Crisis Communications Training - Consultants

MAGNUS CARTER, MCIPR, is Chairman of the Mentor Group and specialises in message development, media handling and crisis communications. Magnus began his career as a journalist in north east England, later working as a freelance for UK national newspapers, and then, for more than 20 years, in broadcast news and current affairs. 

As a journalist, Magnus covered several general elections, the storming of the Iranian Embassy and the Libyan Embassy siege for radio, and the British Midland air crash at Kegworth for TV. After a spell training journalists, Magnus founded Mentor in 1998.

He was a communications advisor to the Bristol Royal Infirmary Public Inquiry Team and has provided crisis advice and training for major transport operators, banks, utilities, housing associations, leisure firms, health service bodies and local authorities in the UK. He has lectured on crisis communications in Algiers, New Delhi and Mumbai, Dakha and Doha, and is an approved trainer for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, specialising in risk issues and crisis. He is also an Associate of Bristol Business School and a visiting lecturer at Ashridge Business School. 

MARTIN POWELL, MCIPR, is Managing Director of Empica Ltd, a successful PR agency based in Bristol. Empica is a full-service agency with a special emphasis on media relations. Martin has advised on many issues where clients have had the media chasing them with potential negative stories. These include:

• A security firm that found a member of staff had slipped through vetting procedures and had a history that included a jail term for violence and arson.
• Dealing with complaints about planning applications, including plans for supermarkets, major housing estates, and power plant extensions.
• Dealing with the media in the aftermath of a motorway coach crash on behalf of the coach company, and for a tourist attraction when approach roads were closed due to Foot and Mouth restrictions.
• Pollution incidents and major fires at power plants.
• Handling the media for professional firms, following complaints to the media about their advice to a client.
• Redundancy and take-over announcements for several businesses.

ANDY OSBORNE MBCI, has been involved in business continuity and risk management since 1990 and has a wealth of practical experience of developing business continuity and IT disaster recovery plans. Andy established Mentor’s business partner Acumen in 1997 to provide business continuity consultancy services. He has since worked with a number of clients across a broad range of industry types including manufacturing, pharmaceutical, insurance, financial services, local government, retail, publishing, education, transport, housing, property management and IT services. Andy has a management style which enables him to work effectively at all levels within an organisation. Andy is the author of Practical Business Continuity Management.

PETER BRILL, MCIPR, a director of communication specialists Net-Mentor Ltd.   After training and working in broadcast journalism, including award-winning coverage of an aircraft hijacking, Peter turned to Public Relations.  His final corporate role was as Head of PR at RAC, which he left to set up his own company.  He has also acted as spokesman for a range of blue chip brands including Mobil and Toyota (GB). 

Peter’s skills in crisis and reputation management were developed through his work with motorsport and the RAC’s operational and product development activities – including driver/membership related issues and roadside fatalities.  Spokesmanship has included appearance in local, national and international media.  As a Trustee of Sense (Deafblind and Rubella Association) Peter acted as the link between the Board and the communication team – providing media training and spokesmanship where required and, in particular, in handling issues and crises relating to residential care and the MMR vaccination debate. 

He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association and the Patient Information Forum.  He is also a lecturer in PR for the CIPR.

BARRY TAYLOR spent ten years working in arts development and promotion for the Oxford Playhouse, the Arts Council and two local authorities.  Then came 14 years as Head of Corporate Communications for Bristol City Council, where he played a significant role in efforts to strengthen local democracy – a subject on which he has written and spoken in the UK and overseas.

From 2000 to 2010 he served as Director of Communications for the University of Bristol. He project-managed the University’s ambitious centenary celebrations in 2009. He was also a Trustee of the US-based Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).  In his roles at Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, Barry has managed and advised on numerous risk issues and crises and now applies those experiences to training and advising other organisations.

ADRIAN BOOTH is a writer and communications consultant witha background in local and national journalism.  His PR and corporate communication skills were developed with both BBC and ITV, then consolidated during 15 years under fire with Royal Mail Group.

As Royal Mail Senior Media Relations Manager, he led a highly regarded team covering South and West England, 25,000 employees, and several sub brands.  His primary Royal Mail role was brand defence and promotion, and these abilities were tested on a daily basis. Crises communication challenges came in all shapes and sizes, including the impact of change; fire; theft; staff injury; operational failure; industrial relations conflict; diversity issues, and much more.

As a communications consultant for First Great Western (FGW), he was asked to steer their external relations at the height of the new franchise’s problems. 

ELAINE WILDE, MCIPR, is a communications professional who runs her own company, Pink Carpet PR, specialising in PR, event management and crisis communications. As a former journalist and Head of Corporate Communications with First Great Western she has extensive communications experience with particular knowledge of crisis communications. Elaine began her journalistic career with the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard in Cirencester, joining the Evening Advertiser in Swindon in the mid 1980s. She moved into PR and the rail industry in 1996 working for Railtrack (now Network Rail) and First Great Western. Through the latter she has gained extensive crisis management experience both on a day-to-day level and in terms of strategic direction.