Lionel Stanbrook

LIONEL STANBROOK

EDITOR, WRITER and RE-WRITER, CLEMENT WRITE RIGHT, Burgess Hill, England

Writer and Editor of short articles on politics, Europe, grammar, world economics, government statistics, and specialist articles on economic development issues in Africa;  poetry, literature and creative writing, op-eds and press materials on a variety of consumer, health and educational subjects. Trainer on leadership, creativity and communications, commercial and creative writing and editing, creating and maintaining house styles, reputation management, messages and stakeholder engagement.

November 2016 – November 2020: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
POSITION: CHIEF OF COMMUNCATIONS, PRESIDENT’S SPEECHWRITER and SENIOR EDITOR

Speechwriter to the President; Chief of Communications; Senior Editor for Bank publications. Development of a central online corporate message directory of positions, policies and commitments for use, inter alia, in brand communications, social media, information, news reporting and research material. Led the Bank’s English editorial and writing capacity, so that Bank content was clearer, simpler, more impactful, related closer to institutional strategy, and was coherent with the Bank’s partnerships, objectives and agenda. Developed Bank communications department house style for English content, vocabulary and grammar

June 2015 – December 2015: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, Rome, Italy
POSITION: SENIOR EDITOR, SPEECHWRITER and COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER (contracted)

• Advised and assisted in a review of WFP communications policy, reputation and news management in the light of the Zero Hunger policy and action responsibilities under the SDGs
• Wrote comprehensive internal report on the communications arguments for and against accepting a commercial working partnership proposal from a major  multinational food company.
• Developed a working “message house” for key issues in external relations and reputation management

JAN 2012 – NOV 2016: CLEMENT REPUTATION GmbH Basel, Switzerland
POSITION: MANAGING PARTNER and SENIOR EDITOR

Responsibilities:
Development of communications, advocacy, and CEO senior strategic and advisory services
With the French PR agency Cohn & Wolfe, I arranged and led a group of French senators in a fact-finding expedition to the Indonesian rain forest in July 2013, investigating and reporting on practices involved in palm oil and pulp and paper production. I wrote and published their report, whose recommendations led to changes in French policy.
I coordinated a team of writers to edit and redesign the 2015 edition of the Annual Report of Roche, Switzerland.
I wrote and edited the highly praised staff journal of the Huntsman Corporation for 4 years and 10 issues 2012-16
I wrote and published 12 articles for the Syngenta Foundation on smallholders and land use in Africa.
In-house writer and editor of Colgate web site information and story hub for young dentists and dental students
Interim communications director, in-house writer and editor at several companies including Roche, Novartis, Huntsman, Colgate Palmolive, and Syngenta Crop Protection.

OTHER POSTS
2004 – 2012 Global Head of Reputation Management at SYNGENTA INTERNATIONAL GmbH, Basel, Switzerland
2002 – 2004 Managing Director and Partner at PRM European Lobbyists Ltd, Brussels
2001 – 2002 Managing Director at DLA Upstream, London
1991 – 2001 Director of Communications & Deputy Director General, Advertising Association, London
1989 – 1991 European Director at Shandwick Public Affairs, London
1983 – 1989 Communications Director, European Parliament, Brussels
Speechwriter, spokesman, and press officer for Lord Plumb, President of the European Parliament
President’s Cabinet and European Parliament Political Staff, Brussels
1983 Europolitique / European Reports, Brussels
Journalist and freelance/stringer for UK daily newspapers, agency reporter
1982 – 1983 European Commission, Brussels
Speechwriter and Editor in the Cabinet of Sir Ivor Richard, as communications and media adviser
1981 – 1982 House of Commons, Westminster, London, UK, Research Assistant.
1978 – 1981 Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, UK, Copywriter and Publicity Assistant.

EDUCATION
BA (Hons) and MA (Oxon) Pembroke College, Oxford University 1975-8 (Modern History and Modern Languages)
Exhibition Scholar, Westminster School, London 1970-4; Dragon School, Oxford 1965-70

“Lionel has a gift for words. In written or spoken form, Lionel can turn the complex into the concise, or the chaotic into the coherent. Lionel is strategic, so possesses the talent to chip away the irrelevant and expose the core of a problem in ways like no one else I have ever met. Lionel can take a situation that stumps and stretches many and turn it into a solidly practical solution that people will buy into.” – SV, Managing Director, Media Focus

“Lionel is a great pleasure to work with – fast, reliable, well-grounded, to-the-point, methodical, inquiring, tactful, diligent and good-humoured even in adversity. Lionel’s range of thought, depth of insight and ability to communicate the results impress me again and again.” – PC, Director of Communications, Syngenta Foundation

Languages: English (mother tongue), French (fluent), Spanish (advanced).

December 2020