Our senior management bring a wealth of experience in corporate communications, investor relations and internet technology. But of course they all have an enormous amount of broader expertise as well.
With ten years of City experience, Helen brings a first-hand insight into the demands placed on PLCs. Helen was Head of Pan-European Equity Sales at Paribas prior to her becoming a founding director of Investis in 2000.
Investis’ Managing Director since 2000, Helen became CEO in October 2012, following the management buyout led by Gresham Private Equity. In this role she will both continue to oversee all of our client relationships and drive company strategy and growth.
Rene brings huge experience to his role of CFO. Previously, he held a similar position at AIM Technology and at Virgin Digital Studios, and spent four years as a principal of a UK venture capital fund.
His business philosophy is that finance is a service business and must deliver the highest quality to both external and internal customers. In addition to finance, Rene is responsible for the legal and commercial aspects of the business, addressing everything from pricing and contracts to the intricacies of India’s STPI regulations.
Investis thrives on innovation, and Rupert heads up our strategy and new product development. His is a constant quest to deliver better online experiences, underpinned by tangible benefits that save time and money.
As an ex-Bloomberg journalist, he also has an acute understanding of what stakeholders look for in communications. He holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and, away from work, enjoys ‘getting back in touch with the offline world’. On one memorable occasion, this involved climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe.
Alex heads up the sharp end of our business: the operations function which ensures our clients’ websites are built efficiently, to the right spec., and on time. In turn, this entails the seamless integration of our teams and resources in London, Würzburg, Helsinki and Vadodara, India.
Since our earliest days, Alex’s can-do attitude has played a key part in the company’s success. (Outside of work, it also led him to train for four months, as a complete novice, for a white collar boxing tournament.) He is a keen linguist with exposure to six European languages and holds a first class degree in Modern Languages from Nottingham University.
Neil has worked in a variety of roles since joining the company in 2000. Along the way he set up and managed the Client Strategy team which has been instrumental in helping our clients maximise the effectiveness of their online digital communications.
In his current role, Neil is driving the activity of the UK and Southern Europe's new business and account management teams. When he is not directly supporting the sales effort, his attention is directed to training and development, building skills and knowledge across the business.
When he is not working, there is not much than can beat a game of ‘frisbee tag’ in the park with his kids or a long swim in Tooting lido.
Ashish has led the rapid growth and transformation of our Indian operations. Joining us as General Manager in 2007 to run a small team of 12, today he heads up a team of over 150 people.
Based in our Indian office, Ashish is constantly working to improve the processes, cost efficiencies, quality and innovation we deliver to our clients. He sees team building as one of his core strengths – his skills in this field are an undeniable and vital asset to Investis, as well as being of incalculable worth to the people he manages in India.
When it comes to detail, Ashish is absolutely meticulous – but with one exception: he admits that his cupboards are never organised.
Claudia joined the Investis family when Flife AG, the influential IR company she founded a decade before, became part of our group in 2008. She brings unrivalled knowledge of the DACH countries and takes great pride in running both her team and some 350 client relationships.
As a counterpoint to working in online technology, Claudia enjoys tactile, physical pastimes from property renovation to painting, knitting and playing the piano.
All of our projects are delivered via cross-functional solutions teams that bring together expertise from across the digital domain.
As Director of Solutions, Michael is responsible for ensuring that whatever the size or nature of the project, every client receives exceptional service at all stages of the project process. With over 20 years in project delivery, Michael has developed a deep understanding of the stresses and strains associated with technology projects and how as an organisation we can work with you to ensure that you gain the maximum benefit from both our expertise and world class technology and products.
If he could, Simon would start every meeting by shouting ‘say no to dull’. It’s very easy to take the safe route but it’s only by challenging expectations that great results can be achieved.
As Creative Director, Simon leads clients and our in-house teams through the creative process, to get the ideal mix of design, messaging, words and media to effectively tell clients’ unique stories. He pushes everyone to engage their audience and to communicate effectively: it’s not just about providing information and there is nothing worse than a vast, infrequently updated site with little substance.
Outside of work, Simon is passionate about climbing but these days his kids go along too. He also likes bikes – with and without engines – and reading.
Simona has been with us almost from the beginning, having started as an Account Manager in the summer of 2000. Her experience means that she is perfectly positioned to find the best solution for her clients at the right time. She is now responsible for new sales and client relationships across Southern Europe, which involves extensive travelling as well as long-term strategic planning.
Outside of work, Simona enjoys freeride skiing and doing even more travelling – but with her family this time. Avoid arguing with Simona: she’s a black belt in karate.
Tua joined Investis in 2012 after working for more than 10 years in corporate and financial communications, both in-house and as a consultant. She is responsible for sales and client relationships across the Nordic Region.
Her long experience and strong understanding of communications ensures she is in an excellent position to find solutions to our clients’ challenges.
Away from work, Tua enjoys an active outdoor life and cooking for family and friends.
Justin combines an academic background (he’s a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford) with his experience as a management consultant at OC&C and as Head of New Media at the Guardian, in which role he launched Guardian online.
Justin was Investis’ CEO from 2000, before stepping down in October 2012, following the management buyout led by Gresham Private Equity. He continues to work with Investis in an advisory capacity.