The Comms Collective – Conversations in Purposeful Communications

From Newsrooms to Strategic Leadership with Hasan Patel What happens when you stop pitching stories and start thinking like a News Editor? In this episode of The Comms Collective, we’re joined by Hasan Patel, a veteran communicator whose career spans the BBC, Al Jazeera, and high-level Higher Education leadership. Hasan pulls back the curtain on how he transitioned from a digital journalist to a s...

What happens when a corporate law path feels "soulless"? For Sascha Gill-Chugh, it led to a career pivot that is now reshaping how we talk about international development. In this episode, Vishnee sits down with Sascha, Communications Manager at CAMFED, to discuss the urgent need to decolonise the aid sector, the strategy behind reaching 20 million people with a single campaign, and why your "intr...

Is public apathy an insurmountable barrier, or a self-fulfilling prophecy? In this episode, Antonia May Cross, Director of Communications and Campaigns at Revolving Doors, challenges the "Cinderella Cause" mindset that plagues the charity sector. From her unconventional start - entering the sector after being expelled from school - to winning a national Times Christmas Appeal, Antonia shares how d...

Episode 9 features Helen Crumley, exploring her 20-year career, NHS insights, and impactful mental health advocacy with Kids Inspire. Discover how she balances high-stakes strategy with heart-led advocacy at Kids Inspire, supporting youth mental health. A must-listen for anyone looking to communicate with clarity, purpose, and real-world impact.

Trailer for the start of season 2. If you've enjoyed the episodes so far, please follow, like and comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you haven't listened to the podcast yet, then what are you waiting for? Go on, have a listen.

Episode 8 features Purvy Patel, who originally started her career in the corporate world and moved to the charity sector, leveraging her transferable skills. She discusses the challenges of sector transitions, including budget constraints and the need for more creative communications. Purvy tells us about working for Age UK and Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent, highlighting the differences in m...

Episode 7 of the Comms Collective features another international colleague, Mary Ann Llanza, with 30 years of experience. Mary Ann talks about the satisfaction of seeing direct community impact and how successful campaigns require authentic, community-led communication. Mary Ann’s journey began as a writer and journalist, then led to impactful campaigns on violence against women and disaster risk...

Episode 6 of the Comms Collective Podcast delves into the humanitarian world with Ka Man Parkinson, Communications and Marketing Lead for the Humanitarian Leadership Academy, with host Vishnee Sauntoo.    Ka Man explains how she works hard to understand her audience, the humanitarian field teams who are time-poor, lack good Wi-Fi, and work in very stressful conditions. The HLA brings learning to t...

Episode 5 - Claire Quigley, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and Fundraising, joins Vishnee for a conversation about charity growth, rebrands and how to manage a hybrid team.   Claire discusses the importance of progress over perfection and how developing relationships is crucial when working with external individuals, emphasising the value of tackling the harder tasks instead of the easi...

Björn Ólafsson, Research-Writer working for many organisations, including the Better Food Foundation, joins Vishnee from Barcelona, Spain— so we are going international today! Björn talks about his background in animal welfare and advocacy, why good communication needs strong research, and how strong research needs good communication to explain it. He tells us about the challenges of talking about...

Guy Abraham, Strategic Comms Lead for Haringey Council and Founder of BrandGuy consultancy, talks to Vishnee about how work in local government can lead to real impact on communities.  He shares his experience working on charity brands and why we should focus on the strengths of the team rather than their weaknesses.

Our host, Vishnee Sauntoo, sits down with Jenny Legg, Head of Comms of Scottish not-for-profit organisation Flexibility Works. Jenny discusses what truly flexible working means, the limited part-time opportunities, especially at senior levels, and her journey from being a journalist to moving into comms. She provides insight into successful remote working and what it is like to drive change with l...

In the first full episode of The Comms Collective Podcast, Vishnee Sauntoo sits down with Adeela Warley, CEO of CharityComms - a membership organisation for charity communications professionals. Adeela discusses the future of communications and her role at CharityComms, as well as what leadership means to her. She talks about the evolution of leadership and the impact of AI on the sector.

Welcome to the Comms Collective podcast, where Vishnee Sauntoo explores the highs, lows and hard-won lessons of comms in the mission-led world. Each episode features candid conversations with charity and public sector comms leaders — on everything from budget squeezes to breakthrough campaigns, comms in crisis to finding your voice as a leader.