Senior specialists
Meet the team
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Hugo Shanahan
Hugo brings an over-20-year track record of enabling clients to build understanding and effect change through proactive and upfront communications programmes involving employees, investors, government, regulators, consumers, communities and iwi.
He has developed and stress-tested crisis management plans for organisations of all scales, which has included leading rapid-response teams on a range of high-profile environmental, natural disaster and corporate events.
Hugo led communications workstreams through the Commerce Commission’s inaugural Market Study and through the Reserve Bank and FMA’s Conduct and Culture inquiries.
He has extensive capital markets experience, having worked with listed entities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Hugo also has extensive public consultation experience, having provided support on a range of multi-disciplinary environmental and property infrastructure assignments over the past decade.
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Richard Llewellyn
Richard is a highly experienced, strategic, communications and corporate affairs executive who leads with purpose, passion, perspective, integrity, and a little bit of humour.
He’s attracted to organisations and leaders who want to make a positive difference to Aotearoa’s future, and want to help shape and be part of positive change.
He’s worked across start-ups, listed companies, private equity, government-funded organisations, and PR agencies, most recently with Vodafone, Vector, Spark and Auckland Airport.
He’s authored over 20 shareholder reports and led investor communications over many years for several large corporates, as well as having led communications across multiple M&A transactions, including the sale of Vodafone NZ to Infratil and Brookfield, the partial sale of Queenstown Airport to Auckland Airport, and the recent sale of the Vodafone cell towers.
He’s worked locally and internationally, in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, including technology, telecommunications, tourism, FMCG, energy, and aviation amongst many others.
Richard has shaped transformation narratives, embraced and applied disruptive trends, provided sound strategic advice and counsel, driven positive reputation, grown the social license to operate, and built influential relationships inside and outside organisations.
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Paul Hewlett
Paul brings to the Shanahan team more than thirty years’ experience in corporate communications in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia.
This experience includes communications planning, crisis and issues management, investor relations and corporate reputation-building for clients ranging from listed companies to government agencies and early-stage firms and start-ups.
Paul has extensive experience working in the primary sector and agribusiness, network industries, including telecommunications, land transport and aviation as well as urban planning and the development and construction sector.
He has considerable expertise in corporate responsibility and sustainable business as it relates to corporate reputation-building and cuture change.
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Hannah Heberley
With more than fifteen years of senior communications and engagement experience, Hannah has built a successful career within a variety of organisations in New Zealand – from those facing major reputational challenges to some of the country’s strongest and most respected companies.
Highly driven and motivated, Hannah enjoys working in a challenging and busy environment. She prides herself on an ability to proactively drive and deliver on the key strategic priorities that make a real difference to an organisation.
Hannah has significant experience in the energy sector, from upstream production through to downstream retail businesses – most recently including Contact Energy, Z Energy and Todd Energy. She worked across a range of industries whilst at consultancy SenateSHJ in Wellington, and also has significant public sector experience, having worked with EQC, Waka Kotahi, NZ Police, and a number of district and city councils across the country.
Naturally outgoing and people-oriented, Hannah builds strong relationships with stakeholders and enjoys working with a range of stakeholders across all levels of an organisation.
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Christian Bonnevie
Christian is an experienced strategic communications and government relations consultant who loves to immerse himself in complex environmental, regulatory, political and commercial issues.
Born and bred in Taranaki, he now resides in Lyall Bay, Wellington where he divides his time between surfing, coaching club cricket and equipping businesses and non-profits to understand and engage with politicians, their staff and officials.
Christian brings a deep understanding of government and media engagement and an extensive network to his work from his time as a Government press secretary and five years at the Commerce Commission, where he primarily worked with the mergers and acquisitions, trade practices, market studies and economic regulation teams.
His crisis communication skills have been honed and tested on major events including Pike River and his calm approach to media management is highly valued by chief executives and their boards.
As an independent consultant Christian has supported clients in the energy, housing, conservation, insurance and finance sectors. His work has involved a particular focus on climate change-related risks and thorny policy issues, including managed retreat and the challenge New Zealand faces in funding and financing our transition to a low-carbon economy.