The Haggie Partners team
Haggie Partners comprises individuals with diverse and successful backgrounds ranging from in-house and agency communications to journalism, broking, academia, design, project management, accountancy, and recruitment. We are at once youthful and extensively experienced. We are creative and incisive. With broad experience across multiple sectors, no communications firm is better connected to the financial services sector than Haggie Partners. We also solicit regular, sage advice from our very experienced advisory board.
As one of the UK’s leading communications agency in the financial services sector for more than three decades, the team understands the City, its issues, the players, and their opportunities. Together, that means Haggie Partners deploys unparalleled insight to harness the power of corporate communications effectively and efficiently on behalf of our clients.
Richard Adams
Director
Richard has 14 years’ experience in journalism and public relations in the insurance and reinsurance market. His editorial background as an award-winning journalist and editor helps clients foster a mutually beneficial working relationship with the media as a key tool in managing their reputations. Before joining Haggie Partners Richard worked for Incisive Media and most recently at an insurance PR consultancy. Email Richard
Damian Beeley
Partner
Damian has 20 years’ experience in PR consultancy, with a focus on financial services. Before PR, Damian’s career began with a four-year spell as a Lloyd’s insurance broker followed by three years in Asia as a financial journalist. He has extensive experience in financial PR, corporate positioning and issues management, helping small and large companies and their senior management to stay on or off the financial pages. Damian is also a trustee of Walking With The Wounded. Email Damian
Johanna Bernhard
Senior account executive
Johanna joined Haggie Partners following a five year stretch studying and working in the United States. With a degree in Journalism and Spanish, Johanna worked as a journalist in the Pacific Northwest covering an array of social justice and human rights issues, as well as education, health care and agriculture. Following her return to the UK and before joining Haggie Partners, she transitioned into PR and communications working for a creative communications firm in London. Email Johanna
David Haggie
Partner
A chartered accountant and former plc finance director, David founded Haggie Partners in 1986. During his many years in communications David has been involved with companies in virtually every quoted sector from property, technology and engineering through to financial services. He has been at the forefront of insurance sector communications since the early 1990s when corporate capital came into the Lloyd’s market. Email David
Elise Harvey
Account executive
Elise joined Haggie Partners as PR Assistant in 2018 after graduating from Canterbury Christ Church University with a First-Class Honours Degree in English Language and Communication. She has completed several internships in PR as well as gaining experience in freelance journalism, social media coordination and events management alongside her studies. Elise loves to write both in and outside of work and enjoys blogging in her free time. Email Elise
Shipra Khanna
Senior account executive
Shipra joined Haggie Partners in 2019. She brings with her three years of diverse integrated communications experience, having worked at the Omnicom Public Relations Group in Singapore, at leading PR agencies, Fleishman Hillard and Porter Novelli. Within her roles, she created and implemented innovative campaigns for clients across corporate, technology, consumer and government sectors. She graduated from the University of Nottingham with First Class Honours in International Media and Communications with Mandarin Chinese. She is trilingual, fluent in: English, Hindi and Mandarin. These skills and her work experience within financial services at KPMG in the UK and BNP Paribas in India, has inculcated her global mind-set and understanding, paired with a local insight of the different markets. Email Shipra
Caroline Klein
Director
Caroline has worked in communications, public relations and marketing in the financial services sector for 15 years. Before joining Haggie in 2019, she held roles at Canopius, Miller, PPL and Japanese investment bank Daiwa Securities. She has wide ranging experience across external and internal communications, with a particular recent focus on change, including M&A. Caroline holds an MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Cambridge and lived in Japan for a number of years, working on local government cultural exchange and internationalisation programmes. Email Caroline
Vivian Lai
Account executive
With academic and work experience in London, Hong Kong and Washington DC, Vivian focuses on financial journalism and international communications. She graduated with a journalism degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016, followed by a master’s degree in international development from City University of London in 2017. Prior to joining Haggie Partners, Vivian worked in the B2B PR industry, specialising in executive profiling and digital media campaigns. Email Vivian
Dr Adrian Leonard
Consultant
Adrian’s career straddles PR, journalism, and academia. Most of his 25+ years writing have been focussed on insurance. He has advised companies from Amlin to Zurich Re. He was News Editor of Insurance Day and Press Officer at the International Underwriting Association. Meanwhile he is Associate Director of the Centre for Financial History, University of Cambridge, and is probably the world’s leading historian of marine insurance. Email Adrian
Emily Lisanti
PR assistant
Emily, originally from Boston, attended the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. Before joining the Haggie team, Emily completed an internship at a small pr agency in Washington D.C. and has had numerous other internship experiences that have helped her build up an impressive skill set in the public relations and communications field. Email Emily
Michael Mattinson
Partner
Michael heads the design side of our business and has over 30 years experience of managing design projects for financial institutions, understanding the unique requirements of City establishments, particular insurers and reinsurers. His work includes corporate identity and company launches, financial and corporate marketing literature, annual reports and corporate websites. Email Michael
Emma McCarthy
PA and group administrator
As a highly experienced senior personal assistant with several years’ experience already under her belt, Emma’s organisational and communication skills ensures efficient first-line support to the Partners and the team. Prior to Haggie Emma spent seven years at Nordea Bank where she supported the General Manager and the Investment Management team. Previous companies also include Barclays Bank. Emma is a keen runner and has run for many charities. Email Emma
Rowena Nelson
Operations director
Rowena is responsible for Haggie’s internal operations including finance, administration and the human resource function. Having joined Haggie in 2005 and with over 20 years experience across various sectors including marketing, IT consultancy, property and retail, she has long since accumulated the necessary skills and expertise to ensure that Haggie’s day-to-day processes run smoothly. Email Rowena
Peter Rigby
Partner
As a broker with Aon for 14 years, Peter has first-hand knowledge of the insurance and reinsurance markets in London, New York and Singapore and the issues the sector faces. Since moving into the communications sector in 1999 he has advised companies on all aspects of financial PR and corporate communications with expertise in corporate activity including M&A and stock market flotations. Email Peter
Mazin Shammas
Digital innovator
Mazin has a BSc (Hons) Business Administration degree from the University of the West of England (UWE BRISTOL). Prior to joining Haggie in 2018, Mazin began his professional career in PR and Events within the entertainment industry. During that time, and in conjunction with the rapid rise of social media, a music band he created with his twin brother as a hobby, started to gain a huge following online through social media networks and was subsequently offered a record deal. Whilst a recording artist working between the US, UK and Europe, Mazin developed extensive social media skills and expertise across all platforms, from years of hands-on and practical experience. He is highly skilled, creative and at the forefront of advances in social media innovations. Email Mazin
Jakub Stawiski
Account director
Jakub graduated in 2014 from Oxford University with a First Class degree in Classics and English and went on to complete an MSt in English Literature at Oxford in 2015. He has done internships and freelance work for newspapers both in the UK and abroad. Jakub joined Haggie in 2015 and, since then, his writing ability and international experience are proving a valuable addition to the Haggie team. Email Jakub
Hannah Stewart
Senior account executive
Hannah joined Haggie Partners as a PR assistant in 2018 after having gained communication and engagement experience in the Heritage sector. She further developed her editorial and research skills during an internship in Publishing. Hannah gained a History degree from the University of Southampton and a Masters Degree in Cultural Heritage Studies from UCL. Email Hannah
Olivia Thomson
Account executive
Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Olivia graduated from University of New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in communication. Before joining Haggie, Olivia completed a yearlong internship with publishing company, DC Thomson where she gained experience in PR and marketing.
Gavin Warren
Design director
Gavin graduated from Kent Art College in 2002 and specialises in the design and implementation of both digital and graphic products. Whilst at Haggie, he has led the creation of client websites, apps and social media strategies, including content creation and monitoring. His graphic expertise include the creation of brand logos and all corporate literature ranging from annual reports to company brochures and promotional event giveaways. Gavin is also responsible for the design of websites, blog sites, email templates and exhibition stands. Email Gavin
Becky Young
Director
Becky re-joined Haggie Partners in 2018 as Director where she focuses on client management and business development. She joined from Marsh’s Insurer Consulting Team (ICG) where she managed the Marsh UK relationship with designated strategic insurers. Prior to this she was at Haggie Partners for four years working across a range of clients managing external and internal communications strategies for clients, assisting with investor relations and arranging events. She has also gained experience at Newgate Threadneedle arranging roadshows with private wealth managers for AIM listed clients. Becky has a history degree from the University of York.
