Business Communication Forum

Gerry was formerly head of training at Burson Marsteller, and Director of Communications at the London Business School. He has almost 20 years experience with a broad range of communication specialism. Author of five business books: The Power Game (looking at corporate power struggles) Dot Con (dealing with Internet strategy); Reputation Management (looking at the world of corporate reputations and their impact on the bottom line); Games Companies Play - which looks at office dynamics and Fools Gold - cautionary tales of speculation. His sixth book: The Message is published in mid 2010. Gerry has trained a wide number of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies.

Stuart Crainer is one of the UK's leading business writers with over 15 years of experience writing for publications throughout the world. Stuart is executive editor of Business Strategy Review and a contributing editor to the American magazine Strategy & Business. He writes for The Times and is a regular contributor to the BA in-flight magazine Business Life. Stuart's books have been translated into over 20 languages. They include Leadership the Sven-Goran Eriksson Way (with Julian Birkinshaw); the biography of management guru Tom Peters, Corporate Man to Corporate Skunk; He also edits the FT Handbook of Management (with Des Dearlove) which is now in its third edition. Personnel Today nominated Stuart as one of the most influential people in the HR world in the UK.

Jonathan Harker has over 15 years' international consulting, facilitation and training/development experience, with a focus on helping businesses achieve sustainable change. A founding director of Catalise plc, a management consultancy with a client base now spanning America, Europe and Asia, Jonathan has also held roles with Practick (a boutique consultancy specialising in organisational transformation, communications and management development), business consultancy CSC Index and IT consultants Butler Cox. Jonathan has presented on a wide range of topics at conferences and forums across the USA, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region.

A senior media trainer with BCF and a lecturer in Media and Communications at Middlesex University, in the UK. Working for over fifteen years as a video director and producer, Roddy spent three years with Dr Barnado's as director of the organisations internal TV magazine forming part of a broader internal communications strategy. Roddys work also includes directing The Parkinson's Disease Society information tape regarding young onset of Parkinson's, funded by GMTV and The British Epilepsy Associations award winning IVCA film. He has acted as a consultant for a number of leading edge corporations, notably with internet service provider Energis on the commercial development of the 'Emblaze' internet video-streaming platform.

Roy Gillett has many years of experience working with a wide range of organisations including: governments, multi-nationals, health services and entrepreneurial small businesses. He graduated with an MBA at distinction level and is an effective educator, lecturer and facilitator specialising in Strategy and Change Management. He also lectures and designs courses for the University of London. Roy passionately believes that effective organisations stem from effective people and that understanding (self and corporate issues) is the key to peak performance.

Allyson Stewart Allen is a recognised expert on communicating and working across cultures.

An international marketing expert by background, Allyson is the co-author of the first-ever US business culture manual, Working with Americans, and advises senior-level executives on their important international business communications. She is an American based in London, a member of the Advisory Board of New York-based Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), and a regular contributor to CNN, Fox Business, Sky News, CNBC, BBC television as well as a columnist for Market Leader magazine.

Bronagh is a co-founder and a director of the BCF and is responsible for ensuring that the training sessions are adequately supported and flow smoothly. Her background is in finance where she spent ten years working with Morgan Stanley.

Daniel Klein delivers strategic consulting advice and direct management performance at senior levels for major multinational companies, NGO's, Not-for Profits (GM, Hughes Aircraft, Ford, Raytheon, Ericson, Greenpeace) and small to medium enterprises (SME). He focuses on designing, introducing, implementing and driving change through leadership at all levels in organisations.

His experience includes more than 28 years of international, multi-lingual, professional experience across Europe, Asia, Australia and the US, working in diverse roles from operational levels to directorships, Chief Executive/Operations Officer and Board Chairperson.

He is recognised for his considerable hands-on business and management knowledge with extensive practical leadership experience in fields such as sales leadership, change management and short-term "stand-in" executive contracts.

An international public speaker, corporate trainer and PR practitioner.Previously with the international PR firm, Hill & Knowlton, where she worked for 14 years. Prior to this she ran her own Los Angeles-based PR firm. She is a member of the steering group for the European Commission's Women in Industrial Research - a special project to encourage more women into industrial research across the European Union. As an international trainer, Susan teaches at a number of leading Universities in the USA, including San Jose State, Georgetown, USF (Tampa), UC Berkeley and Stanford. She has written two books - "Win New Business" and "Corporate Reputation: The New Currency".

Robert Blood is an issues management specialist with particular expertise in handling risk issues and pressure groups.

A former board director of the Fleishman-Hillard UK and the Quentin Bell Organisation, Robert has worked with a broad spread of multinationals and industry organisations on issues ranging from food and ag biotech to animal rights and climate change.

Robert is the founder-editor and publisher of SIGWatch, an internationally read newsletter about pressure groups. He speaks and trains regularly on activism, public opinion and the psychology of communications.

Robert divides his time between London, England and Freiburg, Germany.

A journalist by heart all her working life, Conny has shifted emphasis to being a media-based presenter during the last decade, as well as an executive coach. Having started off as a coach for young journalists in the field of interview-techniques and presentation, Conny has also become a media trainer for managers in recent years. Her experience as an active journalist and an active conference moderator are a core asset in guiding executives, senior managers, and other spokespeople to achieve better results in presenting themselves to the press and to the public.

Christine has been working in a global business environment for more than 20 years. As a leader and communicator she got great insight of the challenges you face in organisations. She is also an experienced facilitator of meetings and workshops as well as in planning and execution of events and trainings. Christine focuses on crafting effective messages and enabling these to be communicated in a coherent, consistent and coordinated way. She wants to help her clients to use powerful messages in the leadership and communication as well as developing their communications and leadership skills, strategies and actions. Christine's area of expertise include strategic visioning, team development, coaching, facilitation, communications planning, training in effective delivery of the messages, designing events and project management.

Deborah has experience in strategic planning, budgeting, managing and motivating people, product development, and creative workshops. In her human resources role, she supported other managers with training programmes, workshop facilitation, and personal coaching. She provided support during major organisational changes involving work climate improvement, leadership development, cross-cultural integration programmes, and other interventions. Deborah's areas of expertise include executive coaching, one-to-one personal development, small group facilitation, and team development, particularly in a multi-cultural context. She is a certified in the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Predictive Index, and Landscape of the Mind.

Antoine is coach & trainer in relational intelligence.

He has first worked 15 years in communication agencies at top executive levels (five years as the financial director of the marketing services branch of RSCG, then Creative Director within the Publicis subsidiary specializing in video, multimedia and events). Since 1999, he trains top executives and their teams in their professional development, their communication and their collective effectiveness. Parallel to this activity, he is in charge of the management programme for several “mastères specialisés” at ESTP, a French “Grande Ecole” in civil engineering.

Antoine graduated in 1984 from ESCP, one of France's top three "Grandes Ecoles" in business administration, and attended communication classes at UCLA. He has trained in Transactional Analysis, and is certified coach & modeler and certified trainer in Neuro Linguistic Programming.

He lives and practices in Paris and travels throughout the world giving workshops for international corporations, as well as for small businesses.

Richard specialises in media relations, media training and workshop facilitation. He has held senior positions with Text 100 and Fleishman-Hillard running pan-European and sub-Saharan accounts for a range of multi-national clients.

Based in Melbourne since 2001, Richard currently provides communications consultancy for major change and stakeholder management projects as well as media relations and training services. His work embraces e-learning tools, workshop training and one-to-one coaching.

Caroline Rennie delivers strategic advice dedicated to maximising the value that companies and organisations realise from their environmental and social involvement. Using sustainability as the lens for evaluating and enhancing a company's future prospects, she analyses resource supply, competitive substitutes, market opportunities, and legislative developments to develop an opportunity/risk profile for the company. She then identifies the strategies that will create value for the business and its customers.

Caroline has direct management experience at senior levels for major multinational companies, NGO's, Not-for Profits, and government (e.g. Tetra Pak, Continental Can, Schmalbach Lubeca, De Laval, State of California, National Recycling Coalition) as well as small and medium enterprises (SME). She focuses on identifying risks and opportunities, developing strategy, as well as implementing strategy through motivating change, leadership communications, stakeholder relations and trainings.

Caroline's experience includes more than 20 years of international, multi-lingual, professional experience in Europe, Asia, South America and the US. She is particularly recognised for her practical leadership approach, enthusiasm and experience.