July put us close to serious decisions.
In Somalia, Hormuud Salaam Foundation was arguing against UK aid cuts while drought deepens and floods threaten. In Kenya, BIC was making its case as the government rewrites the rules on counterfeit goods and intellectual property. In New York, our team was already deep into UNGA and Climate Week planning, when every organisation wants the same few people, rooms and inches of attention.
Back at Woodrow, our Influence Economy research became a finished report, our new website finally went live, and Beau Vine, a cow we once got licensed as a waste carrier in three seconds, picked up two award nominations.
Work 💪
Hormuud: less aid as the next crisis approaches 🇸🇴
Somalia is being asked to prepare for the next emergency with less money to do it. The UK’s latest figures show bilateral aid to Somalia nearly halving by 2029. Six million people already face acute food insecurity, and after months of drought, forecasters are warning of possible floods this October.
We worked with Hormuud Salaam Foundation chief executive Abdullahi Nur Osman on a letter to the Guardian challenging the decision. It keeps food on tables, clinics running and local businesses alive when the communities around them are under pressure. The Guardian published the letter, carrying Abdullahi’s argument into a British debate whose arithmetic is done in Whitehall and lived in Somalia.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/23/aid-cuts-will-harm-lives-and-livelihoods-in-somalia
BIC: what a trusted name is worth ✍️
Kenya is rewriting its intellectual property rules, and BIC has every reason to care. Its products are regularly counterfeited, sometimes with real safety consequences for people who believe they are buying the genuine thing.
Our Nairobi team supported BIC at the government consultation, bringing the experience of a manufacturer routinely copied into the room before the new policy is settled. BIC called for stronger brand protection and enforcement that makes it harder for poor-quality imitations to reach the shelf under a trusted name.
New York: September starts in July 🗽
The UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week happen in September.
Anyone trying to organise something around them knows September starts much earlier.
By July, our New York team was already deep in client plans for the weeks when politicians, businesses, campaigners and half the world’s media descend on Manhattan at once.
The useful meetings get booked early, so do the useful rooms.
If your organisation is heading to New York and you are still working out what you want to say, who you need to meet or what you want people to remember afterwards, now is a good time to talk to us. Drop us a line at nyc@woodrowcommunications.com
Bupa: the business trip with a baseball bat 🇰🇪
Rachael Brown , Bupa Global ’s head of marketing for UK & Africa, came to Kenya for her first visit and a quarterly review with our Nairobi team.
The quarter was reviewed, then things became more interesting.
Between meetings, we showed Rachael a little bit of Nairobi, from its wildlife to a local market where Rachael discovered that souvenir shopping can involve rather more negotiation than advertised.
We also introduced Rachael to several Kenyan creative agencies as Bupa explored potential partners for future events. One presented her with a baseball bat, a suitably memorable expression of its unconventional approach to creativity.
Rachael had some generous words for us too, describing Woodrow KE as “the best PR agency that I have worked with in my career”. A lovely note on which to end her first visit to Kenya.
Woodrow 🌱
Woodrow’s new website: more room for the work 💻
Our new website went live in July, bringing together Woodrow’s work, thinking and people in one place.
The biggest addition is The Woodrow Journal, where our team, Influence Council and wider network can go beyond the quick take and give an idea the space it deserves. We have also rebuilt our case studies, with clearer stories of the work and the people behind it.
There will be more to come. For now, it is good to have a proper home for it all.
https://woodrowcommunications.com/#1-home
CLA: Beau Vine now has an awards career 🐮
Beau Vine is a cow.
Earlier this year, she became a licensed waste carrier in three seconds.
We applied on Beau’s behalf to test the system designed to vet people who collect and dispose of waste. She had no qualifications, no waste-management experience and, being a cow, certain practical limitations.
The system approved her anyway.
That absurdity gave us a way into a much nastier problem. Criminal waste carriers can use weak checks to appear legitimate, collect rubbish and dump it on somebody else’s land. Farmers are then left with the mess and sometimes enormous bills to clear it.
A month later, the government announced plans for stronger background checks, with the Waste Minister mentioning Beau by name.
July brought another development. Both Creativepool and Creative Moment shortlisted the campaign for awards.
For once, Beau is being properly vetted.
People 🧑🤝🧑
Lucy, one month in 👋 Lucy Aughterson returned in June for a two-month summer placement and is already working across several accounts with the easy confidence of someone who knows the place well. Lovely to have you back, Lucy.
Lily and Liv, promoted 👏 Lily Willis has been promoted to Senior Account Manager and Olivia Williams to Associate Director. Both have done excellent work across London, New York and Nairobi, and we are very pleased to see it recognised. Congratulations both.
Two years of Tamara 🇰🇪 Tamara Odhiambo marked two years with Woodrow KE this month. That is two years of wonderful work and a great deal of care for the team around her. Thank you, Tamara. We are very lucky to have you.
The Goldies 🏆 Even an agency benefits from a little ceremony now and then. The Goldies returned in July, our quarterly awards for the people whose work and character have stood out across Woodrow.
🏆 Set Gold Standards: Sophie Woollands
🏆 Communicate with Integrity: Everlyne Owiti, MPRSK
🏆 Make it Happen: Benjamin Muhatia, MPRSK
🏆 Lead with Curiosity: Ariana White
🏆 Get in the Trenches: Steph Bailey
🌟 Best in Show: Lily Willis
Six very worthy winners, and a good excuse for a proper round of applause.
Lily, see you soon 👶 Lily Walters is heading off to welcome baby number two, which is about as good a reason for an out-of-office as there is. We will miss you, Lily, and could not be happier for you. See you soon.
Join us 👋
We are hiring in London and Nairobi.
There are Account Executive and Senior Account Executive roles open in London, alongside Account Manager and Associate Director positions in Nairobi.
If the work above sounds like something you would like to be part of, or you know somebody brilliant who might suit us, email careers@woodrowcommunications.com.
