Partners for Growth

Helen is a strategist with over 25 years of experience in brand, marketing, communications and engagement. She works with business leaders and founders on programmes that bring purpose to life, deliver vision and strategy, amplify brand, increase employee engagement, and grow client relationships and market share. All her work is anchored in deep listening and market insights.

Before forming The Listening People, Helen worked at some of the world’s leading professional services firms, including EY, where she led communications for EMEIA Financial Services before taking on the role of CMO for the global consulting business. She has also worked in-house at Latham & Watkins and Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson). ​

Always striving to bring a different perspective, Helen takes a collaborative approach to strategy development and implementation, and she loves exploring the art of the possible. She has significant experience delivering complex global programs and has lived and worked in the US.​

She is passionate about diversity, especially gender equality, and is the co-lead of The Quorum Initiative in London Chapter.​

For Helen, listening means removing any filters that dilute what’s being communicated, asking questions, and engaging in conversation that unlocks the whole story and all its possibilities.

Paul has over 25 years of experience leading impactful brand, marketing, and communications strategies for some of the world's largest organisations. Paul is an expert in helping clients create compelling brand narratives, optimise client journeys, and devise more impactful strategies that elevate brands and drive business growth.

He has held senior positions at top professional and financial services firms, including EY, Paul Hastings, McKinsey, Prudential UK, Deloitte, and Andersen - driving global brand, marketing, and communications efforts while managing complex programs for industry leaders.

Throughout his career spanning London and New York, Paul has collaborated with business leaders and founders to develop purpose-driven programs that deliver on vision and strategy, amplify brand, and increase employee engagement.

For Paul, listening is critical to unlocking the full potential of any project as it informs the strategic mindset needed to deliver results that increase market share, drive growth and build lasting relationships with clients and stakeholders.

Over the past 26 years in marketing, Ann-Marie has successfully transitioned from a developer to specialist marketing strategy and client management. Her experience is diverse, having collaborated with notable names across multiple sectors, including the Department for Education, National Crime Agency, City & Guilds, the RNLI, Royal College of Physicians, and the Kingfisher Group.

​With a degree in English, Ann-Marie finds satisfaction in the nexus of effective writing and technology. Her training in business analysis ensures that she is adept at pinpointing core business and user needs, which helps her create marketing strategies that deliver results.

​What's at the core of Ann-Marie’s approach? Listening and understanding. She is committed to grasping the true needs of organisations and their users, spotting challenges, and offering grounded solutions to address them.

Brian is a marketing strategist and learning designer with diverse experience in six industries, four continents and more than 25 brands. Though trained as a journalist, Brian’s early career was at Unilever where he developed the footprint of its major brands on the African continent.

Since leaving corporate, Brian has helped senior decision-makers build winning strategies and strengthen their capability to implement them. Projects that expanded his outlook most were with South Africa Rugby, Associated British Sugar/Illovo, Hindustan Lever, DSTV Multichoice and AB InBev.

Brian is especially passionate about helping people become as competent as possible in their careers. He has built and delivered successful learning solutions for an array of blue-chip clients including Unilever, Pepsico, Blue Label Telecoms and Amcor Flexibles. He is also a certified TED speaker coach.

Brian believes that the work of listening is never done. To quote journalist Brenda Ueland, listening is a ‘creative force’, an ‘alternating current’ that constantly recharges and re-creates us.

Bogo is a web developer with more than 8 years experience in and a strong background in creating and implementing innovative web solutions.

He is passionate about using the latest web development trends and technologies and is dedicated to delivering exceptional user experiences.

For Bogo, listening means being fully present and engaged in the moment. It means taking the time to understand the needs and perspectives of others, and using that understanding to create effective solutions. As a web developer, he believes that effective listening is essential to creating websites that truly meet the needs of users. He believes that taking the time to truly listen is the key to creating successful and impactful web projects.

Meet Cassandra, a seasoned graphic designer with over two decades of experience in the ever-evolving world of design. Her journey began at a young age with a fascination for colour and composition, blossoming into a lifelong passion for creative expression. Throughout her career, Cassandra has honed her craft with dedication and humility, embracing each project as an opportunity to learn and grow.

She is committed to creating meaningful visuals that resonate with audiences. Whether she's crafting elegant brand identities or bringing ideas to life through illustration, Cassandra approaches each project with care and thoughtfulness. Her international client base is a testament to both her skill and dedication.

For Cassandra, listening is not just about hearing words, it is about connection. There is a difference between hearing and truly listening to someone, to fully understand their intended message. The better we listen, the better we connect.

Ester brings tons of passion and energy for everything to do with trends and foresight, insight and research and innovation. There’s nothing she loves more than diving into a new market and uncovering opportunities for growth while driving consumer love.

Her experience spans agency and client leadership positions in a variety of sectors, and she has particular expertise in beauty and personal care, food and homecare.

For Ester, the art of listening is about finding the question behind the question (a true insight person!), listening without taking things at face value or making assumptions – all with a view to really getting to the heart of what makes people tick.

Jo is a seasoned marketing and client services consultant with an impressive track record working both agency and client side. She brings over 20 years’ experience in B2B integrated marketing, and a particular passion for the intricacies of Account Based Marketing.

With a client-centric mindset at the core of her approach, Jo ensures that every aspect of her work revolves around the unique challenges and goals of a client’s target audience. It's not just about delivering a service; it's about crafting tailored solutions that speak directly to the specific needs of each client.

In every interaction, Jo employs active listening techniques to delve deep into the perspectives of her clients’ clients. By truly understanding their needs, challenges, and desires, Jo ensures that every recommendation and strategy is not just a solution but a precisely crafted answer to the client's unique situation.

Julia is a marketing strategist and brand builder with 22 years’ experience, of which 14 years are at an executive leadership level. 

She has worked on some of the world’s biggest brands at both SABMiller and Unilever where she created strategies and launched strategies about the globe. Julia has also worked with medium-sized businesses and start-ups, and has a wealth of knowledge across developing and developed markets.

Her work has collected an array of awards including a Cannes Lion and a D&AD Pencil Award.

Julia is passionate about delivering business results and thrives on the relationships and trust she builds with clients.

Julia believes that most people listen with a view to respond. Listening to truly hear what is said, and to read what is unsaid, or said implicitly, is where both the real challenge and victory lies.

Kerry brings a global mindset combined with a thoughtful and strategic approach to communications, honed over more than 20 years of helping businesses bring stories to life around the world.

She has worked as a trusted communications and engagement advisor across boardrooms and borders. Most recently, she held senior positions with two of the world’s largest law firms, Baker McKenzie and Dentons.

A storyteller at heart, Kerry has helped businesses build internal strategic fluency as well as make an impact across a range of significant external platforms, including the World Economic Forum, the Financial Times and the United Nations Global Compact.

Before working in the professional services industry, Kerry headed up corporate communications at economic development organisation, VisitScotland, worked with Disney Pixar on media relations for the movie ‘Brave,’ and handled major communications campaigns for several well-known UK charities.

For Kerry, listening is the key that unlocks stories. It also means being fluent in silence – and noticing the unsaid. She says the best listeners focus their attention and then recruit other senses to the effort. The rewards are worth it – more empathy, insight, knowledge and understanding.

Matt is a design director with 17 years of experience in the communications industry working across a wide range of design disciplines, both client and agency side. His focus is on using purpose to make sure everything a brand does is coherent and self-reinforcing. He has an MA in Design & Branding Strategy.

For Matt, the art of listening is all about empathy. To truly understand a client’s needs you have to be able to put yourself in their shoes and get inside their head. You can’t do this if you do not ask the right questions and then listen very carefully.

Niky is a video editor and motion graphics designer with a BA in Film and Media Studies, and an MA in Fiction Film Production. She has over 10 years of experience creating films and animations for a wide range of companies.

Niky is passionate about all things film and TV, and loves to learn new skills and ways of creating that will bring something new to her edits.

For Niky, listening means being able to interpret what someone is saying and ask the right questions to truly understand what someone really wants or needs, both in life and work!

Rachael is an experienced digital manager with a demonstrated history working in the marketing and advertising industry. She is skilled in PPC, inbound marketing, SEO, social media and e-commerce. Strategy and results driven, Rachael has 15+ years of experience building paid and organic marketing funnels for a vast range of clients in both agency, and in-house settings.

For Rachael, listening is about making sure the person talking knows we’re there with them. One of her valued quotes is from Bernard Baruch; "most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking."

Sarah is a brand builder with 20 years’ experience in marketing strategy and communications across corporate, agency and consulting roles.

She has worked in both B2B and B2C marketing for technology and telecommunications companies, and as a brand and strategy consultant developing powerful brands in industries including education, construction, healthcare, government, media, technology and professional services.

Sarah cares deeply about creating unique and meaningful brand architectures that compel every employee to express the brand in a way that tells a cohesive story to customers and provides an irresistible invitation to respond.

For Sarah, the art of listening is about connecting with people to understand their unique, inimitable qualities and reflecting this back to them in a way that helps encapsulate their brand DNA

Tara is a strategist and communications professional who worked for PwC, Paul Hastings, and other professional services firms for over 25 years in New York and San Francisco. She is also a Columbia Journalism School-trained reporter/writer and a trained coaching professional. Her career has included senior roles in strategy, marketing and communications, public relations, board governance processes and communications, and as a chief of staff to a PwC Vice Chair.

Tara is based in New York City and has spent large blocks of time over the years throughout Europe, including County Waterford, Ireland where she has family roots.