Stocks in EU defence companies soared on Monday following Europe’s backing of Ukraine. Closer analysis suggests that EU ESG funds are increasing their exposure to defence stocks as the sector reassesses its aversion. The Financial Times covers the story.
As transatlantic relations grow increasingly fraught, the American Chamber of Commerce has hit out at the EU’s newest ESG rules, with Republican lawmakers calling the regulation changes ‘hostile’. Bloomberg covers the story.
Guy Scarborough
Director
Guy has been advising clients for 17 years to enhance and manage their reputations through financial and corporate communications. He has held senior agency roles, most recently at Instinctif Partners, and his expertise covers the full spectrum of corporate activity including primary and secondary listings, M&A, change management, corporate campaigns and crisis management. Guy joined Vigo Consulting in 2024.
Anna Stacey
Account Manager
Anna is an account manager supporting clients on all aspects of capital markets and corporate communications as well as investor relations. Anna was awarded a Distinction in an Applied Linguistics MA at University College London, where she gained strong research skills and in-depth linguistic knowledge which she applies to her client work.
Fiona Hetherington
Director
Fiona has been working in financial communications since 2008, with a particular focus on growth companies in the Technology and Support Services sectors. She has experience advising companies through IPOs, transactions, and ongoing financial calendar communications strategy. Fiona joined Vigo Consulting in 2015 from WPP-owned Buchanan. She had previously worked in the communications department of a leading Paris fashion house.
Damian Reece
Senior Counsel
Damian has over 35 years of experience working as a Business and City Editor and strategic advisor.
Damian specialises in navigating the complex reputational challenges (and opportunities) faced by PLC boards and management teams; business founders; entrepreneurs; and privately owned or private equity-backed business.
He advises executive management teams across a range of sectors including financial services, healthcare, FMCG, telecoms, and energy, ranging from the world’s largest players in a sector, with a century or more of reputation at stake, to new businesses aiming to make their mark in the century to come.
Damian joined Vigo Consulting in 2024 from Instinctif Partners, where he was Senior Counsel and Managing Partner.
Joe Quinlan
Director
Joe has been advising clients on reputation management and articulating investment cases for over a decade. He supports public and private companies with financial and corporate communications, investor relations, fundraises, M&A and shareholder activism. Joe joined Vigo Consulting in 2024 from Instinctif Partners and previously advised businesses at communications consultancy Luther Pendragon.
Anna Sutton
Account Executive
Anna supports clients on investor relations and communications. She is experienced in research, media monitoring, and contributing to strategic communication and crisis management plans from her parliamentary background. She holds a First Class BA in Spanish and Politics from the University of Bath, where she established strong critical thinking and analytical skills that she applies to her client work.
Melanie Toyne Sewell
Managing Director
Melanie is an accomplished Managing Partner with over two decades of experience advising companies in strategic communications, with a focus on the healthcare, pharma, biotech, venture capital and private equity sectors.
She has extensive expertise in supporting financings and transactions both privately and on the public markets as well as advising clients through periods of growth and change. Before working in communications, Melanie qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Price Waterhouse (now PwC).
Melanie joined Vigo in 2024 from Instinctif Partners where she was a Managing Partner and Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences.
Tim McCall
Managing Director
Tim has spent over 25 years as a strategic advisor, helping boards and management teams capitalise on opportunities and solve problems through communications.
Working across public and private companies, Tim’s client-led approach, focus on building long-term relationships and multi-disciplinary experience, means he has worked with some of the world’s leading companies across multiple sectors.
He has had senior roles in the strategic communications industry and played a key role in the creation of MHP in 2010, before leading it to become one of the UK’s largest integrated communications consultancies. From MHP he joined Saga PLC at IPO to create and run its corporate affairs and IR functions. Tim joined Vigo Consulting in 2024 from Instinctif Partners, where he was Managing Partner & Head of the Capital Markets.
Rozi Morris
Director
Rozi has been advising on financial and corporate communications since 2007 – both in agency and in-house. She initially focused on TMT at College Hill, before moving into Healthcare & Life Sciences at AIM-listed Silence Therapeutics. Most recently, she spent eight years advising clients across Healthcare, MedTech, Biotech and Pharma within the Healthcare & Life Sciences team at Instinctif Partners. Rozi is experienced in supporting public and private fundraises, M&A and IPOs, as well as investor and industry engagement.
Patrick d’Ancona
CEO
Patrick has worked in strategic communications since 1995 with experience gained both in-house and in consultancy. He spent nine years at FTSE 100 company Enterprise Oil, leading its global public relations prior to its $7bn acquisition by Shell in 2002. He later co-founded Energy-focused public relations agency Aquila Financial before joining international strategic communications consultancy M:Communications to lead its Energy practice in 2005. He has advised a wide range of companies including large international corporations such as Statoil ASA (now Equinor), Deutsche Post, and Gunvor, as well as many AIM and mid cap companies in the Energy, Industrials and Clean Tech sectors. Patrick co-founded Vigo Consulting in 2013.
Ben Simons
Managing Director & COO
Ben has provided strategic advice to growth companies since 2001. He is highly familiar with the mechanics of quoted businesses and is adept at helping directors manage their obligations, with a strong emphasis on ESG. He has broad transactional, reputation management, financial calendar, and special situations experience (including litigation communications). In 2005, he was part of an MBO of a financial public relations consultancy which was later sold to a publicly listed group. In 2007, Ben joined M:Communications where he advised predominantly quoted companies on diverse issues and transactions. Ben co-founded Vigo Consulting in 2013.
Jeremy Garcia
Managing Director
Jeremy has been working in financial communications since 2000 across several sectors with a particular focus on Technology, Media, and Telecoms and Support Services. Having spent 13 years working for Buchanan, part of WPP, Jeremy gained significant experience advising FTSE 100, FTSE 250, and high growth AIM companies. Jeremy has extensive transactional experience, supporting M&A and IPOs in addition to implementing proactive rolling financial communications programmes.
Finlay Thomson
Senior Counsel
Finlay has been advising companies for over 20 years, initially as an equity research analyst at Wood Mackenzie, Panmure Gordon, ABN Amro and Canaccord. More recently, however, he has worked as an independent investor relations and strategic consultant. He has advised numerous companies on their investor relations and stakeholder engagement programmes and is active in the sustainability space, helping clients to formulate and implement ESG strategies. He has a BSc in Mathematics.
Verity Snow
Account Director
Verity is an account director, supporting Vigo’s clients on all aspects of corporate, digital, and capital markets communications with a focus on ESG and sustainability. Through her master’s in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Verity has valuable experience in ESG research and reporting. Verity speaks fluent French and has spent time living and working abroad.
Aisling Fitzgerald
Account Executive
New Aisling supports clients with investor relations and corporate communications across news announcements, presentations, websites, videos, social media and more. She is experienced in creating high quality content using both the written word and visual media. Aisling holds a BA in English and Comparative Literary Studies and an MA in Writing, both from the University of Warwick.
Aisling Fitzgerald
Account Executive
Aisling supports clients with investor relations and corporate communications across news announcements, presentations, websites, videos, social media and more. She is experienced in creating high quality content using both the written word and visual media. Aisling holds a BA in English and Comparative Literary Studies and an MA in Writing, both from the University of Warwick.
Peter Jacob
Account Manager
Peter is an account manager, supporting clients in their financial communications and investor relations. He has experience in capital markets reporting, providing strategic advice on newsflow and media relations, and developing social media strategies for Vigo’s clients. Peter holds an MA in International Political Economy from King’s College London.
Kendall Hill
Account Director
Kendall supports Vigo’s listed and private clients across the agency’s sectors, with a particular interest in FMCG, technology and mining. He is experienced in creating strategic and visual content and deploying it across multiple platforms including social media channels. Kendall supports clients with their ongoing financial calendar communications, newsflow and transactions.
