Meet our senior PR team

Chris Warham, managing director

A member of the CIPR and the marketing society and with more than 20 years' experience of driving strategic and tactical communications, Chris's primary focus is on messaging and corporate positioning as well as the strategic integration of clients' reputation management activities with day to day sales and marketing.

Current and former clients include Hewlett-Packard, Logica/CMG, British Waterways, Waitrose, The Duchy of Lancaster, Dell Computer and he wrote for the Daily Telegraph under a pseudonym.

His passion today is to see Bell Pottinger North delivering public relations campaigns that deliver real and measurable return on investment.

+44 1625 506 401

John Butters, director

With a solid background in journalism, John has more than ten years’ experience of leading proactive public relations campaigns for private and public sector organisations.

He is equally comfortable providing strategic consultancy and tactical delivery, and has considerable experience in managing results-driven campaigns at regional, national and pan-European levels.

Now director of Bell Pottinger North, John has experience of working with clients across several industries including aviation, education, manufacturing, public sector, retail, technology and telecoms.

Among his past and present clients are major organisations including BASF Cranfield College of Aeronautics, Dunlop Aerospace, Hewlett-Packard, Swisscom, VLM Airlines, Cable and Wireless and Time Computer Systems.

+44 1625 506434

Deborah Garritty, director

An experienced PR practitioner, Deborah has directed communications campaigns to launch and support many leading names in the property and construction sectors, including Bellway Homes, Crosby Homes, Dennis Ruabon Ltd, Linden Homes, National Tile Association, Rod Hackney Associates and Rugby Cement/RMC Group. Originally a bilingual editor for the International Union of Architects (UIA), and then press officer of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Deborah ran her own PR consultancy for nine years before joining the Bell Pottinger North team in January 2005.

Vicki Baxter, director

Vicki trained as a journalist on daily newspapers, before developing her career with PR agencies and as an in-house marketing manager for leading professional firms. She also has extensive experience in the health and public sectors.

Richard Clein, associate director

Richard is an award winning BBC journalist and broadcaster who heads up our Liverpool office. In 2002 Richard travelled to Shanghai as part of a Chamber of Commerce delegation to Liverpool’s twin city making a radio documentary which was entered for the prestigious Sony awards.

He played a key role in setting up the Merseyside Media Network in 2003 and has been listed in the PR Week Power Book as one of the most influential people in the industry. He is also an experienced political campaigner connected to the region’s politicians at all levels and all parties and a specialist in managing and enhancing reputations having worked with former Everton FC director and leisure entrepreneur Paul Gregg, staff and players at St Helens RLFC and global brand Cream.

In 2007, Richard advised and acted as official spokesman for Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in Sudan for letting her primary school class name a teddy bear “Mohammed”.

Emily Crellin, senior account manager

Emily has extensive experience in business-to-business public relations, working with clients across a wide range of industries including professional services, transport and construction.

She started her career in the press office at global logistics provider, Exel, where she was responsible for generating press coverage across a range of industry sectors in both the UK and Europe.

Before joining Bell Pottinger North, Emily worked at a Sheffield-based communications agency, handling a diverse range of business-to-business accounts, including Toyota Industrial Equipment UK and Europe, and Georgia Pacific.

Alex Henshall, senior account manager

Alex has over eight years' experience in marketing, communications and project management.

He has extensive experience in both B2B and B2C public relations campaigns across an array of sectors including professional services, financial services, manufacturing, and FMCG.

Before joining Bell Pottinger North in 2006, Alex worked in the marketing division at the Cheshire Building Society for six years, where he was responsible for working with internal clients and suppliers to deliver corporate strategy to time, quality and budget.

Alex is a marketing graduate about to embark on the final year of a Masters programme at Manchester Business School. Past and present clients include RSM Robson Rhodes, SHM Smith Hodgkinson, Vita Group, The Debt Advisor and Glaisyers Solicitors.

Roger Summerskill, consultant

Roger had a 30-year career at the BBC and is best known for presenting the breakfast programme on BBC Radio Merseyside for six years with Radio 5 Live’s Shelagh Fogarty.

He could also be heard presenting the phone in and drive time programmes and had a stint at Radio 5 Live presenting After Hours.

Roger is also experienced in public relations and media training and has worked for the Merseyside Police, Wirral Borough Council and a number of charities including the RNLI. Roger also spent three years at Goodison Park as the matchday stadium announcer for Everton FC.