Michael Burrell
Chairman, Strategic Adviser, FPRCA
Named by PR Week as one of the 100 most influential figures in its 25-year history, Michael is one of the most respected figures in public affairs. Before Eurasia Advisory, he has worked as European Vice-Chairman at Edelman and APCO Worldwide. He has twice been Chair of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) and is Director of the European Centre for Public Affairs. Michael has provided UK, EU and global public affairs advice, crisis management and media relations counsel to a wide range of businesses, trade associations, governments and regulatory bodies, often at Chairman and CEO level, over a long period. His experience has encompassed many sectors including aviation, energy, commodities, financial services, pharmaceuticals, technology and telecommunications. The wide range of clients whom he has advised includes Aviva, De Beers, BT, FCDO, EDF, Roche, Microsoft, Pfizer and Samsung. A former political journalist, who covered both UK and EU politics, he was the founder of UK lobbying firm Westminster Strategy and worked in Brussels on various EU lobbying dossiers for over 25 years. He is a Fellow of PRCA, the world’s largest PR professional body, a rare distinction designated for an outstanding contribution to the business of public relations and communications.
Alex Andreev
Founder & Managing Director
Recommended by Spears 500 as "Outstanding in Field", Alex is a strategic adviser with strengths in international media relations, storytelling and reputation management, defamation and crisis communications, stakeholder engagement and philanthropy, and in global public affairs. His experience straddles international public relations, public policy and advocacy. Alex started his career as a media analyst for the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, where he spent his formative years in the Directorate of Communications learning from the authors of PR textbooks. He worked with the UN's World Food Programme on global campaigns and at G7/G8 summits on policy formulation and as part of civil society outreach. He worked as a project consultant with Portland Communications in London and GPlus Europe in Brussels. He was a Managing Director of a London-based public affairs and lobbying firm, part of FIPRA, a network of senior, strategic advisers. He ran projects with major global brands and worked with opinion leaders at global agenda-shaping events. In the last 15 years, he successfully worked with the top-5 international blue chips in their industries, which included strategic counsel at Chairman and CEO level, as well as advising their teams across various regions (EMEA, CIS, CEE, North and South America). His work included strategic counsel and managing worldwide reputations for business leaders who occupy some of the top-100 places in the Forbes World's Billionaires List, as well as being a trusted advisor to their families and charitable foundations. Some of his most demanding clients described his input as "fantastic work" which they thought was impossible to achieve. In 2017, Alex was part of the European Meeting of the Trilateral Commission in London. Alex holds the MSc in International Public Policy (Analysis & Administration) from UCL.
Sir Stephen Bubb
Senior Adviser, Global CSR & Philanthropy
Sir Stephen Bubb is globally recognised as a leading voice in philanthropy, social enterprise and corporate social responsibility. He has provided strategic advice to governments and businesses, often at Minister and Chairman level. He was formerly Chief Executive of ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) for 15 years, and Secretary General of the European Third Sector Leaders Network, which creation he has driven. He is Director of UK’s Charity Futures Programme, which promotes NGOs’ governance and leadership. Sir Stephen has taken part in numerous global events speaking on civil society, business and government relations, including G7/G8 summits and international investment forums. Sir Stephen has received accolades for his work and leadership from former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron. Sir Stephen Bubb was knighted in 2011.
Cathie Burton
Senior Adviser, Crisis Communications, Campaigns, Media Training
Cathie Burton is a globally renowned communications expert in international media relations, managing crisis response, and developing campaigns and messages that resonate across borders. She has worked as a media trainer providing counsel to senior decision-makers and preparing leaders for media engagements, hostile questioning and public enquiries. Cathie has served as OSCE Spokesperson and its Head of Communications & Media Relations, where she managed major crises and led a revamp of online communications. Her previous role was at the Council of Europe, where she was Head of Campaigns and later Spokesperson. Starting her career as a journalist in the UK and France, she worked for outlets such as the Guardian, the BBC, Reuters and Agence France Presse. She previously worked as Labour Party Spokesperson in the European Parliament. She was a professor at Syracuse University and the University of Strasbourg. She is a co-author of Hitting The Headlines in Europe textbook, published by the Institute of Public Relations and catalogued by the British Library and The Library of Congress.