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.
Stephen Atkinson, a partner at Hawthorn, leads the financial services practice, specialising in advising clients on financial and corporate communications.
He focuses on guiding individuals, in house teams, Boards/CEOs and leaders on reputation, deal flow, fund raisings, narrative building, corporate relations, stakeholder management and crisis management activities. He works with a broad range of clients including retail banks, fintech companies, private equity, private debt, asset management and corporate advisory companies. As is the norm at Hawthorn, Stephen also consciously works with a variety on non-financial companies and not-for-profit organisations to ensure our clients benefit from the broadest possible range of experience.
Prior to joining Hawthorn, Stephen worked at Standard Chartered Bank where he held a variety of leadership and communications roles including Group Head, Investor Relations and Communications and then served as the Group’s Corporate Affairs Director for five years with responsibilities for all communications activities of the Bank including media, investor relations, internal communications, public affairs, sustainability, reputational risk management and brand management. Stephen also served as the Regional Head of Private Banking for the AMEA region and as the Group’s Chief of Staff.
Jamie leads the Sustainability & Purpose practice at Hawthorn Advisors, providing clients with expert guidance on environmental, social and governance issues, sustainability strategy, philanthropy and impact.
With over 15 years of global experience in corporate communications, campaigning, issues management, and thought leadership, Jamie joined Hawthorn from international non-profit, Climate Group, where he developed and led a major global campaign on zero emission vehicles.
His previous roles included leading communications on sustainable sourcing, climate and energy at Unilever, managing corporate communications and thought leadership for the Carbon Trust, and heading up business and public sector engagement for one of Britain’s biggest climate change campaigns. Qualified as a barrister, Jamie briefly worked in law for finance and banking clients, before moving into sustainability-related roles.
Jamie holds a Master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds. He completed a Graduate Diploma in Law and Bar Vocational Course at BPP Law School, and was Called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 2007. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.
