Elaine Brass
Elaine has worked in the media and PR for over 10 years, and has been an associate of Taylor Keogh since mid-2009. She has a particular focus towards ethical business and sustainable communications. Elaine has worked on raising the profile for the world's most sustainable bank - Triodos Bank, run public health campaigns for NHS Trusts, managed community relations programmes for RBS, and is a regular contributor to the daily green business news service, GreenWise Business. Elaine is currently studying for a Masters in Environmental Management and Assessment at Manchester University.
Peter Haslam
Peter Haslam has over 25 years experience in the energy sector and the electricity industry in particular. He has an extensive knowledge of Whitehall and the wider parliamentary process, and was British Energy's Director of Government Affairs for 9 years. During his career at BE, Peter developed and implemented the company's public affairs strategy at the Scottish, Westminster and European levels. Prior to this, his roles included Public Affairs Manager at Nuclear Electric plc and Head of the Parliamentary Section at the CEGB. Before joining the electricity industry, Peter was a career civil servant in the Department of Energy.
Frances Knox
Frances has been an associate consultant of Taylor Keogh since 2008. She has more than 15 years experience in corporate and consumer public relations having worked with leading companies and brands such as Singapore Airlines, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Scottish & Newcastle Retail and Reed Exhibition Companies. Her work encompasses strategic planning, issue and crisis management, event management (launches and exhibitions), website development, consumer research campaigns, sponsorship, CSR, direct marketing, trade advertising and extensive written work including the production of newsletters and brochures. An honours graduate from Warwick University, she also holds a post-graduate business qualification in International Public Relations.
Kate McKinley
Kate is a communications specialist with 20 years experience in communications and PR working with clients in a range of industry sectors including energy and the environment, higher education, the NHS, tourism, financial services and various public sector and local government bodies. Her work covers strategy development, media relations, crisis and event management and communication audits. Based in the Scottish Highlands, Kate works with a number of clients in the region including Highlands & Islands Enterprise, writing and editing HI-Energy News and case studies for the HI-Energy website. In 2006/7 Kate managed HIE's public information renewable energy PR campaign.
Jim Mitchell
Jim has extensive experience of Central Government. He was a civil servant for 20 years and has held posts in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), HM Treasury, DFES and the former Department of Energy. He is a specialist in stakeholder engagement, strategic development, and change management. He has played a senior key role in delivering a series of major pan-Departmental government & industry collaboration programmes, most recently the outsourcing of the Businesslink.gov programme to the private sector and the creation of a business-led network of Sector Skills Councils. Previously he was Private Secretary to ministers in both Conservative and Labour administrations and has had responsibility for such diverse policy priorities as Euro preparations, reform of land-use planning and the privatisation of the nuclear industry. He is a qualified project manager (PRINCE2).
Cyra Parkes
Cyra has been associate of Taylor Keogh's since early 2009. A planning and community relations specialist, much of Cyra’s work over the past two years has involved the management of local grass-root campaigns in support of wind farm developments across England. In addition Cyra has worked with a number of housing developers on projects in the south of England, supporting various planning applications. Her primary areas of work covers political audits, media relations and local community engagement.
Sarah Threlfall
Sarah has worked in the energy sector for 15 years. Her career has spanned senior roles at EDF Energy (formerly London Electricity) and Eastern Electricity and started with six years at the House of Commons. She has extensive experience of all communications disciplines while her specialist areas of expertise are government relations, public policy and corporate responsibility (CSR). At EDF Energy, Sarah led the group's government affairs function developing and delivering public affairs programmes to support the firm's day to day business goals and corporate growth, particularly through merger and acquisition. Sarah extended her role at EDF Energy to take responsibility for the company's CSR and sustainable development strategies, ensuring that these concepts became "core" to the day to day activity. In 2003 and 2004 the work of her teams was recognised by Business in the Community through Awards for Excellence in Community Investment. In 2005 she was seconded to BITC to support its strategic development in Essex.
Helena Douglas
Helena has over 20 years' writing and editing experience and became an associate of Taylor Keogh in 2011. Much of her career was at The Economist and she continues to write regular book reviews and articles for the paper. As a freelance writer, Helena's work includes researching and writing business case studies, white papers and articles as well as copywriting for brochures and websites. Her primary interests are in sustainable energy, green technology and the countryside.
Christopher Biggs
Christopher has been an independent communications and marketing consultant since 2001, and over the past decade much of his work has focused on renewable energy and sustainable development issues for SMEs, major PLCs and membership organisations. His career has spanned consultancy and in-house corporate communication roles with companies such as Hilton, Aegis, Arjo Wiggins Appleton and Antalis.
David Lowry
David has worked as an independent environmental policy and research consultant for over 20 years, specializing in energy policy, sustainability and climate issues. He has extensive experience in government affairs, and has worked with several MPs at Westminster as well as MEPs from Germany, Ireland and the UK. He has contributed news reports and specialist features on energy, climate and related sustainability issues for Parliament, Government departments and agencies and to several publications. He also has longstanding expertise in nuclear energy policy, on which he has published widely, holding a PhD in nuclear reactor decision-making, from 1986.
