» Our Team
Our team comprises top quality communication professionals with long experience advising some of the world’s leading organizations on how to manage their reputations.
Jonathan Hemus, director
Jonathan Hemus
Jonathan, the founder of Insignia, has more than 20 years’ experience providing communication consultancy to global companies and brands including Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Oral B, Duracell, Regus, GE Healthcare and Disney. During his ten years at leading communication consultancy Porter Novelli, he was both UK leader of the consultancy’s corporate practice and global leader for its crisis and issues management practice. He is a seasoned crisis counsellor having produced plans and delivered training to prevent and prepare for crisis, and provided hands on advice to organisations in the midst of a significant crisis. As a proven communication strategist, his experience encompasses reputation creation, promotion and protection, delivered to clients in Europe, USA, Asia and the Middle East. He is a sought after coach, having trained hundreds of executives around the world to successfully communicate with their many stakeholders.
Ben McCarthy, media director
Former BBC, ITN and Sky News reporter Ben McCarthy specialises in high impact
Ben McCarthy
media relations and powerful media training. Ben’s background in broadcasting – from the studio and as far afield as Iraq – means he has experience of reporting and presenting for some of the UK’s leading news organisations in the frontline. As head of media at leading international PR consultancy, Porter Novelli, he advised organisations like BA, Regus, HP, Manchester United Merchandising and the NHS on their media strategy. Ben is an empathetic media coach able to bring out the best in delegates of all levels of experience and competence. And as a seasoned reporter he has the ability to identify where the interests of an organisation and a great media story coincide – and the inside track to pitch it for maximum success.
Chesa Keane, online reputation management associate
Chesa Keane
Chesa Keane, principal of TAO Consultants, based in Nevada, USA, is Insignia’s partner for online reputation management, an increasingly important capability for today’s businesses. Chesa is a pioneer in online reputation management helping to build and protect corporate reputations at a time of crisis, as well as providing traditional Internet Marketing and SEO capabilities. With digital media playing such a central role in the creation – and sometimes destruction – of reputations, Chesa brings essential expertise to the Insignia team.
Jonathan Bernstein, North American associate
Jonathan Bernstein
Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, is Insignia’s North Amercian associate for crisis management. He has more than 25 years of experience meeting clients’ needs in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations. Prior to launching Bernstein Crisis Management in 1994, he created and served as the first director of the Crisis Communications Group for Ruder Finn, Inc., one of the world’s largest public relations agencies. His past experience includes corporate, agency and non-profit public relations positions, preceded by five years of investigative and feature journalism. He is a veteran of five years in U.S. Army Military Intelligence covert operations. PR Week described him as one of 22 US individuals “who should be on the speed dial in a crisis.”
