Charles Heymann, Louise Akers and Laura Jane Hicks are the latest communications professionals to join social enterprise communications firm Campaign Collective.

Heymann, former head of corporate communications at University of Reading, joins the collective to bring senior counsel and board level consultancy to clients, covering strategy, public affairs and reputation management. He has previously worked at the COI, CBI and in Whitehall, including leading the Department for Education’s central newsdesk.

Akers, former University of Hertfordshire, Action Aid International and British Heart Foundation communications manager, joins the collective’s Community Business Weekend team. She will also work on new client Minerva Recruitment, an ethical recruitment consultancy which champions diversity in the workplace.

Hicks joins the collective after leaving the British Red Cross last year where she helped manage the charity’s communications response to the terror attacks in London and Manchester, and the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Charles Heymann comments, “Spray-and-pray comms is dead. It’s not enough for organisations to tell us they are doing good and expect anyone to believe them. Their values, ethos and culture must run through every aspect of their business, from board-level down.”

“We’re all about getting on them on the front-foot with integrated, political-style, digitally-led, campaigns which put the public’s needs first. The collective equips organisations to punch above their weight – drawing on a pool of great specialists with decades of experience and proven results.”

Louise Akers says, "It's terrific to be joining the Campaign Collective and having the opportunity to work on exciting new campaigns with such a dedicated and talented team. I have always had a particular interest in the charity and public sectors and I'm looking forward to working with such a diverse range of clients."

Laura Hicks says, “I am delighted to become a member of the Campaign Collective social enterprise. The opportunity to work flexibly on some exciting campaigns, while being able to help smaller charities and organisations access affordable communications advice and support, really appealed to me.”

Simon Francis, founder Member of Campaign Collective, welcomed the new members. “The collective is fast becoming the go to agency for campaigners looking for communications advice and support and for communicators who want to use their skills for good,” says Francis. “Charles, Laura and Louise will bring a whole new range of skills and experience to our group which can only benefit the charities, social enterprises, public sector and other campaign clients we serve.”