GEOPOLITICAL CONSULTANCY
Strategic positioning & communications management​
Etoile is a geopolitical consultancy, specialising in strategic positioning advice and communications management.
Our consultants have worked discreetly all over the world for four decades, assisting governments, companies, organisations and individual leaders to achieve their goals through effective communication that influences the way people listen, think and act.
OUR
PORTFOLIO
​
A body of work spanning three decades
Through a unique blend of experience, intelligence, insight, innovation, connections and global reach, we have made a real difference; we have created new markets, changed the nature of debates, and won over public opinion for the benefit of our clients.
In the last decade we have
engaged in projects in or concerning Bangladesh, Brazil,
Chad, DRCongo, Egypt, El Salvador,France, Gaza, Germany, Ghana, Greenland, Haiti, Iceland, India, Japan, Kenya,Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Mozambique, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Qatar, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Yemen, at the European Council in Brussels and at UNGA in New York.
The ebbs and flows of geopolitics have always been there; it's the pace that has changed - and the ability of individuals as well as corporations and governments to affect them
In the UK, Ronald Hepburn ran the award winning campaign to keep Sterling as the UK currency for the British Chambers of Commerce Policy Unit
Ron Hepburn and his team developed the positioning that led to the creation of Education Above All Foundation.
Our Education Partner, Dr Veli Hillman, recently published Taming Edtech with Bloomsbury Press. It tells the story of how our children stand to lose in a digitised classroom.
Ron Hepburn advised Japan's once great Yamaichi Securities on its orderly global close down
Etoile team is helping UK Fisheries to preserve its rights to fish post Brexit.
Ron Hepburn, Trevor Datson and Victoria Smith were embedded advisors in the Singh Investigation into discrimination in the UK's Tory Party.
Etoile provided in-depth geopolitical insight to the Global Leadership Foundation, a group of former world leaders established by Nelson Mandela and FW de Clerk.
Ronald Hepburn and Trevor Datson launched Educate a Child, which aims to help 10m out of school children into primary education. Photo credit: EAA
In Istanbul, Ronald Hepburn worked with the World Export Development Forum (WEDF), run by the UN's International Trade Centre and WTO
Etoile is supporting EDDS, a project that aims to change the way edtech providers and education systems access and use our children's data.
At UNGA in New York, Ronald Hepburn and Trevor Datson worked with Education Above All and PEIC to highlight the plight of the world's out of school children to world leaders.
Ron Hepburn developed the strategic positioning for a major liquefied natural gas producer - a company responsible for one sixth of world production.
Our education partner Dr Velislava Hillman leads our role in the Horizon/UKRI funded Trustee consortium developing a trust & privacy preserving computing platform for cross-border federation of data.
Etoile founder, the late Graham Barr MBE, co-founded the Consultative Business Movement, which took a leading role in the transition process engaging with the ANC in negotiating full democracy
Etoile led the development of social impact instruments in financial markets to help with issues from migration to basic education. Photo credit: EAA
Etoile guided the Maltese Presidency of the EU.
Ron Hepburn and team developed the positioning for a new global foundation for educational development in the toughest environments. Photo credit: EAA
Ron Hepburn led the team which established European Climate Exchange as the leading futures exchange for Carbon Credits.
ABOUT US
At the intersection of politics, geography, demography and economics
Etoile is a geopolitical consultancy advising on and facilitating geopolitical strategies in fields as diverse as energy, environmental and natural resources planning, promoting national interests internationally, raising funds, encouraging ethical use of data, tourism development, assessing and advising on political and security risks, attracting foreign direct investment, launching environmental projects, marketing global financial centres and handling constitutional and legislative issues across multiple territories.
Geopolitical consultancy encompasses the complex cross-border interactions between nations, corporations and people of influence. It is the application of the knowledge of the relationships between politics, geography, demography and economics, especially with respect to foreign policy.
OUR
TEAM
Whatever your challenge, the Etoile team can help you
​
Etoile's consultants deliver multi-million pound strategic positioning campaigns from Latin America to South East Asia - developing practical solutions to challenging problems for clients ranging from heads of state, politicians and global business leaders, to entrepreneurs and NGOs.
The combined experience and contacts of Etoile’s team enables it to deliver highly sophisticated and discreet advice and breakthrough thinking wherever you are. We bring together a team of expert consultants with the right mix of strategic thinking, creativity and experience to help you achieve your objectives.
​
​
In Europe, our specialist Brussels-based team at LOWEurope gives our clients an edge in accessing insights and opening opportunities in the European Union.
Founder and managing director Ron leads the business. Ron's international credentials span more than 30 years and include delivering campaigns and projects at the UN in New York, the EC in Brussels, and more generally across the Middle East, USA, Europe and South Africa including ten years at a major Japanese investment bank.
Partner Trevor's track record in international media relations is built on more than two decades of experience spanning boardrooms, battlefields and the corridors of power. Trevor's record both as an acclaimed journalist and as a senior adviser to multinationals such as Tesco, Danone and Cadbury vouches for a unique understanding of both sides of the delicate balance of media relations.
Associate partner Jo is an accomplished project manager, running key projects for Etoile in multiple geographies. She is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Partner Guy has 30 years’ experience advising corporates in the UK and internationally on brand strategies and creative implementation including marketing campaigns, investor relations programmes and sustainability frameworks and reporting. His approach has been to bring fresh thinking and to devise a distinctive shape and focus to any given positioning assignment.
Associate Partner Victoria has over 10 years’ experience in the Middle East providing strategic, political, counter-terrorism and regional conflict analysis to senior leaders in government and the private sector.
Partner Joe co-founded and later headed the geopolitical team of the world’s largest PR agency network and has also acted as Special Advisor to the Secretary General of The Commonwealth of Nations. He has advised many high profile organisations and individuals on their business and communication issues from a political, media or public policy angle. Joe is a former journalist.
Education Partner Veli heads up our education team, leading the EDDS project and our multi-year engagement with the joint Horizon/UKRI funded TRUSTEE research project
Partner Etoile's philanthropy specialist, Susannah'’s career has spanned the communications industries; advertising in the 1980s, public relations and strategic communications in the '90s, sport and entertainment into the new millennium, and most recently, 12 years in philanthropy– where the sum total of her experience comes together for a greater purpose.
Associate partner Betsy's experience spans advertising, brand strategy and US and UK politics. She holds an MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska.
Marketing & Communications Director @LOWEurope Brendan is a communications strategy expert and author with extensive experience at a senior level. His expertise in all types of marketing communications encompasses advertising, media and public relations; government and policy communications; broadcast and print journalism; media coaching; writing and publishing. He was Director of Communications of the UK Conservative Party (reporting to Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major).
Deputy Managing Director @LOWEurope Karen is the Deputy Managing Director at LOW. She provides hands on expertise in events programming and management, in-depth insight into the workings of EU institutions, and strategic advice to clients on how to get their messages across to key stakeholders and decision makers.
Founder and Managing Director @LOWEurope Sally Low is the Founder and Managing Director of LOW, responsible for seeing that all our clients achieve their objectives. After working as an Education Adviser to the UK Conservative Party, she gained extensive experience of managing large and complex policy based communications projects from her time at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) where she was Director of Policy and External Affairs.
GET
IN TOUCH
Head Office
45 Pont Street, London SW1X 0BD
United Kingdom
​
Email: team@etoilepartners.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 3178 8831
Brussels office
Etoile @LOWEurope
63 Rue de la Longue Haie, boite 1 1000 Brussels, Belgium
​
Email: Etoile@LOWEurope.eu
Tel: ++32 (0) 2286 1141
Web: www.loweurope.eu