About WHY

WHY Communications was founded in January 2019 to provide advice and support for tech companies that need to communicate with an increasingly wide and diverse audience. Your objectives may include winning customers, attracting investment or a combination of both.

WHY is not a dedicated branding or media relations agency, nor is it exclusively a digital agency. We help in all of these areas, telling the world who you are, what you do and, most importantly, WHY you do it. When you get it right, you may be surprised to find how much other people will want to share your message: in the press, through social media and at events. That’s WHY you should get in touch.

Let’s talk

Find out more about our approach, we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget.

SAY HELLO ▸

Founder and CEO

Heather Macdonald

Heather understands tech companies. She’s worked in them for most of her career.

Before founding WHY Communications, Heather worked for four years at Bristol-based deep-tech company Ultrahaptics (now Ultraleap). Prior to that, she spent over a decade in semiconductor companies - Phyworks and Maxim Integrated. Her expertise spans traditional communications, from media relations to digital marketing, and international product and distribution marketing.

A fearless networker, she has represented companies at Number 10 Downing Street, international conferences, and in front of the world’s media.

Heather sits on the Board of High Tech Bristol and Bath (HBB), which works with high tech companies in the West of England to promote, enhance and develop the tech clusters in the region. She is an active member of several networking and steering groups in the South West, and is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion.

A proud (albeit adopted) Bristolian, Heather regularly hosts journalists from leading publications on tours of Bristol’s tech scene, showcasing the variety of creative technologists in the region.

“Heather is a refreshing change from some of the lazy PRs I encounter. She understands how to work with journalists and help them secure useful information to produce a good story.”

— Leyla Boulton, Financial Times Special Report Editor

Associates

WHY prides itself on efficiency and expertise. The company has built itself a tight network of experts, who are brought into projects when clients require substantial integrated programmes. Each Associate has a proven work ethic, brings experienced counsel and produces exceptional results.

Featured

Hugh Davies

Hugh leads on WHY’s clients in the telecoms, media and technology (TMT) sectors. He has held senior in-house roles in these industries as well as advising TMT companies from leading communications groups. Roles include: Director of Corporate Communications at Three, the UK’s first 3G mobile operator, Head of Communications for Microsoft UK and senior positions at PR and advertising agencies including Hydra Strategy, Hill and Knowlton, Leo Burnett and Cohn & Wolfe

Lucy Manning

Lucy is a trained and qualified social media strategist, with experience of running successful, multi-platform campaigns that give measurable results – whether that’s increased brand awareness, engagement, email sign-ups or conversions. She’s also skilled in social media advertising.

A former editor and journalist, Lucy has worked for British Vogue, TIME magazine and online trend-forecasting company WGSN, among many other titles. Having retrained in social media strategy, she now brings journalistic know-how to digital marketing.

Gareth Iwan Jones

Gareth is a portrait and documentary photographer with a keen eye for (often comic) detail and the peculiarities of the human experience. Gareth's playful and vibrant photographic style has brought him regular commissions with numerous prominent publications and brands.

Currently calling somewhere near Bristol home, he splits his time between the 'Mild West' and London with commissions taking him across the UK and abroad.

Donovan de Souza

Donovan is a presentation specialist and coach with over 20 years’ experience. Drawing on his international, cross-sector expertise, he is able to bring a fresh perspective and unique insights to presentation storytelling - assisting any level of presenter to up their skills and gain the unfair advantage.

Linda Geddes

Linda is a Bristol-based journalist, author and broadcaster, specialising in biology, medicine and technology. She spent nine years at New Scientist magazine as a reporter, news editor and features editor, before taking the plunge and going freelance in 2014. Linda remains a consultant to New Scientist and regularly contributes to the Guardian, The Daily Mail, BBC Future and Nature, as well as co-presenting a BBC World Service podcast. Linda is an expert copywriter for features, white papers and reports, and is a lead on WHY's media training programmes.

Sarah Keates

Sarah Keates provides all-round event management and support specialising in providing creative and personal solutions for a wide range of events.

She prides herself on having the personal touch, really understanding a client’s needs and delivering them seamlessly as though part of your team.

Nikki Rowe

Nikki Rowe is a Bristol-based graphic designer. Starting her career in South Africa, she also had the opportunity to work in Hong Kong designing the campaign for the Chinese Satellite TV System.

Crossing the seas to get further international experience, she was hooked. Twenty years on she has worked in numerous UK agencies with a variety of high-profile clients such as Microsoft, Toshiba, Vodafone, EMC, ITN Source, Yeo Valley and NatWest.

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