A team of highly experienced professionals offer a bespoke service to help candidates make the most out of every media or speaking opportunity. A complete one day in-house or studio training course.
For an intensive 3 day approach we also offer:
PowerMedia 3 day residential courses are also available, which additionally cover shareholder meetings and live conference presentation issues.
Making it all work....
From new trainee to Chief Executive we coach the "dos and don'ts" of exposure to television, radio, newspapers, magazines and all new 360 degree media platforms such as podcasting.
This unique course recreates the circumstances you can expect to face when the media arrives invited, or unexpectedly, on your doorstep; putting you through an escalating series of interviews so you become as comfortable as possible when dealing with the real thing.
Each candidate for the presentational training course will not benefit from the use of standardized training materials, so an individual background brief directly relating to the issues you are likely to face are prepared ensuring that the candidate experiences as close as possible to a real life situation.
Contact the training team through our office 07944 217476
Speaker, Keynotes & Conference Host:
Julian Bray
Background Briefing
Julian Bray an internationally recognized broadcaster, author, journalist, actor and motivational business speaker and presenter initially with the BBC then spearheading the emerging commercial radio and television networks in the UK and Europe.
He’s been at the centre of, influencing world and current affairs for over 30 years. Julian Bray is a highly rated established keynote speaker on the international convention circuit, regularly featuring at the top end of delegate satisfaction surveys and has featured in the premier reference source to the British establishment: Debretts Distinguished People of Today 2008 and for the last sixteen annual editions.
As CEO for a major public affairs organisation, for many years, he acted as consultant to leading international corporations and advised several Governments. Julian Bray was for several years the international adviser to Dr Romano Prodi, the former Italian Premier and European Commission President.
He famously handled the PR for the Saatchi Pregnant Man ads and had a very public spat with the Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin. Working and socializing with leading political figures, film and stage directors, Julian Bray produced and directed a series of television programs and in so doing revived a boyhood passion for stage magic and illusions; Duly elected into full membership of the secretive but world famous Magic Circle and also recognized as a performing member of British Actors Equity.
With such a broad canvas to work with, Julian’s signature business and motivational lifestyle lectures are full of humorous but informative personal anecdotes, all brilliantly illustrated with PowerPoint (where available).
His relaxed, professional but welcoming style of presentation and convention keynote and hosting positively invites audience participation and Julian is happy to provide sources of further information in several different formats for those who wish to engage in the topic further.
Areas of Expertise When Ad Agency and City PR Consultancy Grandfield, Rork, Collins Financial Ltd. was sold to the Saatchi & Saatchi within weeks of his arrival, he acquired several core accounts including the specialist mutual National Mutual Life Assurance Society and founded a corporate and City public relations firm in London, Leadenhall Associates, which achieved PR WEEK UK Top 150 status within 18 months.
Julian Bray provided the strategic input for corporate, public and investor relations, calendar reporting and financial media relations to a range of publicly quoted firms, He also delivered counselling, corporate coaching and management consulting services.
Activities covered AGM’s, flotations, bids, mergers and acquisitions working with venture capital providers. Leading corporate public affairs clients have included IRI-Alitalia Group, Cellnet, Abbey National, Girobank, National Mutual Life Assurance Society and Standard Chartered Bank amongst many other blue chip names.
These activities developed into the ability to audit and structure the role of agency relationships, ensuring that ‘value for money’ is consistently achieved.
Complex change management and business process re-engineering projects (many as a result of merger activity) have been completed, these are well documented and form the basis for his corporate lecture tours.
For Venture Capital assisted firms he has undertaken both industrial and corporate audits and as a result prepared their directors (using presentational and communications skill protocols) for trade sale and other forms of ‘exits’.
He is well versed in Knowledge based New Media, I.T., Internet, and digital convergence technologies; gained initially by working on the Government UK National Information Technology Strategy. As part of a DTI/EC contract, he authored a major research project questioning the financing of Eureka HDTV (European wide screen television), the results, widely reported, caused a seachange in Government/EC thinking and the eventual scrapping of the project saving the taxpayer many millions…
Current Activities Marketing Director & Corporate Counsel: Media/PR/Investor Relations and HR/Marketing Communications Interim Consultant : All HR disciplines, Change Management, CRM, Internal Communications, Marketing Communications, Business Re-engineering, PR, Media Relations, ICT Project Management, Reconstructions and roll-outs. Incident management. Business & New Product Development.
Completed assignments include Fujitsu Services Public Sector Bid, Environment Agency- Flood Warning National & Regional Campaign, Public Relations Head of Function EA Anglian Region.
Interim assignment Consultant General Manager The Gildenburgh Centre, a new £15 million arts and entertainment complex in Peterborough comprising 1,200 seat theatre/cinema, art gallery, 150 seat restaurant and bars.
2005-8 Royal Caribbean International Guest Lecturer -‘flyback’ series activated between interim assignments.
BBC Radio Contributor – Expert in Aviation, travel and business matters.
Management Consultant, Corporate Strategist Consultant: Accenture Providing best practice input in media and public relations capacities as part of major international projects, re-structures and complex change management programmes. Business and process re-engineering. FMCG Pathfinder Project Group
The new RCCL Independence of the Seas compared with some noteable landmarks, launched in May 2008 and based in Southampton, England - The worlds largest luxury cruise liner and an ideal floating convention base!
Travel & Related Industry Experience
DTI/ European Community Eureka and Enterprise Events Programme Europ Assistance BBC Radio ‘Aviation Expert’ Alitalia Re-brand and -IRI- Italian State Holding Company (Alitalia majority stakeholder) Alitalia Group Major Incident Plan Reporting into Chairmans office Dr Ramano Prodi – also former Italian Premier and President of the European Community; Galileo Global Computer Reservation Project (IRI-Alitalia main partners) Air Inter Internal regional airline Airtours World Travel Market Project Manager British Aerospace (BAE) CAMRA The Queens Head BrewPub Group British Airways British Airways Retail Agents Marketing Service (RAMS) British Island Airways redesign and rebranding for the MD83 series Interflug GDR Airline inflight publications and Lot Polish Airlines Island Sun Holidays Rolls Royce Aviation Skyways scheduled carrier Thales technical support and milspec contractor Fujitsu Services
Outsourcing/PPP and CRM programs
Girobank PLC Julian Bray carried out an in-depth two year restructuring programme targeting marketing, advertising and corporate affairs together with a restructure of the senior management roles within the extensive regional branch network. Substantial business re-engineering of the Merseyside headquarters marketing an PR function, the installation of a dial up computer network and a skills/fit evaluation of the existing workforce, resulting in a complete recasting of all job specifications and a core saving in the overall marketing spend of approximately £ 4 million per annum was achieved.
Key Communications Group A major player in the UK marketing and public relations industry Key Communications embarked on an acquisition programme that after a few months proved to be culturally difficult to integrate. Julian Bray was asked to provide the basis for a re-structure and strategy appraisal and an indication of how the various divisions and acquisitions could be fully integrated.
The Queen Victoria NHS Hospital Trust The Paddington Train Crash (October 1999) caused The Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead with its internationally recognised specialist burns unit to activate the NHS Major Incident Plan, the customer interface component required due to the the clearing of forty ITC beds for victims. Julian Bray was responsible for all external customer contact together with the organisation of press and media channels and the detailed application and setting up of a comprehensive and independently driven Incident Press & Media Centre within hours of the incident happening.
Andersen Consulting ( Accenture) /NSPCC Working initially with Andersen Consulting, Julian Bray is regarded by AC as their expert in ‘public relations and CRM best practice’ and is frequently consulted and presented as part of their change management team.
Western Forest Products (Canada) This Canadian client was being heavily targeted by environmental groups such as Greenpeace, as part of a worldwide campaign highlighting ‘sustainable forests’. All CRM protocols had in effect broken down. The environmentalists, incorrectly in this case, suggested that the client was breaking established agreements and misrepresenting the actual situation. A campaign of high level political lobbying and media relations redressed the balance and ensured that both sides of the story came into the public domain, this was later followed up through a marketing and below the line campaign.
Alitalia Group Representing the Italian state holding company - IRI and its then chairman Dr Romano Prodi (currently President of the EC) and through his office Alitalia Group interests in the UK and Europe. Attending and advising the international directorate on customer related strategy and political alliances regarding bi-lateral international agreements and the implementation of world wide computer reservation networks (founder partner in the Galileo computer reservation system). Corporate and financial communications strategy prepared and implemented, together with a programme designed to promote favourable travel trade relationships.
dti -Department of Trade and Industry, London Holder of a major Government contract which extended into several other areas. Initially servicing by creating then implementing the strategy for the DTI Enterprise Events programme then invited to head up the EC Eureka Cross Border International R&D and Science initiative.
Grosvenor Venture Managers and Grosvenor Development Capital PLC During a long and close involvement with Grosvenor Venture Managers under the chairmanship of David Beattie, Julian’s marketing communication skills were used to tactically in a trouble shooting role to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of companies seeking venture capital finance. He produced top line investment reports which materially influenced the investing decision anything from £1 million to £20 million, or larger amounts as part of a consortia approach through members of the Venture Capital Association. If the investee company was at all doubtful in investment criteria terms, then a further investigation and possible direct promotional support for the incumbent board was offered.
ICI Group Worldwide A range of strategies were created to assist with a major world wide roll out and information cascade on putting the Health issue to the forefront in Health & Safety at work. A landmark legal judgement which went against ICI in the 1970’s relating to an employee’s loss of hearing, and this was used by way of illustration as to how such events have a negative effect on both internal and external perception, as well as highlighting how proper adherence to high standards and legal protocols can alleviate the problem.
National Mutual Life Assurance Society A PR and marketing account originally held by Grandfield PR and transferred to Julian Bray. It required a high level of intensive media and financial services public relations for National Mutual Life over a six year period. These achieved sustained prominent national newspaper and media coverage, for instance the National Mutual Life Annual MORI Poll on Financial Services which in a single edition was featured in three different sections of one national newspaper (The Daily Telegraph). Top level counselling of the main Board was undertaken on a regular basis. Substantial media coverage was obtained throughout the currency of the contract.
Oil Spill Response Limited This firm spun out of BP Exploration, is likened to an ‘international rescue’ of the oil industry being a £360 million direct emergency response organisation who tackle very large (‘Level 3’) oil leaks, spillages and oil pollution anywhere in the globe and at very short notice. Following a detailed communications audit, Julian Bray compiled for OSRL, ‘a strategic way forward’ which identified whole new areas of revenue streaming without compromising OSRL’s original role and as a by-product substantially motivated the permanent technical staff. A series of formal and informal workshops and brain-stormings were held to facilitate this process, and the latter part of the eight month contract allowed for a general mentoring phase. He also worked closely with the CEO to implement a culture change throughout the organisation, from dress code to networking to general presentation of individuals and the corporate image.
Standard Chartered Bank The bleak prospect for lenders (i.e. banks) who lend to environmentally sensitive projects or industries is unlimited future lender liability. The claimant may at any time in the future seek to recover damages and distress from the lender of the funds and not necessarily from the transgressor who may have long ceased operations. The World Bank funded several papers but no-one was able to come up with a definitive answer. Julian Bray using classic CRM strategies as a footprint completed a series of tasks including the framework for an international environmental audit which also took account of local geographical and political conditions, which provided (subject to ratification) the required solutions.
The £100m Caravan Club A highly successful business and financial media relations campaign was initially carried out to negate the ‘knitted bobble hat’ image that many, particularly the media, had at that time of caravanning. The Caravan Club today, has amassed an impressive UK land bank and owns over 200 landscaped sites. It has an annual turnover of nearly £100 million (One Hundred Million), through sales of insurance and travel related products and services. It is the UK’s single largest booker of channel ferry tickets. Julian Bray was asked to provide a full scale press office and media relations support for The Caravan Club Round Britain Challenge which achieved several full page features in the national and regional media, together with some 50 broadcast interviews. A classic media relations case history.
Standard Platforms PLC A specialist computer systems company utilising ‘jukebox’ search technology funded by Grosvenor Venture Capital, who needed to present cogent and lucid proposals to a series of hardened City Analysts within a very tight time-scale. Julian led a team which prepared all the City presentations, wrote all the speeches and supporting scripts and re-cast the financial information. The result was a successful tour of the City Institutions and the required capital of exceeding £ 30 million was raised.
AMI Healthcare Group plc A crisis procedures strategy was produced and cascaded internally via workshops and briefings to ensure that a cohesive code was adhered to throughout the organisation.
The scope of the crisis management documentation and training covered policy, handling physical quality emergencies, ethical and business issues and was highly detailed.
Tel: 01733 345581 (uk)
Mobile: 07944 217476
e-mail: JULIANBRAY@AOL.COM
