Spear's Review

‘A reputation has never been harder to build, and it's never been easier to lose it or unravel it,’ says Andy Coulson.

His eponymous firm focuses on brand strategy, reputation management, communications and profile building for CEOs, founders and many other famous global leaders, including Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty, who recently opened their new private office.

Coulson was the editor of the News of the World before leaving journalism in 2007. He became an adviser to former prime minister David Cameron later that year, serving as communications director for the Conservative Party; following the party's victory in the 2010 general election, Coulson took on the equivalent role in government. 

‘We take a view that reputations are built and lost from a range of different angles, and our job is to make sure that all of those angles are covered,’ he tells Spear's. This includes taking the heat out of a situation. ‘You never make good decisions when the temperature is getting higher – that's when things tend to get worse.’

On his podcast (Crisis What Crisis?) Coulson has interviewed former colleagues (George Osborne, William Hague), journalists (Andrew Marr, Fergal Keane) and entrepreneurs (James Timpson, Martha Lane Fox).