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Pictured: Lansons | Team Farner Executive Leadership Team
Front L:R Liam Bell, executive creative director and managing director; Claire Southeard, managing director; Louise Vaughan, senior campaigning adviser and managing director; Laura Hastings (seated) CEO; Stuart Graham, COO. Back L:R Tony Langham, co-founder and executive chair; Rimmi Shah, managing director; Rebecca Mayo, deputy CEO.
LONDON & NEW YORK – Reputation management and communications firm Lansons today announces the formation of a new executive leadership team as it positions the business for the future.
Current joint MD Laura Hastings will become CEO in May, replacing Gordon Tempest Hay who joined Lansons in January 2022. Gordon will remain as a non-executive director, alongside a new leadership role outside the industry to be announced later this year.
Together with Laura, Lansons’ executive leadership team will consist of fellow joint managing directors Rebecca Mayo and Stuart Graham, who become deputy CEO and COO respectively. In addition, Lansons is appointing four new managing directors: executive creative director, Liam Bell, Louise Vaughan, currently senior campaigning adviser, and fellow board directors and members of Lansons existing management board, Rimmi Shah, and Claire Southeard. This executive team will be responsible for driving agency strategy and growth.
Lansons co-founder, Tony Langham, will continue as executive chair, focusing full-time on client work and fellow co-founder, Clare Parsons, will remain as non-executive director alongside Gordon.
As part of the leadership transition, board directors Katherine Hobby, Louise Marriott, Maddy Morgan Williams, David Rowson, Sam Scouller, and Jess Warner are also joining the wider management team that will drive forward business priorities.
Over the last three decades Lansons has built out its consultancy offer across corporate and financial, public affairs, campaigns and creative, crisis, issues and special situations, and sustainability advisory. The announcement of a new leadership structure follows a series of strategic hires over the last few years to boost its creative, insight and social and digital capabilities. It also follows a period of sustained growth for the firm, generating three consecutive years of record income in 2021/2022, 2022/23 and 2023/24 as it continues to broaden its offer to clients.
In October 2023, Lansons was acquired by Team Farner, the rapidly expanding European alliance of integrated communication consultancies, as its flagship UK consultancy. Overall, 11 members of Lansons’ senior team are Team Farner equity partners: Laura Hastings, Tony Langham, Rebecca Mayo, Stuart Graham, Claire Southeard, Rimmi Shah, Tom Baldock, Jon Cronin, Katherine Hobby, Louise Marriott, and Gordon Tempest-Hay.
Lansons clients now range from governments to global brands, public sector bodies, leaders in professional services, tech, fintech and financial services (client list at lansons.com/our-clients).
“Gordon joined us when Lansons was on the rise and this has continued under his leadership. He’s led the transformation of our business and its successful sale which 35 of our people benefitted from as shareholders. I want to thank him for doing such a great job over the last three years and wish him well in his next leadership role. Laura is one of the leading practitioners in our industry and I’m beyond delighted that she is becoming CEO. She’s heading up an exciting new-look leadership team which I’m sure will take the business to new heights internationally, in conjunction with our Team Farner colleagues.”
“Lansons means a great deal to me. It’s a phenomenal business, with fantastic clients and people, and a simple ethos about doing the right thing that underpins it all. We remain restless to keep pushing the boundaries for clients and that’s illustrated by our new executive leadership team and the breadth of skills they bring. A good reputation has never been more important or more fragile, so it’s an exciting time for the industry and Lansons.”
"The last three and a bit years has been fun. We’ve delivered record growth, attracted some great talent, won some wonderful work and sold the business. It’s time to hand over the reins to a great team that will continue our success.”
It’s an exciting time in our business, and our industry. If you have any questions about this news, or would like to send your comments, please contact marketing@lansons.com
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