Pete Austin
Former Director of Communications & newspaper Deputy Editor

From USA President Trump’s State Visit (Churchill War Rooms, 2019), Royal engagements (Duchess of Cambridge, 2021) and UK Government Secretaries of State engagements (Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, 2013) — to guiding organisations through their responses to terrorist attacks, culture wars, national scandals, aircraft crashes and violent student protests, Pete has more than 15 years’ experience of front-line, high pressure crisis communications.

He’s worked for some of the most scrutinised organisations in their sectors - including the NHS, Imperial War Museums, University of the Arts London and the UK Government (Department for Education).

A former news journalist, and newspaper deputy editor, Pete understands the fast-paced nature of the media landscape and how to manage crises effectively, ensuring your message is clear, controlled, and credible.

And effective crisis communications isn’t just about managing the media — it’s also about navigating complex stakeholder relationships at the highest levels. He has managed relationships with CEOs, Trustees, Government Ministers, regulators, donors, board members - they all have a vested interest in how a crisis unfolds and how it is handled.

Pete has held stakeholder crisis meetings in Ministerial offices in Whitehall, boardrooms, a battleship and even Winston Churchill’s secret Second World War bunker.

Message Pete or send him an email to arrange an informal chat.