UK & Global
Will Painter, Global CEO / Founder – London, Global HQ
Beginning his career in PR as a technology and business communications specialist, Will has worked with consumer and corporate brands including the likes of Microsoft, Coca- Cola Enterprises, Logitech, Trend Micro, and Ericsson.
Will is a highly commended and trusted PR practitioner working at top ten agency Ogilvy as a director of brand storytelling and media strategy, delivering award winning campaigns for consumer, corporate, CSR, and technology brands including the Ford Motor Company, Telstra Global, IBM, Carlson Rezidor, and HSBC.
Will launched WP Communications in February 2018 with a passion to support brands on a flexible basis, through deploying teams of best in breed PR specialists to maximise results and business impact.
Will is a skilled publicist, copywriter, media trainer working with top Fortune 500 companies. Educated at the University of Durham, Will holds a BA(Hons) Anthropology.
Professor Richard Crisp, Behavioural Change Specialist – UK
Professor Richard Crisp is an award-winning scientist, writer, and educator. He is Founder of the Behavioural Science Programme at Durham University, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Social Psychology and was recently Durham’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost. His books include The Social Brain: How Diversity Made the Modern Mind and Social Psychology: A Very Short Introduction and he has written many articles on social influence for the national and international press (e.g., The Guardian, Scientific American, THES, HR magazine, Vision Dubai, and The Singapore Times).
Richard’s consultancy work includes pioneering approaches in ‘behavioural communications’. By applying behavioural insights to internal and external messaging he helps organisations frame communications in ways that can energise, engage and influence. Richard has helped clients in a range of industries, including those in the financial and technology sectors, adopt behavioural principles in their communication strategies. In the public sector, he has helped redesign services to improve public health and well-being as well as facilitating pro-environmental behaviour using evidence-based behavioural insights.
Neil Duerden, Creative Design Specialist – UK
Neil has worked for design agencies all over the globe including BBDO, Grey and Saatchi & Saatchi to name but a few for clients ranging from Coke and Google through to P&Q and Unilever.
His work has been seen on all media, across all territories. Each answering the clients brief with an effective creative solution.
He has been featured in many creative magazines and his projects have won many accolades.
Julia Portelly, Senior Media Relations Specialist – London, Global HQ
Julia is an independent media relations expert, copywriter and communicator, and has overseen brand-building projects, product launch campaigns, crisis communications, and long-term strategic planning for high-profile companies.
Julia has worked in B2B Tech PR for the past nine years at several London agencies across technology clients; cybersecurity, AI, defence, telecoms, electronics, and maritime industries.
Rick Lacroix, Strategic Communications Specialist – US
Rick Lacroix is an independent senior communications leader with over 30 years of experience advising public and private companies.
Rick previously served as Vice President and Head of Global Communications at Cognizant, where he was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and led communications for the company’s global business, supporting a $17 billion organization with more than 280,000 employees.
He has also held senior communications leadership roles at Toptal, Progress Software and EMC Corporation, where he led global teams and supported multi-billion-dollar business units, including EMC’s flagship product divisions prior to its merger with Dell.
Rick has been recognized with numerous industry awards and is based in the Boston area.
Magdalene Tan, Strategic Communications Specialist – APAC
Magdalene is an independent strategic communications professional with over 20 years’ experience shaping corporate narratives, advising senior leadership, and managing reputation in complex, highly regulated global environments. She specialises in executive communications, content strategy, and translating technical, policy, and sustainability initiatives into clear, compelling stories that build stakeholder trust and impact.
She has held extensive communications roles across financial institutions including Deutsche Bank, DBS Asset Management, Citibank, and OCBC Bank, and has provided contract support in high-stakes environments such as crisis communications for Asian shipping liner, Neptune Orient Lines.
Magdalene holds a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from the National University of Singapore, and a Specialist Diploma in Digital Marketing & Analytics from Singapore Polytechnic.
Ashling Lee, Strategic Communications Advisor, Australia
Ashling is an independent strategic communications advisor with over a decade of experience spanning journalism, agency, and in-house roles across Australia and the US.
She has built and led communications functions at high-growth scaleups, advising executive teams on go-to-market narratives, media positioning, and reputation management in complex, regulated environments.
Combining the creative instincts of a journalist with strong commercial and operational rigour, her work has driven company repositioning, supported acquisition communications, and established thought leadership platforms for businesses navigating crowded or unfamiliar markets.
Ashling specialises in narrative and message development, executive communications, and content strategy. She is based in Sydney.