Alison Puente

Director

Alison is an expert in corporate communications, with 25 years’ experience working across a range of industries including FMCG, healthcare, retail, technology and utilities. She has led corporate, brand and business-to-business campaigns for organisations ranging from FTSE businesses to start-ups, working with clients including Associated British Foods, Centrica plc, Essity, Grant Thornton, Microsoft, the NHS, Quorn and Taylors of Harrogate/Yorkshire Tea.

Alison works closely with the executive teams of her clients to help them use communications to build their reputations and profiles, expand their businesses and maximise financial value. She specialises in a variety of corporate comms areas, including corporate and brand positioning and purpose, proposition development, issues and crisis management, profile building, thought leadership, media relations, stakeholder relations, sustainability, and executive coaching and media training.

Alison has worked both agency and corporate-side in the UK and USA, including roles as head of media and corporate relations for Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank and Head of PR for Pace plc. Prior to this, Alison worked for a global technology PR agency for 12 years, based out of London and then San Francisco before relocating to Yorkshire 14 years ago. Alongside her Project Rome work, Alison is a Trustee of Leeds-based charity, Behind Closed Doors.

Why do I work with Project Rome?
After years spent working in corporates and communications agencies, I realised that working with people whose values are aligned to mine and where we can put clients ahead of anything else was essential to me working at my best. I feel very lucky to have found that at Project Rome, working with a fantastic team and great clients.

What’s top of my bucket list?
To travel as much as possible and explore amazing parts of the world – the Galapagos Islands being top of the list.

What our clients say

Project Rome worked with us to develop a purpose-driven strategy for Yorkshire Building Society, aligning our commercial ambitions with our societal and environmental responsibilities. The team were an absolute pleasure to work with, and their knowledge and experience were invaluable. We couldn’t have delivered the work without them.

Tanya Jackson, former Head of Corporate Affairs, Yorkshire Building Society

Project Rome has helped shape, challenge and then support the further development of original thinking, critical to the successful transformation of our sustainable business and asset strategy. They are also hugely well connected regionally and nationally. Their work has led to enhanced customer value and environmental performance for Yorkshire Water – an important outcome at a pivotal time.

Jon Brigg, Manager of Innovation, Yorkshire Water

The team at Project Rome are great to work with; consistently delivering results and adding valuable contributions but also easy and enjoyable to collaborate with. They are impressive in their ability to build rapport with different audiences and quickly apply a strategic mindset and technical expertise to bring structure, clarity and direction.

Gordon Rogers, Head of Sustainability, Yorkshire Water

It has been my pleasure to work with Project Rome over a number of years. Simon has always brought clear strategic thinking and analysis at corporate level and worked with me as a member of the executive team in WYG plc over an extended period as we grew the business. I have greatly appreciated his wisdom and help in setting direction for growth and implementing strategy.

Douglas McCormick, Executive Chairman, Gleeds UK and former CEO of WYG

I would sum up Project Rome in three words: diligence, expertise and accuracy. But what’s more, they are a true pleasure to work with. If we have a complex project, Project Rome is our first port of call.

Jeremy Biggs, CEO, NCL Technology Ventures Ltd

Project Rome worked on a one-to-one basis to quickly build relationships and gain the trust of key stakeholders, from clinicians and support teams to Executive Directors. The result was a significant leap forward in our ability to effectively collaborate at all levels. They were also an absolute delight to work with, bringing humour and a sense of fun to the team. We loved every minute of working with them!

Rebecca Malin, former Programme Director, Acute Provider Collaboration, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Project Rome team has an open, approachable style that worked well with our entire team, from Executive Directors to junior admin colleagues. They were politically and culturally sensitive to the need of the population and the multiple stakeholders, and creative and thoughtful about ways to get the optimum outcome from their work.

Stacey Hunter, Executive Director Acute Provider Collaboration Airedale FT and Bradford FT NHS Trusts, Chief Operating Officer, NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber

Project Rome provide FirstGroup with excellent regional intelligence and wise political counsel. They help us engage with our key stakeholders in a meaningful and focussed way.

Mike Katz, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, FirstGroup plc