Susanne Lehr

Social media and PR strategy

Susanne Lehr specialises in the use of Social Media as a means to engage and communicate with customers to inform, excite and sell. Susanne’s experience includes helping the international fashion company HUGO BOSS to develop its social media channels to connect with customers and working at the PR agency Edelman in Munich, performing a broad range of activities. Susanne holds a BA in Anglophone Cultures from the University of Magdeburg, Germany and University of Nottingham, England, and is completing her Master of Science in Persuasive Communication from the University of Amsterdam. Susanne is a native German speaker and is fluent in English. Susanne joined the Media Wise staff in 2011.

Vicky Valanos

Senior Communications Adviser and Corporate Responsibility Strategist

Vicky Valanos specialises in corporate responsibility strategy, events and communications at Media Wise. She most recently worked with Burson Marsteller in Amsterdam on formulating CR strategies for their international clients. Vicky’s career spans 25 years, 15 of which in Greece and 10 in the U.S. and includes stints at the IMF, as an election campaign event manager and as an analyst at the U.S. Department of State, specialising in intelligence and counterterrorism. When in Greece, she worked as a fundraiser for an international affairs foundation, as a financial analyst for a private equity company and as an advisor to the Foreign Minister, spearheading cultural programming and international conferences. Vicky also established a successful music and video games company and produced television news for U.S., Australian and Middle East-based broadcasters.

Vicky has a degree in international relations and Spanish from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA and a Master’s in international law from the American University in Washington, D.C. She is a native English and Greek speaker and is fluent in Spanish

Sinead Hewson

Senior Communications Adviser

Over the 20 years that she’s worked as a communications professional, Sinead has developed a particular expertise and interest in health and food safety issues. Combining that with her marketing communications experience, she helps scientists, technical experts and company executives to convert scientific data into credible messages that are understood by relevant stakeholders. Sinead has managed and developed communication strategies on a national (Irish) and international basis for organisations such as Safefood, Diageo, Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s, Biogen, Alliance-Boots, and the European Institute of Women’s Health. Sinead is based in the Netherlands and works for Media Wise on a project basis.

Lizzie Lawrence

PR Strategist

In her nine years as a communications professional, Lizzie has specialised in public relations and marketing, which she has practiced in five cities on three continents. Lizzie has developed and implemented strategic communications plans for organisations such as Qatar Science & Technology Park and the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation. She also handled the PR for Unesco’s Arab States literacy conference in 2006 in Doha. Prior to moving to Amsterdam in 2008, Lizzie worked for Hill & Knowlton Qatar in the capacity of Senior Account Manager. As a British and Australian national having spent much of her working life as an expat, Lizzie brings a culturally sensitive approach to her work at Media Wise, where she handles multiple accounts, both corporate and non-profit. She speaks fluent French, is a qualified English language teacher and holds a BA degree in History of Art and European Studies (French language) from The University of Sussex in the U.K.

Michiel Bicker Caarten

Senior PR/Marketing Strategist

Dutch media veteran Michiel Bicker Caarten has worked as a print, radio and television journalist in the UK, US and the Netherlands for nearly 30 years.

At Media Wise, Michiel advises clients on how to raise brand awareness through effective PR and marketing.

Early in his career he worked for the New York Daily News and the Dutch national newspaper NRC Handelsblad as business correspondent. He was the first US correspondent for RTL-4, one of the first presenters on RTL-5, the launch anchor of CNBC Europe and the founding editor of BNR Nieuwsradio.

For three years Michiel co-ran his own advertising and PR agency, until 2010 when he was the launch editor of the Dutch television and radio broadaster Omroep WNL. A Dutch national, Michiel is bi-lingual in English and Dutch and has a good command of Spanish, French and Italian. He holds a Master of Law from Leiden University and an MA in Journalism from New York University.

Paul Anstiss

Audiovisual director / producer and communications trainer

Paul is an experienced broadcast journalist, audiovisual producer/director and media trainer. He works for Media Wise on a project basis as communications trainer and video director/producer. Paul has more than 20 years of experience in reporting news, current affairs and business and in helping companies to communicate better. He has worked as a reporter, presenter and producer for the BBC and other television and radio organisations in the UK and the US. For example he has appeared on the BBC’s Breakfast News, News 24 and the radio programme Today, which sets the news agenda in the UK. Paul has trained dozens of CEOs and other executives from some of the world’s largest corporations in how to be more confident when dealing with the media and to get their key messages across more effectively. He has also directed and produced corporate videos and webcasts for companies such as HSBC and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Paul works on a freelance basis with Media Wise.

Suzaan Steyn

Communications Trainer

Suzaan Steyn is a South African journalist and an award winning television newsreader and radio presenter who is currently involved in media training. She has 22 years experience in the media world. Ten years as a journalist in the print media at various national publications in South Africa and 13 years as a presenter and producer at the SABC, South Africa’s national broadcasting corporation. During her broadcasting career Suzaan directed and produced short inserts for national television, worked as a radio newsreader, presented a current affairs programme on national radio and worked as a voice artist doing radio commercials, voices for characters in children’s stories and narration for TV-documentaries. During the last ten years she was a news reader on prime time national television and produced and presented her own health, entertainment and relationship programmes for radio at the SABC. She won four ATKV awards (national South African media awards) for best radio programmes as well as best presenter on television and radio. Suzaan, who has a degree in Drama and Psychology from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, also assisted in training young presenters at the SABC in interviewing and presentation skills.

Charlotte Kroon

Multi Media Adviser

Charlotte Kroon is a multimedia journalist and designer who provides visual and artistic dimensions to corporate and brand communications. Charlotte’s tasks at Media Wise include website management and design and creating videos and visual identities. Charlotte’s previous work experience includes positions as an online video journalist at leading Dutch daily De Telegraaf and leading Dutch sports news site NuSport.nl. A native Dutch speaker, Charlotte is also fluent in English. She holds a Master of Science in persuasive communication and a Bachelor of Science in communication science and journalism from the University of Amsterdam. She also studied fine art at the Kunstacademie Sint Lucas in Gent, Belgium.