People
Our Team
John Dalton is a recognised authority on reputation management, leadership and impression management. He has further specialisms in risk, issue and crisis management.
With a background as a biochemist and Chartered Biologist, John's rigorous approach has attracted many to his evidence-based, holistic approach to public relations, communications and reputation management.
John has on a global level trained CEOs, managers and communications experts on reputation management, leadership, presentation skills, crisis management and related disciplines.
Dalal is the LSPR's Director of Training and Communications and under her leadership and management, LSPR has grown considerably, in terms of size, recognition, and above all, reputation. Dalal has been instrumental in the development of training programmes globally and in establishing the LSPR brand worldwide. She is also responsible for some of LSPR's global franchise expansion. As a Public Relations advisor and consultant, Dalal is always available to discuss clients' development and training needs and works closely with them to ensure that they are receiving the best level of training.
Dannielle is LSPR's Communications and Training Officer. She manages the running of the training programmes and workshops and oversees client and stakeholder engagement.
Olga's role at LSPR is as Communications and Training Advisor. She is responsible for coordinating the training programmes, advising clients and providing them with an excellent service. Olga also manages the day-to-day operations and is integral to internal and external communications.
She is an experienced client and marketing specialist with a background in digital communications and e-commerce, having worked previously at Philips, Mars and Maxxium, before joining LSPR.
Olga's ideology is best described by Leonardo da Vinci's principle - "Learning never exhausts the mind". She has a degree in Economics and an MSc in Digital Marketing. She is currently a further Master’s degree in Advertising and PR in London.
Our Associate Trainers
Debbie is a Corporate Communications and Public Relations specialist with particular expertise in customer, stakeholder and media relations, crisis management and event organising. An experienced trainer and public speaker, Debbie is also a skilled and creative copywriter with a portfolio of published articles.
Developed over three decades, Debbie’s front line experience has been gained in senior roles across the private, public and voluntary sectors working in-house with major PLCs, in leading PR agencies and as a freelance consultant. Her experience covers a wide range of industries including leisure, chemicals, telecoms, manufacturing, healthcare, automotive and the legal profession.
A trained and experienced journalist, Debbie has specific skills in reputation management, business and brand development, copywriting/editing and creating and implementing communications strategies involving national campaigns. Debbie also has proven expertise in profile raising, specifically by engaging with influential media and developing cooperative relationships with partner organisations.
Another major aspect of Debbie’s expertise is organising national and international events involving celebrities, political leaders and senior ranking dignitaries.
As part of her international training portfolio, Debbie is a Visiting Lecturer at Kingston University, Surrey. She uses her extensive ‘living hindsight’ case studies to bring the PR theory to life teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Joining the Professional Speaking Association in 2005, Debbie has been President of the North West Branch for two successive years and is a public speaking coach.
In addition, as a qualified and highly experienced Careers Advisor, Debbie’s expertise also covers preparing impressive CVs and improving interview/presentation skills.
Susan is an experienced global trainer and a qualified executive coach. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the London School of Public Relations (LSPR) and has helped shape the structure and focus of the school's Diploma programmes as well as train on the LSPR ITOL-Approved Diploma course. Susan is also an international public speaker, corporate trainer and PR practitioner. She is also Director of Programmes for LSPR/Nigeria.
She is a partner of ASC Training & Consulting where she is responsible for sales, communications, marketing and management training, as well as public relations consulting for a number of international organisations. She is a trained journalist and worked on a London newspaper in the early part of her career. She also specialises in media and public speaking training for executives, educators and other professionals.
Previously, she was a senior consultant with the international PR firm, Hill & Knowlton, where she worked for 14 years. Prior to this, she ran her own Los Angeles-based PR firm. Susan has developed PR campaigns for a wide variety of clients in education, non-profit, technology, business-to-business, and economic development.
As an international trainer, Susan teaches at a number of leading Universities in the USA, including San Jose State and USF (Tampa). She has also run courses for Georgetown, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford and has developed one of the first online programmes on new trends in communications for San Jose State. In addition, she has been a trainer for the PR Academy, an initiative of the Government of Singapore's Ministry for Information, Technology and the Arts. Susan is also an associate with California-based Executive Communications and teaches the firm's powerful communication and influencing programme – Making Your Point! for a number of global corporations.
In addition, she teaches media and negotiation skills training at a number of UK universities, including UCL, Imperial College and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She has written three business books - "Win New Business" (2002), "Corporate Reputation: The New Currency" (2003), The Sixth Form MBA (2017) all published by Acorn/Thorogood.
Susan is accredited by the Project Management Institute as a project management professional and is a qualified NLP trainer.
Jonathan Hart has communications media relations experience spanning over 22 years, across areas including trade associations, retail, energy and hospitality. His expertise includes: public relations programmes for international corporate and consumer brands; public affairs strategy; campaign development and implementation; journalism; crisis and reputation management; and business-to-business communications. He is an experienced Chief Executive of an industry trade body. He is an outstanding communicator, exceptionally skilled at clear and persuasive internal and external leadership.
Jonathan Hart has a wealth of communications experience, starting from his time as a journalist on Scotland on Sunday newspaper and BBC Radio. He has worked for a range of corporate clients ranging from UK-based companies including BP and Diageo, along with internationally-based companies including Gazprom and Indesit. His activity has covered everything from media relations to crisis management. He also has extensive experience of raising the profile of organisations on the political stage including coordinating liaison at a Ministerial level.
He is credible and influential with the media, government and with senior stakeholders from a wide range of organisations. He is experienced in team management and at handling a complex set of demands in an efficient and strategic way.
Olga Murray (LLB LLM FRSA) is the Director and Founder of Private Goodness, a UK-based Corporate Responsibility and Online Ethics consultancy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Private Goodness won International CSR Excellence Awards both in 2019 and 2020. Olga has trained companies based in Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East and Europe.
Previously, she completed 2 degrees in law, with a focus on business and human rights, and won the 'Top Student' Award for Business, Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility at her Master's course.
Olga has worked for a number of regional and national NGOs and managed corporate responsibility partnerships with over one hundred organisations, including banks such as Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Bank of New York Mellon, and major international law firms. She has spoken about access to justice and ethics at the Royal Courts of Justice, the House of Lords, the Global Woman Club, and the Impact Hub.
Kate was editorial lead for Black Dog Publishing (BDP) and Artifice books on architecture (Artifice), two affiliated, independent art and architecture publishing houses based in London. She currently writes and edits for UAL (University of the Arts London). known as Impact Case Studies in readiness for the next REF in 2021.
Kate’s experience during her time at BDP and Artifice is extensive. She wrote the original text, edited the work of others, and copy-edited and proof-read a large quantity and range of titles. Across the two houses, the published list numbered around 80 new books each year, each requiring a differing amount and type of input, from light-touch editing and proofing to full-scale re-writing where necessary. Her work on the new business side of both companies involved securing contracts, working closely with new clients to bring books from first ideas to publication.
Kate has a great deal of experience in public-speaking and in training. Whilst at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), where she led the organisation’s work on health, well-being and the built environment. Kate delivered a range of different events from training events with planners, to major speaking events to groups of up to 500 professionals including architects, designers, and health-sector workers.
Kate has written many articles and features for magazines and periodicals, on subjects to do with architecture and design. She has authored and edited three books.
Diana Young is co-founder, managing director and editor of PR and media intelligence tool Fashion and Beauty Insight. Founded over 14 years ago, the service provides access to news, events, alerts and over 30,000 contacts across the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries. She recently founded digital marketing consultancy WeSocialis, designed to support small to medium enterprises, and works as a freelance agent/publicist to support business founders and influencers with building their personal brand.
With over 12 years of industry experience, Diana has worked with multiple brands on cross-channel creative campaigns offering extensive digital marketing experience in both B2B and B2C capacities. Her areas of expertise include digital marketing, public relations, social media marketing, influencer and affiliate partnerships, brand collaborations, event marketing, sales and lead generation, pay-per-performance ads, search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing strategy.
As a marketing consultant, Diana works with a range of brands across the fashion, beauty, food and beverages, health, fitness and wellness sectors. She has secured media coverage with Time Out Magazine, HuffPost, The Guardian, Vocativ, London Live, BBC 1XTRA, BBC London, BBC World News, BBC Newsbeat, BBC Radio 5 Live, Refinery29, MailOnline, The Sun, Mirror Online, The Guardian, gal-dem, Hello! Magazine; and brand collaborations with Under Armour, JD Sports, Kappa, Decathlon, BBC CBeebies, MCM Comic Con London, Screen Nation, British Film Institute & Shiseido.
Diana is also an online mentor with the Prince's Trust, a school governor, youth club secretary and a freelance writer for The Independent, HuffPost, Telegraph, The I Paper and recently featured as a broadcast television contributor for CBC (Canada) and Channel 5 (UK) on PR and branding.
Elaine’s management career over the last 25 years has spanned a variety of sectors including sales, retail, recruitment facilities, HR, management and pharmaceutical.
Her areas of expertise include sales, leadership development, change management, HR skills, training needs, performance coaching, team building, and communication skills.
Elaine is a qualified personal and business coach and NLP practitioner. She is also a certified facilitator of TetraMap a revolutionary personality assessment tool used by companies such as Elizabeth Arden and O2 Telefonica to improve performance by helping individuals better understand themselves and how to work more effectively with others.
She has coached and trained award winning retail, sales, HR and customer service teams and is passionate about helping clients improve performance, develop employee skills and increase engagement. She has a proven track record of leading and facilitating training and coaching programmes in the private and public sectors and has worked with Bskyb, Eckoh Plc, London Metropolitan University and The Vienna Board of Education.
Elaine has coached and mentored clients in the UK, Ireland, the US, and Africa. She is currently a volunteer business mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation.
Deborah adds 15 years of internal communications and Human Resources experience to LSPR. Having worked for British Airways, Nestlé and the Expo, focusing on Health & Safety, she has a wealth of knowledge spreading across multiple industries.
Deborah has obtained two Masters degrees in communications and HR management. She is committed to working on the personal development of others through her work. She strongly believes in the importance of leading by example and quickly creates a strong rapport with individuals she works with.
Outside LSPR, she holds an HR manager consultancy internal comms position in a company, working on the creation of a wellbeing culture at work and expanding the managerial skill set of the growing management team.
Deborah brings real energy and passion to her delivery style of training. She has a deep sense of empathy for the client's professional developmental needs.
Anna Davidson has worked in publishing for twenty-five years, most recently as Head of Editorial Management for Faber & Faber. She started her editorial career as Editorial Assistant at Hodder Children’s Books and since then has worked on both adult and children’s books, fiction, and non-fiction. She also has in-depth knowledge of illustrated book publishing and editing thanks to fourteen years spent at DK Books, in senior roles in the adult lifestyle division.
A highly experienced editor and managing editor, throughout her career Anna has undertaken and overseen structural editing, line editing, copy-editing, proofreading, and commissioning. She combines a high-level understanding of the publishing process with an eagle eye for detail when signing off material for press. Time spent in different houses and with freelance clients has given Anna a keen insight into a wide variety of publishing cultures. A year and a half spent in Paris for the Financial Times, overseeing the editorial production of a European magazine supplement, further broadened this perspective.
Anna enjoys working with publishing colleagues at all levels, from the most junior to the most senior. A University of Oxford modern languages graduate, she developed her love of teaching during a year spent in France teaching English as a foreign language. She combines her work as an editorial trainer with freelance editing, writing and consultancy for trade clients and self-publishing.
for trade clients and self-publishing.
Lee has a background in broadcast journalism and spent a number of years as a reporter in BBC local radio before moving into production roles with BBC London and Five Live. During this period he reported on many big stories, including live from Heathrow on 9/11.
After studying on the PR Diploma Course at the LSPR in 2003 he moved into public relations and has gained a huge amount of experience since then, in both public sector and corporate roles. He was PR Manager for the British Cleaning Council for 5 years and helped build a new strategic approach to communications which enhanced its reputation and saw the annual trade show at the Excel move into profit for the first time. His recent past has been spent working in senior communications roles within local government, most recently with the Cabinet Office on a number of crisis issues.
His areas of expertise include: media relations, campaigns, crisis management, strategic communications and project management.
Lee is a firm believer in personal growth and in addition to studying at the LSPR has a BA Honours Degree in History (2:1) and a postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from City University. He is an avid reader and enjoys keeping on top of current trends in PR and communications.
Suzie Elkerton is Director of SLE Sustainability Ltd where she offers freelance sustainability support to the corporate sector. Suzie started her career working in projects, marketing and communications at organisations such as the Japanese Embassy in London, the BBC, and at law firms Allen & Overy and CMS Cameron McKenna (now CMS, Nabarro and Olswang).
Following a long held interest in environmental issues, in 2009 Suzie retrained and gained an MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Since then, Suzie has worked for a domestic consultancy on eco housing projects; at the Carbon Trust, a sustainability consultancy, on supporting companies investing in energy efficiency and renewables; and more recently at Marks & Spencer on their business-wide sustainability programme "Plan A".
There, Suzie worked on a range of projects including international energy efficiency, ethical trade in the property supply chain, and a social sustainability project combatting youth unemployment via the Movement To Work programme.
Suzie is increasingly passionate around waste reduction and the circular economy, believing every company has an ethical imperative to develop a corporate CSR strategy that helps them reduce their environmental footprint, use less resources, whilst also positively improving their impact on local communities and the global supply chain.
Sue is a senior communication director and trainer with corporate and marketing communications experience that has worked in-house and managed agencies in New Zealand and the UK. Her former roles include Managing Director of Ogilvy NZ and Hill & Knowlton NZ, Deputy Managing Director of Tangerine UK, Corporate Communications Manager at the Bank of New Zealand and Partner at Australasian corporate and public affairs agency, SenateSHJ.
Since returning to the UK she has managed and directed UK, EMEA and international communication programmes for clients in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and agribusiness sectors. She has run crisis management and media training workshops and courses in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
Working with senior executive teams and boards, Sue also ran her own consultancy specialising in crisis and issues management, providing advice on a diverse range of issues.
Her clients have included Cadbury, Danone, BP, British Airways, GSK, Heinz, Roche, Veolia, Thai Airways, Accor Asia Pacific hotels and Rabobank, and industry organisations such as the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines, Horticulture New Zealand and NZ Beef and Lamb.
While a Partner at SenateSHJ the agency was named Asia Pacific and Australasian Consultancy of the Year by the Holmes Report (now PRovoke Media) and her work has appeared as an example of strategic planning best practice in the industry manual "Public Relations Theory and Practice."
Daniela Hart is the Picture Editor at Reuters. She has worked as a professional picture editor and researcher for 20 years, and her extensive knowledge procures an excellent insight into the picture industry. Having also read Fine Arts, specialising in Photojournalism, for her BA degree and further a post-graduate degree in Photography, History and Culture at London College of Communication, Daniela has a wealth of experience to draw from.
Daniela is Reuter's Picture Editor and has worked as a freelance Picture Editor for ESI Media, The Evening Standard, The Independent, The Financial Times and The Sunday Times. She has experience pf both print and online and on various supplements for national newspapers: The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times (Style Magazine, The Dish Magazine, Travel, Culture and Homes and Property), The London Evening Standard (ES magazine and Homes and Property), The Independent (various Travel Sponsored features), The Financial Times (UK News and How To Spend It).
Daniela has experience within the magazine industry, having worked with a multitude of clients such as Brummell, Salt, The Quarterly, OK! And Look. A selection of various inflight magazines like: Eurostar, KLM, Iberia, EasyJet, Eurowings, Thomas Cook and Wizz.
Daniela’s knowledge also extends to the book industry having worked with the following clients on a selection of educational and reference titles: Brown Partworks, Belitha Press, Franklin Watts, Guinness World of Records.
Her experience with Marketing and Advertising departments extends to working with organisations such as British Airways, American Express, Nectar, MacArthur Glen, Westfield, Vodaphone, Hiscox and University of West England.
Daniela aims to help our clients to understand the publishing market, guide them through the complications of copyrights and advise them in how to progress in their careers; searching for relevant work experience and jobs.
Charlie has been working in editorial in book publishing since 1997. She has been employed by both conglomerate publishers (Pan Macmillan; Hachette; Penguin Random House) and independents (British Museum Press; Thames & Hudson; Unbound; Fulgur) as a commissioning, project and managing editor, and editorial director. In these roles, she has built a wide creative network, liaised with in-house departments and negotiated with literary agents and licensors. The books she has worked on range from diet and exercise, recipe, and celebrity autobiography to art and photography, military history, popular science, reference and business and academic monographs. A freelance editorial consultant since 2013, she now benefits from a wider variety of commissions in the UK and USA. As well as consolidating her non-fiction and illustrated book experience, she increasingly edits fiction, charity campaigns, journals and blogs, and writes, as both ghost and author.
Charlie edits at all levels: structural and development editing, copy editing, and proofreading. She works in Word, InDesign, PDF or HTML and routinely updates her software skills. Integrating words and images to create highly marketable packages, she also strives to widen textual appeal beyond niche audiences. She has extensive experience of managing budgets and schedules; bibliographic data management systems; Google analytics; contracts; copyright and permissions clearance; special sales and custom publishing; styling and directing photo shoots; print and colour management; book fairs; and producing compelling sales and marketing copy. She regularly creates and edits ebooks in EPUB and PDF formats.
Charlie enjoys collaborating with debut and professional writers to produce intriguing, accurate and contemporary narratives. She knows what to look out for when pitching and submitting text to various media for particular readerships. She can help you to hone, build and structure your message and to curate and present effective stories, reports and proposals.
Helen is a picture editor and shoots producer of seventeen years experience with a career that spans magazines, books, newspapers and online.
She studied English Literature and Art History at the University of Cambridge and UCL before entering the publishing industry, then holding roles at Laurence King Publishing, Time Out Guides and HarperCollins Publishers where she was Picture Manager for eight years.
Since turning freelance in 2017 she has established an eclectic, editorial clientele including Time Out Group, Vanity Fair, Tatler, Virgin, Redwood London, Lonely Planet Magazine, Telegraph Media and Simon & Schuster as well as working on independent production projects for commercial clients.
Combining a keen understanding of the industry's varied creative requirements with expertise in licensing and copyright law/IP issues, Helen is ideally placed to equip students with a professional, practical skillset underpinned by a solid knowledge base that will enable them to navigate the diverse publishing market with informed confidence and proficiency.
Dan Baker spent 10 years as a reporter and on-screen presenter at ITV News, presenting live daily news bulletins and programmes across the East Midlands. He also had his own weekly current affairs show which saw him interview many leading political figures including Tony Blair, Michael Howard and John Prescott.
Dan then moved into corporate communications, becoming Head of Media for Anglian Water. During his five years there he helped turn the comms team into a proactive, positive presence in the media which was held up as an example of industry best practice by the CIPR and the BBC. He won a clutch of awards during his time at Anglian Water including PR Week, Utility Week, European Excellence Awards for creative media campaigns, along with a coveted CIPR Excellence Award for Crisis Communications Management.
Dan has now been working as a consultant and coach since 2009. From business leaders in the boardrooms of some of the UK’s best-known brands, to world-renowned scientists, economists and celebrities, he has coached clients in all sectors on how to cope with media scrutiny and turn a potentially nerve-wracking encounter into a positive opportunity.
Dr Marta Hawkins is forward focused and entrepreneurially spirited Diversity and Inclusion Expert with academic background, commanding two decades of experience, gained predominantly in the Public Sector - at the intersection of the commercial and the civic, building bridges between seemingly different societal facets to enable successful collaboration. Recognised as an expert strategist, she has impacted cultural and behavioural change and organisational transformation in governmental and educational departments across the UK and the EU. Drawing on psychology, neurodiversity, and creativity, she has developed data-driven solutions to increasingly complex human problems, especially related to mental health, diversity, and equality. Renowned as a successful, compassionate communicator, a well-being champion, and coach, promoting multicultural and neurodiverse assets of the workforce, she leads on people-centred strategies and behavioural insights. In her training and coaching, she applies robust research and pioneering creative methods which impact deep reflection on leadership and governance, and result in organisational improvements and better customer service.
As a strategic leader, she demonstrates a successful track record of implementing holistic solutions, such as systems integration, disability adjustments, and authentic participation, to organisational development, employee engagement, and managerial processes. As an experienced coach and Mental Health First Aider, she is committed to safeguard and empower people to thrive and maximise their own individual talents and potential. While consulting and managing others, she places a strong ethos of integrity and ethics in the centre of her own professional performance.
Dr Hawkins has a PhD in Critical Studies, two MA Degrees, several accreditations in the fields of Management and Leadership, a Diploma in Creative Counselling from the University of Cambridge, and currently she is completing her MSc in Psychology, specialising in Neurodiversity.
Above all, a dynamic trainer, Dr Hawkins opens doors for dialogue between cultures, processes, and people, fostering research-grounded methods for curating organisational values and policies that measurably amplify commercial and human outcomes.
Lara Shah
Leadership and Stakeholder Management Associate Trainer
Lara is an accomplished empowerment and leadership coach with a wealth of experience across various sectors, including private, public, government, education, finance, and wellbeing. She has a proven track record of empowering individuals to overcome challenges and transform their lives. Lara's approach combines practical strategies, empathetic support, and a deep belief in her clients' potential.
Lara possesses diverse expertise in professional development, public speaking, coaching and mentoring, delivery, stakeholder management, and process improvement. This equips her to tackle complex challenges and provide comprehensive guidance. As a leadership coach, Lara specialises in developing effective leaders. She focuses on emotional intelligence, communication, and strategic thinking, helping her clients cultivate authentic leadership styles that inspire and motivate others.
With her experience gained at her time with Deloitte and within the technology sector, as an Artificial Intelligence and Data Consultant, Lara offers unique insights and guidance in navigating this rapidly evolving field. Lara's dedication to personal growth extends to areas such as personal branding, career advancement, and work-life balance. She understands the complexities of modern professional environments and provides tailored guidance for fulfilment and balance.
Lara is the ideal guide for anyone seeking personal growth and development.
Patrick Johnston
Alex Carlon
Alex has worked in radio and podcasting for 7.5 years now and has a wealth of experience under her belt. Her most recent roll in Australia, was developing, producing and launching Spotify Original Podcasts. In her many years in the industry she’s learnt what makes for a great podcast regardless of genre or budget. She’ll walk you through how your podcast should be planned, structured, recorded, edited and uploaded.