70 The PRWeek Power Book 2009
Langford, Martin
Senior partner, Kissmann
Langford Consulting
A high-pressure PR
veteran, Langford
has been dubbed
‘the master of
disaster’. He has
handled hundreds
of crisis briefs, including working
for TeGenero during the Northwick
Park Hospital drug trial.
Address Unit 16, Blue Lion
Place, 237 Long Lane,
London SE1 4PU
Telephone 020 7234 9575
Born London, 1951.
Lives Southborough, Tunbridge
Wells, with wife Kathleen.
Career highlight Moving to
Hong Kong at 22 years of age to
head Burson-Marsteller’s
marketing business.
Worst moment of career
Downsizing Burson-Marsteller
London by 50 per cent in the last
major recession.
Professional inspiration?
Harold Burson.
Media must-haves?
The Guardian, Private Eye,
Google, Linked In.
Most respected journalist
Chris Cramer (BBC, now CNN).
Most respected politician
Margaret Thatcher.
Business or brand to watch?
The healthcare business.
Best advice?
Manage your own career.
Leave it to others at your peril.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of? BP’s
‘Beyond Petroleum’.
Favourite book The Perfect
Storm by Sebastian Junger.
Private members club?
Mosimann’s.
Burning career ambition?
To retire healthy,happy and busy.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Fly fishing for trout,salmon,
steelhead and barramundi.
Langham, Tony
Co-founder and chief executive,
Lansons Communications
The hands-on
co-founder has
driven Lansons
to the top of the
financial services
sector and is
eyeing the next tier.
Address 24a St John Street,
London EC1M 4AY
Telephone 020 7490 8828
Born Nottingham, 1961.
Lives Islington, north London,
with wife Clare, two children
and Fudge, our poodle.
Career highlight
Receiving the PRCA’s
Outstanding Contribution to
the PR industry award in 2004.
Worst moment of career
The recession before this one.
Professional inspiration?
Brian Clough.
Media must-haves? FT, bbc.
co.uk, The Economist, Private Eye.
Most respected journalist
Paul Foot.
Most respected politician
Nelson Mandela.
Business or brand to
watch? Barack Obama.
Best advice? ‘Never go to a
conference unless you’re
speaking at it’, from Bob
Worcester at Ipsos Mori.
PR campaign you
wish you’d thought of?
Reviving the two-minute
silence on Armistice Day
itself, rather than just
Remembrance Sunday.
Favourite book Catch-22 by
Joseph Heller.
Private members club?
Shoreditch House.
Burning career ambition?
To steer Lansons to become the
UK’s largest independent PR
agency ( we’re currently third ).
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Karaoke.
Last, Andrew
Founder, Salt
Created Salt in
2000 with Richard
Cox. Last is an
expert in FMCG
and corporate
comms. The
20-strong Salt works with some
of the world’s leading brands,
many of which are in
the food sector.
Address Park House,
Northfields, London SW18 1DD
Telephone 020 8870 6777
Born Epsom, 1969.
Lives Wimbledon, with Sarah
and our two boys.
Career highlight
Seeing millions of children
take part in the first Global
Handwashing Day.
Worst moment of career
Handing in my notice to set up
our own business – only for my
prospective partner to say he’d
changed his mind. He changed
it back, though.
Professional inspiration?
Sam Seaborn.
Media must-haves?
FT, The Economist podcast,
fastcompany.com,
Today programme.
Most respected journalist
Simon Kuper.
Most respected politician
Barack Obama.
Business or brand to
watch? Any brand that
talks human.
Best advice?
Be true to yourself.
PR campaign you
wish you’d thought of?
Grameen Danone Foods.
Favourite book Shantaram by
Gregory David Roberts.
Private members club? RAC.
Burning career ambition?
To write speeches for Nick Clegg
in government.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Hair implants.
Laurence, Andrew
Senior corporate counsel
and chairman worldwide
corporate practice committee,
Hill & Knowlton
The powerful
operator at
H&K has taken
expanded his
EMEA remit by
taking a global role.
Address 20 Soho Square,
London W1A 1PR
Telephone 020 7413 3002
Born England 1957.
Lives London, with wife
Priscilla and two daughters.
Career highlight
Five years leading H&K’s
operations in EMEA.
Worst moment of career
I still hate losing pitches.
Media must-haves?
FT and YouTube.
Most respected journalist
Trevor McDonald.
Most respected politician
Edmund Burke.
Business or brand to
watch? They will all be worth
watching this year.
Best advice? Don’t try to
change everything at once.
PR campaign you wish
you’d thought of? That
competition to live on an island
in the Barrier Reef.
Favourite book The Bonfire of
the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.
Private members club?
Home House and Ronnie Scott’s.
Leaf, Robert Stephen
Chairman, Robert S. Leaf
Consultants
Industry veteran
Leaf spent 40
years with Burson-
Marsteller. The
New York-born
chair of Robert S.
Leaf Consultants is as shrewd as
he is warm and loquacious.
Address 24 Bloomsbury Way,
London WC1 2PX
Telephone 020 7 30 9787
Born New York City, 1931.
Lives London, with wife Adele.
Career highlight Opening
offices around the world for
Burson-Marsteller.
Worst moment of career
Attending the funeral of one of
my closest associates, who was
murdered in the US by the
Unibomber, who had sent the
bomb, due to my mistake, to
the wrong person.
Professional inspiration?
Harold Burson, who still works
full time at 87.
Media must-haves? FT, The
Wall Street Journal International,
The International Herald Tribune,
evening TV news and websites.
Most respected journalist
Thomas Friedman,
The New York Times.
Most respected politician
Barack Obama (as of now).
Business or brand to
watch? The PR business,
to see how it adjusts to
the recession.
Best advice? Don’t change
your job – the one time I was
considering it.
PR campaign you
wish you’d thought of?
Barack Obama’s campaign
for US presidency.
Favourite book
The dictionary.
Private members club?
The Hurlingham.
Burning career ambition?
To finish my book on how PR
has changed in 50 years.
One luxury you will keep
despite the credit crunch
Attending theatre operas
and ballet.
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