an Associate Director who works on a number of Hawthorn accounts advising on areas of strategic communications, reputation management and digital development.
Prior to joining Hawthorn, Campbell ran the national press office for Directors of Public Health during the pandemic and gained deep insight into the machinations of government over this time.
Throughout his career he has gained significant experience in the third sector and ESG as well as having worked as a freelance web developer and designer.
Campbell is a bagpiper, whisky connoisseur and lover of contemporary dance. He has made cocktails for the royal family and danced for the President of France.
