Andy Sommer

He’s a senior communications professional who began his career in the late 1990s and has worked across EMEA, APJ and the Americas with established and fast growth organizations from start-ups to bigger businesses in the technology, cybersecurity, property/construction, financial services, consumer, government/public sector, and not for profit sectors.

Often being the first senior hire internationally, Andy has built out PR and communications processes, managed executive communications programs including media training, message development and speaking platforms in both the media and third-party events. In addition, he has developed communications strategies, established spokesperson profiling and customer reference program, managed internal communications, supported digital and social media activity, as well as crisis and issues management and stakeholder engagement. Working with a number of start-ups and as an early employee with Zendesk, he has built global and regional PR teams/agency networks from scratch and has also launched brands in many new international markets.

Andy is a dual British and Australian citizen with both in-house and PR Agency experience. He’s worked with some of the leading global brands internationally including Google, Intel, CrowdStrike, Oracle, Zendesk, Adobe Systems, Esure Group, Dubai Sports City, Berkeley Homes, Aconex and Western Union.

He has a track record of advising founders and senior executives, working directly with c-suite/senior executives to help them become leading spokespeople, building brand awareness/establishing brands in new regions, developing media relationships, and developing strategic content from blogs to whitepapers to annual reports and beyond.

Andy is a self-published author and is driven by a storytelling view of communications. From his career journey he has devised a unique approach called ‘Vowels’ looking at communications activities from the perspective of:

Audience

Expectation

Information

Outcomes

Understanding

This helps to shape the how, why, what and when of communications because every piece of content, every message should have a purpose.