Nick baines / CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Nick Baines has spent over five years running creative PR departments, delivering viral campaigns for tech startups and scaleups. His work has won numerous accolades, from Clio Awards to Fast Company World Changing Ideas, Adweek Project ISAACs and a Cannes Lions Innovation Grand Prix.
Nick studied Philosophy at University College London (UCL), specialising in Business Ethics. He spends most of his free time writing and is a published short story writer. His biography of a Norwegian shipping entrepreneur is set to be released in 2024.
drew SKINNER-SHAH / co-founder & COO
Drew Skinner-Shah has spent the past decade working closely with the world’s most prestigious technology and business publications. Specialising in corporate announcements, CEO profile building, thought leadership, crisis communications, technology conferences, and product PR, he has been responsible for the communication strategy of dozens of technology-driven companies.
Before joining the comms industry, Drew worked as a newspaper, magazine, and online journalist, and is a keen marathon and half marathon runner.
alicia baines / Head of client services
Joining as Nara’s first employee, Alicia has honed her meticulous PR skills alongside the rapid growth of the agency. With a particular interest in femtech, greentech, mental health, impact and gender parity as a whole, Alicia leads Nara’s largest team, Client Services, utilising her experience as a copywriter, digital magazine founder and editor, and her First Class English Literature degree to ensure the highest-possible quality of results.
Having lived in London, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Melbourne and New York, Alicia is a committed reader, writer, runner, yogi and dog aficionado.
Emily Calder / Account manager, Consumer team
Emily joined Nara Communications in July 2022 after spending a year working in the publishing industry. Prior to this, she studied English Literature at the University of Birmingham, and for a Masters in Publishing at City, University of London.
Emily wrote for and managed student newspapers at both of her universities, and continues to write in her spare time.
Yeona Choi / Account Executive
Yeona joined Nara in April 2023 having worked at law firms and startups in London and Seoul.
She studied Philosophy and Politics at Oxford University, and a year of Law in London. Outside of work, you’ll find her splitting her time between rock climbing and volunteering.
Bill Cropper / account manager, business team
Bill has come into Nara from a background in operational delivery and digital capability in the UK Civil Service and higher education sectors. He graduated from the University of Manchester in 2020 in Spanish and Mandarin and has previously spent time living in Spain and China.
Outside of work, Bill can mostly be found on his bike or traipsing around various English towns watching Stockport County F.C...
Alex Gallo / senior account executive, client services
Alex completed his Master’s in History from University College London (UCL) in 2021, having studied in York and Minneapolis beforehand. Prior to joining Nara Communications, he had occupational experiences in writing, research, customer service, and education.
Catch Alex in his spare time playing various sports, writing, and lamenting the fortunes of Tottenham Hotspur and the Minnesota Vikings.
Zafirah Kesington / Junior Account Executive
Zafirah joined Nara after graduating from the University of Warwick with a BASc in Global Sustainable Development and an MA in Global Media and Communications.
Prior to Nara, Zafirah was a magazine editor, worked with social impact startups and hosted her own university radio show. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, reading webtoons and talking about BTS to anyone who’ll listen.
alex lloyd / senior account executive, Client services
Alex graduated from Glasgow University in 2021 with a Master’s in International Law and prior to joining Nara Communications gained experience at NGOs, law firms, and PR agencies.
For extended periods of time, Alex has lived in both Singapore and Sweden.
Max Lury / account executive, agile team
Max recently graduated from the Creative Writing MA at University of East Anglia. Prior to that, he studied Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, and spent a year as a cheesemonger.
Max is a published writer, and is working on his first novel. In his spare time he helps run a small charity.
frankie mcgovern / account manager, Agile team
Frankie graduated from Durham University in 2021 with a degree in English Literature. Prior to joining Nara, Frankie had experience in freelance writing, e-commerce and education.
In his spare time, Frankie enjoys travel, music and sports. His least enjoyable pastime is supporting Birmingham City FC.
Celia Riddiough / Junior Account Executive
Celia joined the Nara team in 2023, having graduated from the University of Oxford the previous year with a BA in Literae Humaniores. Her background is in academic research and writing, mainly relating to Classical art, literature and architecture.
In her spare time, Celia is a keen ballet and hip-hop dancer. She is also a voracious reader, and can always be found with a book in hand.
Natalie Shenkosky / account executive, client services
Natalie is originally from Detroit, Michigan and hopped across the pond in 2020 to pursue her master’s in Promotional Media at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Before joining Nara, Natalie had experience working within the world of PR and new business. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading and is an avid baker.
Ian trueger / senior media executive
Having grown up between London and San Francisco, Ian obtained his undergraduate degree in History at Columbia University and an MPhil in Anthropology at École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). He has a background in journalism and ethnography and has had work published with the BBC, the FT, The Washington Post, and Quartz among other publications.
Outside of work, Ian is passionate about food, walking and film. He is currently working on his first non-fiction book, an anthropological history of pork, and loves getting into lengthy discussions about the history of bacon.
Kesh Wang / Junior Account Executive
Kesh is experienced in writing for cultural and lifestyle publications, as well as social media marketing. She has a Master’s degree in Anthropology from UCL, having previously studied at King’s College London and UC Berkeley in California.
Apart from work, Kesh enjoys reading, yoga, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Luke Zavrou-Blackstock / account executive, project team
Luke joined Nara after graduating from Durham University with an undergraduate degree in Sociology, and University College London with a Masters in Social Policy and Social Research.
Luke is a member of the Youth Advisory Board of the Almeida Theatre and enjoys watching plays and films, as well as his beloved Arsenal, in his spare time. Luke also enjoys travelling, especially to music festivals in Europe and across the United States.