Tim Luckett

Spear’s Review

Tim Luckett, Burson’s global crisis lead, has put together plenty of PR plans for businesses navigating choppy reputational waters, including Bernard Matthews during an avian flu outbreak and Northern Rock amid the financial crash. ‘Speed of response is very important,’ he says. ‘Having a story, on your terms, helps shape a public response.’

Burson, created from the 2024 merger of Hill & Knowlton and BCW, operates across 40 countries. ‘It’s helpful in a crisis because what it means is that I now have many crisis practitioners I can turn to,’ Luckett tells Spear’s. 

Luckett and his team strive to help their clients’ reputations become more resilient to threats while also steering them through social media quagmires. He is proud that the firm’s expertise ‘leaves both reputation and share price intact’ for some of the most influential figures across the globe. Previously, Luckett was a crime reporter at the Sunday Mirror and also ran the Mail on Sunday’s Scottish news desk.

Adviser Profile

The world is becoming increasingly litigious for HNW clients, who need a crisis expert like Tim Luckett on speed dial. ‘We’re stepping in to ensure that any comms strategy is completely aligned with the legal strategy,’ he says. To ensure this is achieved, he orchestrates plans to bring business leaders together with the very best legal minds. 

With over 30 years of media and PR consultancy experience, Luckett is the first point of contact following a cyber attack or data breach, and is highly skilled at ‘keeping stories out of the papers’. 

He is well versed in designing internal and external communication strategies to help senior management tackle significant business challenges. He has instigated crisis preparedness programmes for ABF Group, adidas, Compass Group, Ford, HSBC, McCormick, Procter & Gamble, Rio Tinto, Shell, Zurich Insurance and Wrigley. 

Luckett has extensive experience running media and presentation training for clients including many c-suite individuals at Sky, Chevron, United Biscuits, Intel, HP, Gillette and Visa. 

Burson, which was formed by the merger of communications agencies Hill & Knowlton and BCW in July 2024, is well equipped to safeguard the reputation of clients, facilitate their growth and navigate risk. 

The team has worked on everything from product contaminations and recalls to restructurings and industrial action, bribery and NGO attacks, and specialises in preparing clients to manage and mitigate contentious issues through planning, stakeholder engagement and training. The practice also includes an expert Cyber Response Unit.