Our Team

Following a career spanning the police, local government and PR and marketing agencies, Angharad joined Freshwater in 2008. In addition to driving the agency’s daily operations, Angharad provides strategic counsel to support clients through critical periods, including times of crisis, change and growth.

She proudly leads Freshwater’s diverse and talented teams to ensure we consistently exceed the high expectations of quality and creativity we set ourselves, and have provided clients over the last 25 years. When she’s (rarely) not thinking about Freshwater, Angharad enjoys quality family time with her two sons; Morgan and Fawkes, the cat.

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John is an Executive Director at Freshwater and Director of the Centre for Health Communication Research at Buckinghamshire New University. He is strongly committed to the values of the NHS and, over the past 30 years, has worked extensively on the communication of complex issues in public healthcare. He has provided senior strategic counsel to a wide range of organisations including health commissioners, health providers, professional bodies, regulators and the Department of Health and Social Care

Before moving into communication consultancy, John was an award-winning TV journalist for the BBC, ITN and Channel Four. He uses this expertise at Freshwater to provide specialist communications and media training to a diverse client base.

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Haydn brings more than 30 years of finance experience to the agency, and has held a position on Freshwater’s board since 2003. Prior to joining us, Haydn worked extensively across the telecommunication sector in both the UK and France, holding several senior finance positions and leading teams across Europe and Canada.

When he’s not head down in the numbers, Haydn loves nothing more than listening to hard rock music and sampling the best restaurants across the UK.

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Sarah is a Fellow of CIPD and has worked in Human Resources for 30 years, across public, private and third-sector organisations, along with running her own HR consultancy for ten years. Committed to delivering excellence, Sarah is responsible for all Freshwater’s HR and Operations activity and accreditations.

She is passionate about supporting colleagues through their employee journey and development aspirations. Over the past 15 years, Sarah has been volunteering for a variety of charities, has held non-executive board roles and is currently a Business Mentor for the Princes Trust. Sarah is also Freshwater’s Company Secretary.

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Elinor is one of those rare communicators who is as strategic and analytical as she is creative. Having been with us for more than a decade, Elinor has led digital, design, content and strategic marketing teams to deliver results that matter to clients.

A first-language Welsh speaker, Elinor is a proud mum to two little ones who keep her very busy outside work. In work, her time is spent focusing on Freshwater and she sets the strategic direction for growth, innovation and continuous improvement of the brand, profile and processes of the agency.

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In-person, hybrid, virtual, roadshows, awards ceremonies, exhibitions, launches – there aren’t many events that Aled hasn’t managed during his 20+ years in the industry. He’s worked with clients across the globe from UK Government to Nintendo.

His long-standing relationships with clients speak volumes about his approach to every brief; having delivered Unite the Union’s flagship events since 2013, and multiple Welsh Government cross-sector events over 15 years, including the recent Wales Climate Week, Atlantic Arc Commission, Creative Wales Showcase and Wales Export Conference.

Aled prides himself on never leaving anything to the last minute and always adding value to increase attendance and engagement at events. His other passions include great music and great food – and if he can weave those into his events, he’s even happier.

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A problem solver with a passion for writing, Kate has a unique ability to look at numbers and create a story from them. She works closely with clients to understand their goals and develop multi-channel strategies grounded in audience insight.

Kate’s been with us for more than a decade, and is proud to have worked with clients including Specsavers and Thompsons Solicitors for nearly as long. Working with values-led brands and celebrating organisations who are at the heart of local communities, gives her a real sense of satisfaction.

A mum of one who loves to travel, Kate describes herself as a ‘people person’ who thrives leading her team and seeing them achieve.

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Rebecca is the Director of Waterfront Conference Company – Freshwater’s sister company, with a significant presence in the transport, planning and infrastructure and energy sectors.

Rebecca has the ability to identify the latest sector trends and themes, and produce market-leading, conferences attended by hundreds. Colleagues and clients love how resilient and adaptable she is, and her ability to create an A-Z plan for all events she delivers – knowing that things can go wrong and being prepared for all eventualities.

She is most proud of growing the industry-leading Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects Forum from its infancy into Waterfront’s flagship annual event.

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Ewan joined Freshwater in 2023 as our Growth and Development Director. Bringing with him 16 years of marketing and agency experience, Ewan has worked for a vast and diverse range of clients, from Bentley to the Cabinet Office.

With past projects seeing him driving on ice in Switzerland and delivering the NHS’ most successful national stop smoking campaign, Ewan is passionate about spotting opportunities that help our clients and us grow together.

He’s strategic, motivated and builds exceptional relationships with colleagues, clients, and partners. When the pressure is on and deadlines are looming, Ewan rallies the teams to make sure everything is done brilliantly while keeping everyone calm and positive.

When not collaborating with colleagues and clients, you’ll find Ewan out in the fresh air pedalling his bike for miles.

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Communication is in Carolyn’s blood. An English graduate with a particular love of grammar, Carolyn is at her best when she’s working with words. When she’s not leading teams who deliver content in all its forms, Carolyn is helping clients shape their narrative, engage with stakeholders, navigate thorny issues or hone their skills to manage media interviews with confidence.

Having worked at Freshwater for more than 20 years, Carolyn’s varied client base has included John Lewis, Tarmac, Public Health Wales, Thompsons Solicitors and The National Lottery.

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Nicola is unflappable under pressure and loves a challenge. Her discipline and commitment have seen her complete the London marathon and a cycling challenge from Paris to Barcelona. Combining this focus with a passion for communication which makes a real impact to people’s lives, Nicola leads our behaviour change and public sector campaigns.

Her proudest work to date includes delivering a series of domestic abuse awareness campaigns for Welsh Government’s Live Fear Free.

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A leading NHS board director and communications professional, Nick has more than 25 years’ experience in healthcare leadership, crisis management, transformation, public engagement and public affairs.

Specialising in developing communication functions and strategies, service change, and staff and public consultation, Nick has recently worked as Interim Director of Communications for Swansea Bay University Health Board and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West NHS ICB.

He has held previous roles as Executive Director of Strategy, Communications and Policy for the Royal College of Physicians, Director of Communications for NHS Providers and Director of Communications for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. A former chairman of the Association for Healthcare Communications and Marketing, he is also an occasional writer for the Health Service Journal.

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Chris is an Associate Director at Freshwater and leads our Healthcare team.

He is proud to have delivered multiple engagement and consultation programmes for health and care organisations across the UK, including NHS Cumbria Success Regime and East Kent Hospitals, as well as working on complex communication challenges in the sector.

Chris values working with clients who make a real change to people’s lives and, more specifically, helping local people shape local health and care.

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Simon is the guardian of the Freshwater brand, and claims: “If I was cut in half, I would have Freshwater’s brand colours running right through me”. He’s been an integral part of Freshwater for more than 20 years, continuously developing and adapting his skills, and those of our creative and design team, to meet clients’ needs. He particularly enjoys leading creative projects for long-standing clients BT, Welsh Government and NHS trusts across the UK, and ‘making a difference’ through design.

A self-confessed aquaholic, the sea is Simon’s real passion and he loves nothing more than spending his free time at the beach with his family.

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Antony has more than 25 years’ experience in marketing, PR and event management, gained through both in-house and consultancy roles. He joined Freshwater more than 15 years ago and has used his varied skills across a breadth of services, from running national PR campaigns to major events, and from delivering media training to supporting clients through a crisis. He thrives on problem-solving, variety and adding value through good communication, which he also does as a qualified rugby coach and a trustee of a local charity.

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Emel joined Freshwater after securing a First in her Events Management degree. Cool, calm and collected under pressure, Emel’s gap year in America helped prepare her to handle any situation that is thrown at her – and in events, that really can be anything. Emel likes to inject creativity and passion into every event she works on – whether that’s the large-scale in-person conferences for trade unions, Unite and NASUWT, or virtual events for BT and Welsh Government’s Wales Climate Week.

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Nad has been a key member of our design team for more than 15 years. Working on a whole host of branding and creative campaigns for clients including BT, Welsh Government, Thompsons Solicitors, Tesco and Unite the Union, Nad works hard to ensure every one of his designs meets the client’s brief to the letter. Describing himself as a ‘quiet and introverted’, his designs are far from it and he always delivers brands and creative campaigns with real impact.

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Content manager Omar can write about anything. With a background in news and current affairs, and an avid interest in politics, he is motivated by causes that bring about positive social change. Omar’s favourite clients are those that make a real difference to the world in which we live, whether by promoting environmental sustainability for Wales Climate Week, workers’ rights for Thompsons Solicitors or employee mental health and wellbeing for Public Health Wales.

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Harvey has a keen ​​eye for all things digital, and a particular passion for website design and UX. Working with a diverse mix of clients, including Thompsons Solicitors and Welsh Government, Harvey enjoys delivering across channels to drive tangible results for clients. An extrovert with an insatiable love of great food, Harvey is a true team player and is at his best when collaborating with others.

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Steve’s background is in leading strategic communication teams. He has a variety of roles under his belt, from the Dutch and UK public sector to Mark Drakeford’s leadership campaign, and now specialises in healthcare comms. He also has over a decade at the helm of creative production agencies in France and the UK. A multi-linguist with a passion for social justice, Steve is driven by a desire to Make it Matter for his clients. He was particularly proud to lead Swansea Bay University Health Board’s largest-ever public engagement campaign.

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Rhian describes herself as a detective, who enjoys finding unique ways to reach people through clever communications. Having worked in a variety of roles at Freshwater, she is an all-round integrated marketer. An expert in reaching niche audiences, Rhian brings her laser-focused targeting skills to deliver digital strategies and behaviour change campaigns for clients. A mum of two who’s been with Freshwater for nine years, her personal priority is family and professional priority is building relationships with clients and colleagues, who she says feel like family by now too.

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Going the extra mile and striving for excellence is what motivates Natalie. Spending a lot of time building relationships with clients, Natalie really gets to the heart of matters to create content that truly reflects who they are. When she’s not managing social feeds or drafting press releases, you’ll find Natalie listening to music or dancing – probably both.

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A key member of our healthcare team, Jemima says her strongest skill is her ability to actively listen, get to know her clients and build strong relationships. She is also highly organised and great at managing multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

An English literature graduate, Jemima particularly enjoys driving research projects and writing opinion pieces. She’s proud to have worked with a number of NHS trusts across the UK and, in particular, helping to extend our contract with University Hospitals of North Midlands for an additional 18 months. In her down time, Jemima loves nothing more than getting stuck into a good book.

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Charlotte is always up for trying something new, whether that’s running a half marathon, starting salsa lessons or learning about wine in different countries. That’s just as well, seeing as the events she organises are diverse. One day, she’s delivering a virtual conference for 5,000+ delegates and the next, she can be directing a group of dancers as part of the Welsh Government’s celebration of Diwali. Charlotte’s highly organised, creative, a problem-solver and a real team player. She’s also passionate about sustainability and is always looking at ways of using local suppliers and environmentally friendly options for her events.

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Debbie is a Business Development Manager looking after sponsorship at Waterfront Conference Company, Freshwater’s sister company. She always brings 100% to everything she does and has a positive attitude which is contagious to all those in her company. Debbie will always go the extra mile to make sure all sponsors meet their objectives for Waterfront’s events and get maximum value from their involvement, which is why they often keep coming back year after year.

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Integrity, honesty and a good dose of diligence are the qualities that Steve brings to the table at Freshwater. Fortunately, he gets to work with clients who echo his ethics, values and beliefs, whether that’s promoting net zero for Wales Climate Week or championing workers’ rights for Thompsons Solicitors. Steve is no stranger to hard work, though he would say that when you work with clients you believe in, the work comes easy.

Steve also heads up our People, Standards and Inclusion (PSI) Committee, driving engagement and wellbeing activities and ensuring that every voice at Freshwater is heard. Our tallest employee, Steve is as big in character as he is in stature.

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Elli’s enthusiasm in the office is contagious. She joined Freshwater armed with a First in her Digital Marketing master’s degree, and has been putting her digital know-how to good use ever since. She particularly enjoys running social media advertising campaigns for clients, and there’s very little she doesn’t know about TikTok and Snapchat. A creative individual, Elli loves nothing better than coming up with ideas in collaboration with colleagues and clients. She is proud to have worked on some of our biggest behavioural change projects, such as the Welsh Government’s Live Fear Free campaign, where she used her online skills to deliver great results on an issue that really matters.

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Benedict joined our Healthcare team in 2023 after graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Bristol. She also worked as a PR Representative for PENGals, a space for WOC and non-binary POC on campus to share their experiences and connect, and for Bristol Student Union as its Women’s Network Secretary.

A hard worker who is all about collaboration, Benedict particularly enjoys supporting clients through a period of crisis and helping them to maintain their reputation. A keen writer, she had two short stories published at the tender age of 14.

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A keen hockey player and current captain, Maxine is a great team player who works very well under pressure. Working across both our Events team and our sister conference company, Waterfront, she’s often helping deliver multiple events simultaneously and all to a high standard. She’s supported the teams to run a full range of in-person, virtual and hybrid events and loves that each event is different to the next.

One of Freshwater’s trained mental health first aid champions, Maxine is proud to help maintain a healthy workplace, challenge stigma and support positive wellbeing.

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Keanu joined our creative team in 2021, and plays a key role in the development of design assets and marketing materials for a broad range of clients; from the NHS and BT to the Welsh and UK Governments.

With a degree in Graphic Communication from the University of South Wales, Keanu particularly enjoys working on branding projects and creating impactful visual identities for organisations and campaigns. When he’s not flexing his creative skills, Keanu loves hitting the gym.

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Former rugby team captain, Caitlin is all about teamwork and is the first to lend a hand when deadlines are looming. Growing up in a small rural town, Caitlin understands the importance of building a strong community and thrives working with clients – from Thompsons Solicitors and Specsavers to The Vale Resort – to make sure their stories are told well and really make a difference.

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Ann is the backbone of Freshwater. She knows her job inside out, and everyone else’s too. As well as keeping Freshwater running like a well-oiled machine, she lends her talents to both the HR and finance teams. Her prize achievement is keeping the same job for the last 48 years and you really cannot beat that level of experience! When in doubt, ask Ann.

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Sharon has worked in multiple client facing roles, from PR Assistant to Production Co-ordinator to Events Manager, before becoming our Finance Manager more than 15 years ago. A mum of three, Sharon describes herself as an expert in patience. Holding a previous Welsh record for competitive swimming, Sharon gives her absolute all to everything she does and we’re very lucky to have her expertise to keep budgets on track and every penny reported.

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Caitlin’s expertise lies in digital strategy and technical problem solving. As strong at web copywriting as she is with SEO, you can rely on Caitlin for anything, and if she doesn’t know how to fix something, she’ll be the first to find out for you. This helpful, can-do approach spills over into her spare time, where you’ll often find her volunteering at her local dog charity.

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A journalism graduate with experience in PR, marketing, social media, events and advertising, Hannah’s greatest strength is her ability to spin plates without compromising on quality.

She’s led campaigns for clients across a broad range of sectors including legal, public sector, education, sport and conservation. And particularly enjoys working on projects that have a real impact on people, communities and the environment. A natural coordinator and analytical thinker, Hannah helps digest client results and arrive at well-thought-out solutions.

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Steve founded Freshwater in 1997 after leaving the BBC where he had worked as a news reporter and producer for Radio Wales and Wales Today, the daily regional television news programme. His experience in journalism also includes editing the Newport edition of the South Wales Argus and writing for the Guardian and Independent.

Steve has extensive stakeholder communications and media relations experience, including acting as a consultant for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in 2010 and working on projects for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, John Lewis, the University of Wales, Thompsons Solicitors and Unite the Union.

Under Steve’s leadership, Freshwater has grown to become one of the UK’s leading independent communications consultancies with 50 staff in London and Cardiff. After 20 years at the helm of the business, Steve took a leave of absence from his role as Chief Executive to work for the Labour Party as Deputy Director of Strategy and Communications in 2017.

Steve remains on the Freshwater board as a Non-Executive Director.

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David Howell was appointed to the board of the company in 2004 and served as chairman until March 2007. David remained as a non-executive of the company until his resignation on 8 June 2009. David was re-appointed to the board as a non-executive director on 1 October 2010. On 29 September 2011 David replaced Marie-Louise Windeler as non-executive chairman. He is also managing director of privately-owned Hillco Investments (UK) Limited, which holds a diverse portfolio of assets and investments.

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