Ella Fallows

WiPA Co-founder

Weber Shandwick

Ella is Head of UK Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick, and formerly Outreach Manager for Northern Europe at Meta. She co-founded Women in Public Affairs with Laura Gilmore in 2012.

Previously she was Head of Political Intelligence at Lexington Communications and before that she managed political engagement programmes at Dods, ran parliamentary and policy training and worked for two Labour MPs. She has a Masters in Parliamentary Studies from Leeds University and a BA in Politics and History.

She's passionate about promoting and supporting women in all industries. She loves good food and travel, although she has a young son who prevents her enjoying either of those things regularly!

Victoria McNish

WiPA Chair

DGA

Victoria is a Public Affairs Director at integrated comms agency DGA, where she supports clients across the consumer, transport, sustainability and FS sectors. She also leads their high-profile campaigns on the menopause and on behalf of the UK’s beauty and wellbeing sectors, which was recognised by four industry awards for the team’s work supporting the left-behind sector during the pandemic. She was also recognised as Rising Star of the Year at the ICCO Global Awards 2021.

Prior to joining DGA, Victoria spent a number of years in another political consultancy, and started her career working as a researcher for a Conservative MP in Parliament. Beyond work, you’ll often find Victoria lapping the various parks of south London in marathon training or trying to find time for piano practice.

Laura Gilmore

WiPA Co-founder

Cummins Inc.

@LauraLotinga

Laura co-fouded Women in Public Affairs with Ella Fallows after meeting whilst studying for a public affairs diploma. She is currently the Director of Corporate Affairs and Chief of Staff for Europe for Cummins, a Fortune 150 global power technology company.  

Her earlier career was in politics, with her last political role being Head of the Liberal Democrat House of Lords Whips' Office during the Coalition Government. Laura lives in Hackney with her husband and two young daughters, Matilda and Grace. She is passionate about food, the environment and equality.

Emma wade

Head of Events

National Grid

@EmmaWade89

Emma currently works at National Grid as Public Affairs Manager, where she has a focus on net zero jobs and skills in addition to energy policy matters.

She has over a decade of public affairs experience, having also previously worked for various industry trade associations and in local government. In her last role, Emma led the day-to-day public affairs activity for ABTA – The Travel Association, during the global pandemic.

Emma’s academic background is in economics and international relations, and she started her career working in the UK Parliament. In her spare time, she volunteers as a Brownie Unit Leader for Girlguiding, and attempts to avoid injury while playing touch rugby.

Sophie Levin

Head of Marketing & Communications

The Football Association

@sophielevin11

Sophie delivers Public Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility for The Football Association, covering Government relations, stakeholder engagement and policy development across both England teams, elite men’s and women’s and grassroots football.

Previously she worked in consultancy roles at FTI Consulting and Hanover Communications, primarily focused on public affairs delivery for clients in the sports, leisure and media space.

Outside of work, she can be found decrying the fortunes of Leeds United and traversing the parks and (pub) gardens of East London with her miniature schnauzer, Stanley.  

Lizzy Tomlin

Head of Operations

H-Advisors Cicero

@TomlinLizzy

Lizzy is Head of Public Affairs at H/Advisors Cicero, where she works predominantly with financial services clients, focusing on consumer policy, financial services regulation and legislative affairs. Lizzy joined the company in 2017 and now leads on client service delivery in the UK Public Affairs team.  

Prior to joining H/Advisors Cicero, Lizzy worked for another political consultancy specialising in planning and development, working on large-scale planning projects across the UK whilst circumnavigating local politics. She is also active in the Liberal Democrats and previously worked in Parliament for two Lib Dem MPs during the Coalition Government.

Outside of politics, Lizzy plays football for Wanderers FC and is a member of the club’s Administration Committee.

Louise Abraham

Head of Campaigns

Department for Business and Trade

Louise is Senior External Affairs Manager at the Department for Business and Trade. She was previously Government Relations Adviser for CAFOD, an international development charity, leading on their parliamentary and government engagement.

She was previously a Consultant at Interel UK, delivering political engagement and campaigns activity for a range of clients in the sustainability, financial services and health and wellbeing sectors.

She has a first class degree in International Development from King’s College London. She is passionate about the environment, food and upcycling.

Priyanka Patel

DEI Officer

Macmillan Cancer Support

@Priyanka_210

Priyanka is a charity sector leader with extensive experience of securing national policy change that improves people’s lives. She is currently Public Affairs Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, where she leads an award-winning public affairs team. She has previously held roles across the charity sector, at organisations including Citizens Advice and Young Lives Vs Cancer. Outside of work, she spends her time in museums and galleries. She is frequently planning her meal or her next holiday.

She has completed the CIPR Professional Public Relations Diploma and the CIPR Digital Communications Specialist Diploma. Julie also has a Level 1 qualification in British Sign Language.

Maria Baker

Events Officer

Headland

Maria works in the Public Affairs team at Headland, working across a range of clients across food and drink, financial services, and planning. She has been with Headland for three years, joining from another consultancy. She began her career in the Conservative Party press office covering the EU referendum and 2017 General Election, before joining Parliament to work for the Scottish Conservatives.

Outside of work you’ll find Maria stomping along the Thames path, sampling London’s best spicy margs, or at home with her cat, Emmental.

Nicole WYatt

Campaigns Officer

Hanover

Nicole is a Senior Consultant at Hanover Communications, where she supports many clients with their Parliamentary engagement and helps them navigate the regulatory and political landscape, across a range of sectors. Nicole also volunteers her time by being a mentor for I Have a Voice, a non-profit supporting young people from under-represented backgrounds to engage with politics. 

Previously, Nicole worked at GK Strategy, a political advisory firm, and a Public Affairs Officer at Dogs Trust, an animal welfare charity.

sophie morris

Campaigns Officer

WSTA

Sophie is currently the Policy and Parliamentary Affairs Officer for the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), where she manages the WSTA’s political campaigns and relationships with political stakeholders. She is also the secretariat for the Wine & Spirit All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Prior to joining the WSTA, Sophie worked at political consultancies where she helped to deliver various campaigns and mitigate reputational risks for a range of FTSE100 clients.

Outside of work, Sophie can be found watching F1, planning her next trip abroad or hunting for the best cheap eats in London.

Katrina Rattu

Campaigns Officer

UCL

@KRattu20

Katrina currently works as the Public Affairs Manager for UCL where she has a focus on science, research and policy. Katrina leads on stakeholder engagement, campaigns as well as the Public Affairs Network.

With over 10 years of experience Katrina has previously worked in academia looking at the intersection between policy making and academia including exploring the various mechanisms that will inform and influence policy makers as well as leading to an increased take up of research in policy making. Katrina also had a background in local government having completed the Local Government’s Associations (LGA) Graduate Scheme, the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP). Katrina has worked across the areas of Strategy, Community Partnerships, Adult Social Care and Public Health. Katrina has also set up a Policy Network and co-founded the BAME staff network at a local authority.

Outside of work Katrina can be found producing podcasts and creating content for TikTok. She is passionate about building inclusive cultures and holds a Level 7 in Leadership and Management from the ILM.

Julie Byers

Marketing & Comms Officer

Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland

Julie is the Senior Government Affairs Manager for Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland, where she leads their Government and Parliamentary engagement. She has considerable experience working in trade associations, most recently as Public Affairs Manager at the Food and Drink Federation. Prior to that, Julie was Public Affairs Manager at the Association of Convenience Stores.

Julie has a degree in Politics from the University of Surrey, where she explored the representation of women in NBC’s The West Wing in her dissertation. Outside of work, Julie enjoys swimming, musicals, and a good negroni.

Janette Aquilina

Marketing & Comms Officer

British Poultry Council

Janette leads the British Poultry Council’s political and public affairs strategy. Working on a range of issues including EU exit, trade policy, sustainability, net zero, and immigration & labour policy, she navigates a highly regulated and politically complex industry to help ensure that feeding people remains at the heart of UK society. Representing some of the largest food businesses in the UK, and an industry that produces half the meat the nation eats, Janette is passionate about food security and ensuring access to nutritious, safe and low-impact food.

Previously, Janette worked in the Arts External Relations team at the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, managing high-level Government and industry stakeholder relationships.

She is currently completing the CIPR Specialist Diploma in Public Affairs and has a Master’s from The Courtauld Institute of Art. On the weekend she can be found exploring new art galleries or sipping wine in a pub with her dog Maple.  

Lucy is the Senior Policy Officer with Human Rights Consortium Scotland, leading on access to justice and domestic and international policy for the Consortium. Prior to this, she was policy and public affairs manager with 3x1 Group in Glasgow, a leading agency. Lucy has worked across a range of portfolios from renewable energy, the food and drink industry, health and social care, and public inquiries.

Prior to her current role, Lucy worked in New York City for the leading UK-US chamber of commerce. Outside of work, Lucy enjoys writing, open water swimming, and hassling her friends to go to karaoke.

Catriona is the Policy and Public Affairs Manager at National Lottery Heritage Fund. Prior to this Catriona was at Age Scotland and spent over three years at Edinburgh-based political monitoring agency, Newsdirect.

Catriona has been involved with Women in Public Affairs since its launch in Scotland in 2019. She previously served on the committee of the Association for Scottish Public Affairs and volunteers with Shelter Scotland and Young Scot.

Kimberley is the Communications and Policy Engagement Lead at the Centre for Public Policy. The Centre was established in 2023 at the University of Glasgow to build scale and visibility in the public policy process.

Previously, Kim was the Policy Engagement Lead at Voluntary Health Scotland. Prior to this she was part of the team at Newsdirect, along with many other WIPA Scotland colleagues! She is a Young Women Lead 2021 alumni, a programme led by the Young Women’s Movement.

Clare Slipper is an associate at Message Matters since 2021.

She previously worked at NFU Scotland, having started her career as a consultant in the Scottish office of an international Public Affairs and Public Relations agency.

As well as WiPA Scotland, Clare also sits on the CIPR Scotland 2020-21 Committee.

Ruth is the Agriculture and Land Use Policy Manager at WWF Scotland. She has worked on environment and climate change policy in a number of different roles, advocating for policy change to support climate, nature, and a just transition.

She has a masters in International Law and Sustainable Development from the University of Strathclyde and a law degree from the University of Glasgow.

Outside of work she can be found on her allotment, volunteering with the 2050 Climate Group, running, and learning Chinese.

Anna is Policy and Campaigns Officer at Waverley Care, Scotland’s HIV and hepatitis C charity. She leads on the #GetToZero campaign, working to end new HIV transmission in Scotland by 2030. Prior to this she was Policy and Public Affairs Officer at ASH Scotland.

She also co-founded Girls Against, a feminist campaign fighting against sexual violence and misogyny in live music.

Anna studied Sociology and Politics at the University of Edinburgh, and during this time volunteered for organisations including Back Off Scotland, CERT (Contraception Education and Reform Team) and Sexpression.”

A Senior Associate at Weber Shandwick, Rebecca has 3 years’ experience in the public affairs field.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a Master of Arts in Politics, Rebecca was a key member of a successful campaign team during the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections before moving on to work in public affairs.  Throughout her roles, she supported a variety of public affairs clients across various sectors including health and social care, retail, broadcasting, and skills. She has experience of interacting with all levels of government and has an in-depth knowledge of how to successfully engage with policy makers and stakeholders.

As one of our Events Leads, Rebecca is skilled at events management and ensuring effective stakeholder engagement and attendance. In her second year as an Executive Committee Member, Rebecca is passionate about promoting WiPA and building relationships with our partners.

Edina Pasztor

WIPA Scotland Events Lead

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

After seven years in foreign service across various European locations, including her role as Head of Protocol and, more recently, as a diplomat in Edinburgh, Edina has established her home in Scotland.

She currently works as a policy adviser for the UK government, where she focuses on shaping the UK's European bilateral relations in the fields of digital technology, science, innovation, and technology.

Sarah is environmental resources policy manager at NFU Scotland, working on issues such as pesticides, farm plastics and biodiversity, in order to secure a sustainable future for Scottish agriculture. Since November 2023, she is also a non-executive director at the James Hutton Institute.

Prior to this she worked for Edinburgh-based political monitoring agency, Newsdirect. She was form also an operational volunteer with the 2050 Climate Group and has a strong interest in climate change action and policy.

Outside of work she loves going for brunch, walking and listening to podcasts.

Clare is the Human Rights Officer at the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) Scotland, leading on their human rights work. She primarily focuses on using human rights and a human rights-based approach to progress anti-racism within public bodies and third sector organisations through strategic planning consultancy work and training.

Prior to this Clare delivered front line support for a children’s rights charity to young people experiencing domestic violence, substance and alcohol misuse, and child sexual exploitation. Subsequently she was promoted to Participation and Policy Development Officer to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child into policies and practice within the organization.

Tilly is currently Policy and Parliamentary Engagement Manager for the Scottish National Charity – Food Train, working to strategically tackle malnutrition and food insecurity amongst older people. She has worked at Food Train since 2019. She believes food is a tool to tackling inequalities and in a range of roles has dedicated her professional life thus far to achieving this.

Tilly holds a BA (Hons) in Human Geography and a Masters in Food Security and Food Justice from the University of Sheffield and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Outside of work, she spends lots of time in the outdoors and is a keen climber, kayaker, cyclist and swimmer.

Ellie is Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Marie Curie in Scotland, a charity which provides palliative and end of life support to those affected by terminal illness across the country. She joined Marie Curie in 2019 and is responsible for supporting the charity’s work in Scotland particularly around health inequities and social care.

Outside of Marie Curie, Ellie enjoys running, open water swimming and escaping into the hills whenever possible.

Jodie Hedley is Head of Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick Scotland, providing strategic policy advice and developing and delivering public affairs campaigns for a range of retail, manufacturing, energy and technology clients. She joined Weber Shandwick in 2017, following a public affairs career in both consultancy and in-house roles.

Jodie has been involved with Women in Public Affairs since its launch in Scotland in 2019. Outside of work, Jodie loves baking, spending time with her young family and planning her next trip!   

Izzy Gaughan is an Account Director at Weber Shandwick, based in the Scotland Public Affairs team. Izzy provides policy advice alongside the development and execution of public affairs plans for clients in a range of sectors – mainly housing and energy.

 Izzy joined Weber Shandwick in 2019, prior to this holding policy and campaigning roles in a number of third sector organisations, most recently the housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland.

Ellie Carrington is a senior account manager at Newsdirect Scotland with a brief that covers the circular economy, innovation, food and drink and the digital economy. Ellie is also editor of Newsdirect Scotland’s Environment and Energy Today daily briefing

After obtaining a degree in Geography from the University of Portsmouth, Ellie worked at a public policy events company for three years before moving to Edinburgh. She then worked as a freelance parliamentary analyst, covering Westminster developments and the devolved administrations before joining Newsdirect in 2021.