About Us
FirstWord is a content agency that specialises in business, finance and tech. We help businesses in these sectors tell their stories in the best possible way.
We are a team of elite journalists, editors, podcasters and designers drawn from the world’s best media brands including The Financial Times, Telegraph, The Economist and BBC.
Together we cut through the jargon and create high-quality and insightful thought leadership, blogs, white papers, newsletters, videos, podcasts and infographics.
We work with clients in multiple, often highly regulated sectors including investment banking, asset management, professional services, energy, cloud services, fintech, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, pharma, healthcare and more.
All of this we do on time, on budget – with care, precision and a smile.
Founded in 2014, FirstWord has now helped more than 250 clients in 19 countries tell often complex stories simply, engagingly and compellingly on their own platforms.
Let us tell yours.
Adrian Michaels
Director
Financial Times foreign correspondent and former Business and Finance Reporter of the Year, then Foreign Editor and Editorial Director for commercial content at Telegraph Media Group.
Ross Cathcart
Director
The former head of Ogilvy Public Relations London, Ross has devised and directed multiple award-winning digital campaigns for blue chips, governments and global institutions including Shell, Diageo, MasterCard and the European Union.
Leslie Crawford
Senior editor and writer
Former foreign correspondent and comment editor at the Financial Times, then international communications director at a renewable energy multinational. Writes about climate and sustainability, finance and geopolitics.
Andy Davis
Senior editor and project consultant
Writer, researcher and consultant specialising in business, finance and investment. A Financial Times journalist between 1995 and 2010, Andy was editor of FT Weekend from 2007-2010 and named Personal Finance Journalist of the Year in the 2012 Wincott Awards.
Ross Tieman
Senior editor and writer
A former industrial correspondent at the Times and section leader at the Financial Times, Ross has decades of experience in corporate writing and communications across a vast range of subjects.
Annette MacKenzie
Editor
After 20 years as a journalist in print and with the BBC, Annette now writes and edits editorial content for clients including BT Global Services, Freshfields, Pirelli and London Business School.
Jeroen Bergmans
Account director
After a decade at Wallpaper* magazine, Jeroen worked as an editorial consultant in print and online before managing content, marketing and branding for an FTSE 250 property company.
Amy Wilson
Editor
With over a decade of experience as a business reporter and editor, Amy has worked for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail, BBC and Bloomberg News covering many sectors including professional services, technology, defence and aerospace.
Kate Rigby
Editor
Kate was Commercial Editorial Director at Telegraph Media Group and Editor of the Telegraph’s Special Reports department. Previous to that she spent 12 years working at leading London media companies and brand agencies.
Emma Firth
Editor
An experienced journalist and editor, Emma has spent two decades working in newsrooms including the Telegraph and BBC for both print and online.
Thor Borgqvist
Producer
Thor has worked in advertising and content since 1999, at companies such as McCann, Ogilvy and VMLY&R. Accounts have included Microsoft, Samsung, Ford, Land Rover, Sanofi, Colgate and many others across a wide range of industries.
Kate Bolton
Editor
Kate has over 20 years’ experience in B2B solution marketing, content and communications in the technology, fintech and professional services sectors.
Hannah Strange
Editor
Hannah has over two decades of experience as an editor and writer for the Times, Vice News, CNN International and the Telegraph, where she was Foreign Editor.
Jeremy Grant
Writer
Jeremy was a journalist at the Financial Times and Reuters for 25 years, divided between London and postings in Asia and the US. Since 2020 he has written and edited content for corporate clients including Unilever, Mastercard and Pictet.
Sophy Buckley
Writer
A thoroughbred business journalist, Sophy spent years at the Financial Times as a writer and editor before branching out as a broader writer and editorial consultant.
Richard Tomlinson
Writer
Richard spent 11 years covering China and then Europe for Fortune magazine and has also written about business and finance for other leading media outlets, including the International Herald Tribune and the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Richard Walker
Writer
Richard has been an editor for The Economist, a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and a presenter for the BBC World Service.
Shane Richmond
Writer
Former Technology Editor at the Telegraph, Shane has 25 years’ experience as a writer and editor, the last decade of which has been spent in content marketing.
Ben Hunt
Writer
A former Financial Times IT and sports correspondent, since 2006 Ben has enjoyed a communications and public affairs career in London and Madrid in the travel, technology, telecoms and renewable energy industries.
Sue Tabbitt
Writer
Sue Tabbitt has been writing about IT and its application in business for more than 30 years, for a broad range of publications including the Guardian, the Times and the Daily and Sunday Telegraph as well as in numerous specialist trade newspapers and magazines.
Jamie Oliver
Speechwriter
A journalist, author and speechwriter for some of the most important people in the world. His speeches, delivered everywhere from Beijing to Washington DC, moved markets, informed international policy and had a direct impact on the global economy.
Mike Scott
Writer
A former writer and editor at the Financial Times, Mike has also written for titles including Forbes, the Guardian, Reuters, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Ethical Corporation. He specialises in sustainability, business and environmental issues.
Ray Colitt
Writer
Over three decades, Ray has written and edited for major outlets such as the Financial Times, Reuters and Bloomberg, most recently as bureau chief in Brasilia and government editor in Berlin.
Oliver Pickup
Writer
A multi-award-winning journalist specialising in technology, business and sport, Oliver has written for Raconteur, WorkLife, the Daily Telegraph, the Times and the Guardian, among other publications.
Sharmila Devi
Writer
Sharmila has spent most of her 30 years in journalism covering international affairs and business, including five years as the Financial Times correspondent in Jerusalem.
Caroline Elderfield
Chief Sub
Caroline has 30 years’ experience as a sub-editor on national newspapers and magazines. Most recently she was Chief Sub overseeing commercial activity at Telegraph Media Group.
Paul Weston
Designer
With a passion for information design, Paul has over 20 years’ experience working with brands, publications and media outlets including FormulaE, Meta, Time Magazine and Telegraph Media Group to name but a few.
Donald Cameron
Strategist
A classic advertising planner for over 15 years at McCann, Inferno and SapientNitro, Donald has wide-ranging marketing campaign experience. His clients have included Panasonic, Orange, Microsoft, Odeon, LinkedIn, Legal & General, LYCRA and Peugeot.
