MARTIN POWELL (MCIPR) - Managing Director

Martin Powell has been advising on public relations and carrying out publicity campaigns for a wide range of national and regional businesses, and organisations since 1989.

Before moving into Public Relations, Martin was Chief Reporter of the Bristol Evening Post for many years, with assignments that included reporting from the House of Lords and the Old Bailey. During his time with the Post he interviewed the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and covered international events including the Falklands War from Ascension Island, the Brinks Mat robbery as well as the Gary Glitter sex scandal.

A Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Martin lectures on handling the media on the Ashridge Management Training College MBA and has provided practical media training for a wide range of international clients, including banks, public bodies, large manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. He holds National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) qualifications.

LIZ LEWIS - Senior Account Director

Liz Lewis has worked in both newspapers and radio before taking up in-house PR posts in the voluntary and education sector, working for the Community Service Volunteers as a press officer and as event and conference organiser for the Further Education Development Agency. She has been training people to handle the media since 1983, has lectured at Birmingham University and South Bristol College and has devised many training courses.

Her publicity skills include extensive knowledge of the housing and property sector and she has worked with a wide range of clients.

LAURENCE PHILLIPS - Account Director

With more than eight years public relations experience, Laurence has worked across a range of industry sectors including pub retailing, property development and publishing.

Before joining Martin Powell Communications, Laurence worked for United Provincial Newspapers (South Wales) as marketing manager and has an in-depth knowledge of regional and local press. Having moved into the agency world he has been involved in devising and implementing marketing and PR campaigns for a range national and locally based clients.

ANITA ALEXANDER - Commercial Manager

Anita Alexander has worked in the public relations industry since 1986. She has organised events throughout the UK and dealt with just about every type of media situation, from dealing with newspaper journalists through to major media launches and press conferences.

Anita has a wide knowledge of print and design, having worked previously in the print machinery industry and she has the vital role of ensuring projects run on time and within budgets. Her management skills extend to detailed event organisation for both Empica and its clients.

MALCOLM FRITH - Broadcast/ multi-media consultant

Malcolm Frith is one of the South West region’s best known radio and television correspondents having spent over thirty years as a reporter and Business Correspondent for the BBC.

He began his career working for the Gazette series of newspapers in Gloucestershire.

From there he crossed the border to South Wales working on evening and weekly newspapers, before returning to Bristol to work for a national news agency.

Malcolm joined the BBC in 1974. and covered some of the region’s biggest stories from the St Paul’s riots to the opening of the Second Severn Crossing.

In his role as a BBC Business Correspondent he won numerous awards including the prestigious national BT Award. He joined Empica in May 2008 to head up the broadcast and multi-media services and is now a consultant to the firm on broadcast and multi-media productions.

JUDITH SKORUPSKI - Account Manager - London

Before joining the company Judith worked in new media as news manager of the government's website UK Online and was in daily contact with 10 Downing Street.

Her career also includes producing for both national BBC and ITV television, including Trevor MacDonald Meets for ITN; and in radio for stations including BBC local radio, GWR FM and Network News, and in newspapers including national and regional titles.

BOB CORFIELD - Journalist/Account Manager

Bob Corfield started his career in London as a newspaper reporter and with a national news agency. He was Chief Crime Correspondent for the Bristol Evening Post for many years covering all the major crime stories breaking in the West Country from the early 1980s. He switched to public relations in 1998.

In 2002, he joined the NHS and was involved in establishing a new press and public relations and marketing department at NHS UK Transplant - the health authority responsible for the provision of organs for transplant throughout the country.

He was part of the team that won a top award by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for a year-long campaign to mark the 10th anniversary of the NHS Organ Donor Register in 2004. The campaign hit its target of encouraging an extra million people to join the donor register.

In his four years helping to promote organ donation Bob was frequently interviewed for radio and quoted in national newspapers on issues ranging from advances in heart transplantation to George Best's liver! In the same period, the number of people on the donor register increased from 9 million to 13 million.

DAVID BAXTER - Journalist

David Baxter has more than 25 years experience of writing for newspapers. A former award-winning motoring writer and columnist, he has worked in PR since 1995 for clients ranging from power industry to travel clients.

ELAINE NELSON-SMITH - Administrator

Before joining the Martin Powell Communications team, Elaine Nelson-Smith spent more than 20 years working in the travel industry. She embarked on her career in her native South Africa and travelled the world extensively before settling in Britain. She brings to the team a wealth of experience in administration and, among her many duties, daily updates the TV and radio exposure database and distributes cuttings to our clients.

POLLY POWELL - PR Assistant

A graduate from Bristol University with a degree in Sociology, Polly is not only busy working for Empica during the day she has also founded her own business Kwest Studios teaching music keyboards to all ages in the evenings and weekends in Weston-super-Mare. She provides vital back-up for the account managers and directors.

AVINASH PATIL - Account Manager

Avinash graduated from City University, London in Media Communication Systems and moved to Bristol in June 2006.

Since then he has gained experience working in PR Agencies in Bristol along with some Volunteer Work at Bristol's CREATE centre. In the current environment of new and evolving media clients now need to pay more attention to their reputation online. Avinash combines his knowledge of conventional PR and IT/Web skills to deliver clients new opportunities in getting their messages out on the internet. At the moment he is pioneering PR strategies using Social Networking and Blogs.