Meet the team


David Sturgess

Managing Director

Having trained as a journalist in newspapers and radio, David joined the PR team on Concorde before setting up BT‘s Press & Broadcast operation for the South West.  Prior to founding SVD in 1995, he was MD of the Leedex PR consultancy network, with offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Brussels, Cardiff, London, and Manchester.  He is the strategic adviser to all SVD clients.

david@sturgessvandamme.co.uk 

 

 

 

 


Paul Kearney

non-executive Chairman

Having held boardroom roles at Northcliffe‘s media operations in Derby, Leicester, and the South East, Paul became one of the South West‘s most prominent business leaders as Managing Director of Northcliffe‘s Westcountry company for ten years, overseeing the Western Daily Press, Bristol Evening Post – and a host of other newspapers, websites, and a radio station.

paul@sturgessvandamme.co.uk

 

 

 


 

Neil Fraser

Director

After working as a  journalist at the Plymouth Evening Herald and Bristol Evening Post, Neil spent five years as Senior Editorial Consultant at Strategy PR and Harrison Cowley PR.  Neil is an equity-director at SVD, and works with David Sturgess in planning and delivering editorial programmes for all SVD clients.

neil@sturgessvandamme.co.uk  

 

 


 

 


Violet

Violet Ridge

Client Services Manager

Qualified in both PR and Direct Marketing, Violet is the “operational anchor” for every SVD client, handling project management for everything from media events to public consultation programmes and internal communications audits.  She also manages SVD‘s database of media contacts and the operational critical path for each client - ensuring that every deadline is met and nothing is overlooked!


violet@sturgessvandamme.co.uk

 


Caroline Sturgess

Company Secretary

A US citizen, Caroline oversees SVD‘s administration, IT systems, and finances.

caroline@sturgessvandamme.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 


Katie Hawkes-Pippen

PR Assistant

Katie joined the agency after graduating with an Honours degree from The University of Leeds. Her role involves day-to-day liaison with all our clients, diary management and issuing press releases.

katie@sturgessvandamme.co.uk