COMMUNICATIONS

FOR GROWING

FINANCIAL

BUSINESSES

PROMOTE, POSITION & PROTECT

OUR

SERVICES

At Cornerstone we offer a range of communications services that add value to your business strategy and support your goals.

Our services are many and can be used separately or in combination as you so wish.

Not only does this offer flexibility, but also uses your time and budget most effectively.

Strategic

Advice

Media

Training

Content

Creative filmed

Content

Media

Relations

Crisis & Change

Communications

NOT JUST ANOTHER

AGENCY

Cornerstone is a communications consultancy focused solely on providing growing financial services companies

with advice and support enabling them to communicate highly effectively with all stakeholders in all circumstances.

Based on over two decades of experience in financial services, working both in-house and within PR agencies, we understand that no two companies have the same needs and a 'cookie-cutter' approach to communications simply isn't effective.

Cornerstone specialises in providing every client with bespoke support to help meet their needs, exceed their expectations and support their growth ambitions.

Develop Strategy &

Communications Plan

What we do

Listen & Understand

Develop Content

& Relationships

Promote, Position

& Protect

How we work

SPECIALISTS

CORE TEAM

Central to this is the way we operate.

Rather than supporting clients with communications 'generalists', we offer clients specialists in order to ensure advice and delivery is of the highest calibre at all times.

This means that all of our specialists, whether PRs, writers, videographers or media trainers are highly experienced and still active in their fields day-to-day rather than being specialists turned PRs.

For clients, the benefits of this approach are clear:

Flexibility

You get what you need when you need it

Value for money

No wasting budget on a vast team you don't always need

Targeted support

Ensuring a personalised service working with people that have relevant experience

BEN

LARTER

Director

BEN has worked in financial services for 26 years, having held various communications roles both in-house and within agencies, notably, as head of communications at Chelsea Financial Services, Account Director at Penrose (now MHP), overseeing the accounts of Credit Suisse, Investec, Axa and Henderson Global Investors. He was also Head of wealth & retail PR at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and co-head of EMEA communications at BNY Mellon Investment Management, before setting up Cornerstone in 2015.

RICHARD

ACWORTH

Director

RICHARD started out as a business journalist before moving to the Consumers' Association (now Which?). After completing an MBA at Warwick Business School, he worked in public affairs at Aviva and, before setting up Cornerstone in 2015, he spent over nine years as head of corporate communications and media for Henderson Global Investors leading communications for the business divisions and the Group across Europe, Asia and the US.

ANDY

FLEMING

Institutional

Director

ANDY has nearly three decades of experience in financial PR, having been a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions working with Frank Field and Alistair Darling. He he also held roles at the Office for National Statistics, was head of PR for the National Association of Pension Funds (now the PLSA), and has worked with some of the UK’s largest pension funds (including USS, Railpen and the pension funds of Barclays, Unilever and Sainsbury),

OUR

TEAM

We work with a range of seasoned experts at Cornerstone that can cater for a number of specific needs across the retail, wealth, institutional and private banking sectors.

ESTHER

ARMSTRONG

Associate

Director

ESTHER has over a decade of experience in financial services marketing and communications. She started out as a journalist, working for Money Observer, Moneywise,

Interactive Investor and Portfolio Adviser. In 2014, she joined BNY Mellon Investment Management as a founding member of its award-winning editorial team and in 2018 moved to New York to establish and run the North American content marketing function. Her content-led campaigns across audiences and client types, have won multiple industry awards. Esther has a first class honours in international relations from St Andrews University, a post-graduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University and earned a distinction from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership at Cambridge University.

FRANK

SCOTT-LENNON

Non-Executive

Director

FRANK has over 30 years experience as a Consultant in the HR & Wellbeing space and has worked across all industry sectors, providing a full-line HR service.

In recent years Frank has broadened his consultancy, now regularly assisting organisations with Business Development and optimising performance within organisations. He has consulted widely within Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, Saudi Arabia, Canada and in several Caribbean countries. He has co-written several books in the HR space over recent years. His latest: ‘Performance Conversations’, (published by pocketbook.co.uk) examines the latest approaches to Performance Management leading to greatly enhanced individual and organisational performance.

BRADLEY

GERRARD

Content

Writer

BRADLEY is a freelance journalist specialising in finance and business. After nearly a decade in financial journalism, most recently as a Senior Business Reporter at The Daily Telegraph, he covered the UK’s largest transport and leisure firms. Prior to this, Bradley developed a deep knowledge and expertise in investments and markets during his time at the Financial Times Group. He was News Editor at both Investment Adviser and Investors Chronicle, Bradley has a Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism from Cardiff University.

DAN

FLYNN

Content

Writer

DAN has over 10 years' experience in financial journalism. He was most recently markets & investments correspondent for the Mail on Sunday. Before that he was an asset management correspondent at Investment Week and International Adviser magazines. He regularly writes for a cross section of institutional and retail publications and newspapers. He has a 2:1 in English Literature from Southampton University.

DAVID BUTCHER

Associate

Consultant

DAVID is a communications professional with vast experience in adding enterprise value through corporate positioning, reputation management and client engagement. He specialises in financial services, having spent much of the last 22 years working within the sector. He started his career in specialist consultancies, advising companies on strategic and tactical issues, and held a number of senior roles at blue chip investment businesses, including Fidelity International and M&G Investments. He writes regularly on communications issues in financial services.