About us
Why do some of the most innovative companies struggle to grow while others dominate their market?
It’s rarely about what they offer, it’s how good they are at making buyers feel they need to take action now. It doesn’t matter how much coverage you get, success isn’t just about being seen; it’s about moving your audience to do something.
At Spark, we’ve spent the last 25 years helping ambitious tech and life sciences companies craft PR campaigns, comms strategy and content that don’t just make noise, they make things happen – whether that’s:
Attracting investment & category creation
Supporting lead generation
Shifting industry perceptions
Disrupting the market
Opening doors with policymakers
Putting a hidden issue on the agenda
Reaching vertical audiences
Creating customer advocates
How do we do it? We create urgency by making sure your audience understands why what you do matters and why it matters now.
Take Venafi. We helped it define and lead a new category – Machine Identity Management – at a time when most people didn’t know the term existed. We gave the issue relevance, made the message accessible, and delivered campaigns over multiple years that helped secure $100m in funding and ultimately led to a $1.5bn acquisition.
Our unique approach creates a feeling of urgency and turns it into action.
SIMPLIFY | HUMANISE | AMPLIFY | VISUALISE
We start by getting to the heart of the issue. That means looking at what’s getting in your way – whether it’s unclear messaging, a complex market, or a problem that hasn’t been well defined. We help you strip it back and focus on what really matters. Then, we take any complicated concepts or language and make them sharper and easier to grasp, so you can communicate with clarity.
We bring your story to life by connecting it to real-world problems, making it matter to the people you’re trying to reach. Our campaigns are always grounded in evidence, whether that’s from survey research, partnerships, or your own data, to give your story weight and credibility. This is what ensures your story lands with the media and is read by your audience.
We connect your story to what’s already making headlines so you can ride the wave of a bigger issue to maximise relevance and results over time. This is how we help clients outsmart, not outspend, their competition.
We turn your message into compelling content, from infographics and videos to data-led reports and animations. It’s not just about looking good; it’s about ensuring your message resonates across marketing, comms and sales.
The Spark Team.
You’ll be working with a stable team who know how to get results and who genuinely enjoy what they do.
Alex Asif
As an experienced goalkeeper, Alex is used to getting his angles right, whether that’s on the pitch or when crafting a story. With several years of experience working with martech and cybersecurity businesses, he particularly enjoys getting to grips with complex tech stories and uses his language skills to translate these into compelling media narratives. When not in the office or on the hockey pitch, you’ll find Alex taking his cat, Violet, for a walk.
Alex Crawshaw
Despite being old enough to remember the days of posting and faxing press releases, long-suffering Sheffield Wednesday fan, Alex definitely considers himself a digital native (even if only in spirit!). He hasn’t gone as far as buying shares in Apple (Editor’s note: this is no longer the case!) or changing his name to Alexa just yet, but Alex is Spark’s resident tech gadget geek.
Alex Smith
With a passion for drafting content and finding creative angles to bring news stories to life, Alex thrives on the idea of turning complex ideas into compelling stories. After years of watching Tottenham, Alex can see the positive in any situation and brings this enthusiasm to his accounts. When not working, you can find Alex on the oche, perfecting his darts game to be the next Phil Taylor, or practicing learning Spanish with the hope of one day finally becoming a fluent speaker.
Ana Williams
Roller derby enthusiast, family woman and Estrella fan, Ana’s ethics are beyond reproach. Don’t be deceived by her quiet demeanour, she’s often a silent assassin, striking at the right moment to cut straight to the chase. With the rare ability to genuinely listen, and a deep understanding of the technology space, Ana is always looking for the ‘so what’ to ensure campaigns resonate and get attention – which is probably why she has such incredible contacts.
Andy Lloyd-Williams
Andy’s talents stretch beyond simple PR: he dabbles in sports journalism, is a published author and lends his support to a multitude of obscure football teams and bands. As he’s learning to speak Italian, trips to cafes and restaurants with Andy can sometimes involve slightly fractured, hand gesture-led conversations with staff as he tests out his skills.
Ashleigh Henderson
After achieving an MA in PR & Communications at Cardiff University, Ashleigh decided to move to London and pursue a career in tech PR. Outside office hours, you can find Ashleigh trying out the best Italian food spots or, as a self-confessed bookworm, in a coffee shop with the latest best seller.
Caitlin MacHale
After finishing a politics degree at university, a dissertation on data privacy led Cat to the exciting world of B2B tech PR. Always eager to hit the phones to talk to journalists about her clients – getting her to stop talking can often be the challenge. After office hours you are likely to find Cat with her dogs Lady and Chase, and of course a glass of red wine.
Cathy O’Neill
Aside from a fanatical love of Cher, Big Brother and her cat, ‘Fud’, there’s nothing that Cathy enjoys more than a good story – whether it’s an anecdote down the pub, or a holiday read. This passion translates into great writing and some pretty unforgettable pitches. Cathy relishes the challenge of tackling subjects that most would consider dull, and writing genuinely compelling content and projects.
Christopher Hamer
Chris is something of a tech geek, and when he’s not working on B2B tech PR, he reviews consumer tech on YouTube. Having joined Spark in 2015, he has spent the majority of his career on B2B technology accounts. As such, he uses his geeky knowledge to digest and understand complex offerings from clients in order to capture journalists’ imaginations and get great results for them.
Dom Walsh
Dom is the Spark karaoke king, having convinced several colleagues and client contacts to put their vocal chords to use over the years. A member of the team since 2008, the former videogame journalist knows how to punch the buttons in the right order to power up stories that journalists find interesting, and convey key client messages.
Ellie Spence
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in History, Ellie’s keen eye for research and great stories led her to the world of tech PR. Outside of work, she can be found hunting for London’s best cocktail, defending her lack of a northern accent or preaching her staunch belief that Roy Keane is Manchester United’s greatest ever player.
George Underwood
George was a journalist for nine years before finally giving into the ‘dark side’ and starting a career in PR. He worked as an editor at several of the UK’s top life sciences publications, and had brief stints in travel journalism during his many trips around the world. Now he pitches from the other side of the fence to publications across the science and tech sectors, using his experience to bring clients’ stories to life.
Georgia Corry
With over 10 years of experience working in PR, Georgia has always had a passion for people, nurturing junior talent and building relationships quickly, which allowed her client management skills to transfer into the HR world easily. As our head of people, Georgia is continually working on initiatives to better our culture and ensure our team is happy at Spark.
Ginny Alexander
With a background in entertainment journalism, Ginny constantly keeps up with the latest trends on and off-screen. You can always count on Ginny for thorough research – she loves a good stat to build a story around! An avid doodler in her downtime, Ginny is sure to be found working on her animation art, in an edgy coffee shop, or dangling from the ceiling at the local climbing centre.
Gus Walton
Gus has returned to Spark after some forays into consumer PR, running his own consultancy, and working in house – but he’s home now. As a result, he brings a broad array of experience to the Spark team. He’s a lover of news hijacks and creating great content, as well as larger creative campaigns. Outside of work, Gus is a big sports fan, with a particular love of cricket (unfortunate given the state of England’s test team), football, golf and rugby.
Hannah Prout
A keen baker, runner and former financial analyst, Hannah is Spark’s operations powerhouse. She keeps everything behind the scenes running smoothly – from tools and tech to team processes. Spark’s go-to for figuring out the how-to, when she’s not knee deep in Excel formulas, you’ll probably find her out on the trails with her dog, Angus.
Holly Barnes
Whilst studying Philosophy and Politics at university, Holly found an interest in writing and communications that sparked her move to the world of B2B tech PR. An avid reader and a film fanatic, you will usually find her scouting out new food spots or cooking up a (very messy) storm in the kitchen – always on the hunt for something she enjoys more than a slice of marmite toast.
Isla Hutchinson
After graduating from Edinburgh University with a Geography and Politics degree and writing for The Student paper, Isla’s interest in an interest in writing and communications led to the world of B2B Tech PR. Outside of work, you’ll find Isla running laps around Victoria Park training for another race she spontaneously signed up for, planning her next backpacking trip, or exploring TikTok’s latest viral food spot.
Issy Mansell
Issy joined Spark with over four years of experience in B2B tech PR. As a self-confessed “non-techy”, she’s always finding new ways to make client stories more relatable and human centric. With a love of media relations, you’ll often find Issy at journalist lunches or drinks to build some great relationships. This love of food translates to outside of the office too, as she spends her free time tracking down the latest East London haunts.
Kelly Tarr
With a BBC background as a broadcast journalist, Kelly knows exactly what to look for when hunting down a good story. She moved to Spark looking for a fast-paced environment to quell her endless energy, which sees her playing rugby, wild swimming, and hiking mountains on a regular basis. Kelly loves nothing more than using her experience to get journalists interested in all the amazing things are clients are working on.
Kewal Varia
If you want to know where to find a good meal or cocktail, Kewal is your man. A stickler for service, he’s always the mad professor in the room, who will find the random connection that really brings a story to life that others haven’t seen. He’s certainly not a yes man, he’ll tell you exactly what he thinks, and he has an irritating habit of being right…
Lauren Richards
Lauren likes to talk up the “good old days” of tech launch parties for version 2.2.1 of a new product. Although she’s secretly glad that PR is now all about creating a good story – that’s what makes each day interesting. In her spare time, she tries ‘engage and influence’ her children with varying success!
Michelle Allison
Michelle is Spark’s resident proud northerner – she’s also a voracious reader, vocal Manchester United fan, and proud mother to her three cats. Michelle has been on the Spark team since 2012 and she particularly enjoys writing – so whether it’s precision medicine or the impact of artificial intelligence on customers, Michelle is always ready to get to work on creating exciting content.
Mollie Cottam
After completing her BA in International Relations and German at the University of Exeter, an interest in communications and emerging trends led Mollie to the ever-evolving world of B2B Tech PR. Beyond the office, you’ll find Mollie scoping out the next best travel destination, advocating for the art of mood boards, or attempting to find a piece of home (namely West Country cheese) in one of London’s farmers markets.
Oli Brown
With more than eight years’ experience in the PR industry, Oli joined Spark in 2022 and works across a range of technology accounts. With a keen eye for new story ideas, Oli particularly enjoys writing content for clients. Away from the office you’ll find Oli at a gig by an artist you’ve never heard of, reminiscing about England’s 2018 World Cup run, or scoping out the latest coffee bar that’s opened nearby.
Ollie Traherne
With a background in English language and more than two years’ experience in tech and cybersecurity PR, Ollie excels in pouncing on the latest breaking story. Speak to him about cinema or F1 at your peril, as you may be there for days! A former county-level swimmer, Ollie’s mental acuity now outstrips his questionable athleticism, but never count him out of a competition.
Rob Fretwell
Rob brings an infectious enthusiasm and drive to his account teams at Spark. With his finger on the pulse of the latest developments in technology, Rob’s eye for a story – honed during his time as Comic-Con’s blogger – consistently gets Spark’s clients into the media conversation. When he’s not busy delivering results for clients, you’ll either find Rob single-handedly getting through the office coffee supplies, or finishing off his fourth BBQ of the week.
Sam Clinton
With a background in financial PR, Sam has developed a keen eye for identifying potential feature and news hijack opportunities, securing great client coverage in the process. Sam’s main topics of conversation in and out of the office usually revolve around how broken the Northern Line is or how bad Scotland are at sport.
Sophie Lewis
After studying Law at university and taking on an editorial position on Bristol’s law blog, Sophie decided the fast-paced world of B2B Tech PR was for her. Away from the office you’ll either find Sophie trialling out London’s best eateries, or discovering scenic walks around the city. She also loves to travel and explore new place – especially if said places are warmer than the UK.
Tom Reynolds
American Football enthusiast, Tom, is a man who stays cool under pressure. He has a wry wit, and a great eye for a story. Tom has the ability to get on with everyone. He’s a great all-rounder at PR, with excellent press contacts, storytelling capabilities, and sound judgement. Once you get to know him better, you’ll hear all about his obsession with a good cup of tea (currently 8 cups a day).
Tristan Webb
Whether discussing beer or PR, Tristan believes in two things: craft, and keeping it real. A former bicycle repairman and industrial manufacturer, he’s expert at getting at the nuts and bolts of a story and helping peddle it to the media – making sure you’re never saddled with a duff coverage haul.