Team

Former colleagues and current friends, we believe in the power of culture to shape the world around us.

Our name is inspired by a tangram, a puzzle made up of seven shapes. With a tangram, you shift and rotate the pieces to form new shapes, patterns and relationships between them. Often, the result is a novel take on what was there before. All that’s required is a new perspective, or some fresh thinking.

It’s this process that inspires all of our work. Whether creative placemaking, stakeholder engagement, research, strategic communications or business planning, we build solutions informed by cross-sector best practice, innovative thinking and grounded insight.

Meet the Team

Biographies

  • Partner

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    Katie Balcombe is an award-winning communications professional with 14 years of experience spanning publishing, culture, F&B, property and placemaking sectors. Her expertise bridges the public and private sectors working across the UK with notable projects including promoting Stockport MDC’s £1bn town centre regeneration and collaborating with property developers like Quintain on the transformation of Wembley Park. Katie’s previous roles include positions at Thames & Hudson and the Museum of London where she spearheaded award-winning campaigns such the Fatberg! exhibition and the record-breaking Crossrail exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. Katie is also the Communications Ambassador for the Foundation for Future London, an independent organisation dedicated to leveraging arts, culture and heritage as catalysts for equitable regeneration for East London.

  • Partner

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    Laura Bates is a communications leader and strategist with 17 years of experience in the charity and culture sectors, working with organisations such as Tower Bridge, Art UK, Creative Land Trust, Croydon BID, the Royal Academy of Dance, Paddington Square, and the Museum of London. Her previous roles include Client Director at award-winning consultancy Kallaway, Director of Communications, Fundraising and Digital at national LGBTQ+ charity Mermaids, Interim Acting Head of Communications at the Museum of London as well as roles at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. With expertise spanning the public and private sectors, Laura combines a public sector ethos with a commercial mindset. Laura serves as a Trustee for the National Youth Agency and formerly as a Governor at a London secondary school, leading on Safeguarding and Inclusion. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of Women in PR.

  • Partner

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    Andrew Marcus is a strategist, facilitator and coach who supports organisations, teams and individual leaders to define and achieve long-term strategic goals. He works across a wide range of sectors, from culture and education to commercial enterprises. His recent clients include major institutions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Museum of the Home and the Design Museum; place-based organisations like the City of London Corporation and Creative Barking & Dagenham; arts organisations including Artsadmin, Pilot Theatre and Refugee Week; and commercial clients such as Rohlik Group, GlobeScan and the London Interdisciplinary School. Andrew has a background in communications and marketing, and an MA in Advertising & Marketing. He was previously Chief Communications and Digital Officer at the Museum of London (now London Museum), where he led marketing, PR, digital transformation and brand. He also sat on the Executive Board and oversaw communications for the City of London’s Culture Mile placemaking initiative. Earlier in his career, he held roles at the Science Museum, Habitat and two global consultancies. Andrew is Co-Chair of Creative Estuary, a trustee of A New Direction, and a former trustee of Shubbak Festival and Theatre Centre. He is a Fellow of both Clore Leadership and the Royal Society of Arts, and is a member of the CIPR and the Association for Coaching.

  • Partner

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    Jamie Reece is a researcher, strategist, arts marketer and urbanist who has amassed over 18 years of experience at both global agencies and in-house. Recently, Jamie completed a Master’s degree in Global Urbanism from UCL’s Urban Lab, which focussed on the interplay between urban cultural identity, artistic practice and policy generation. Prior to this, Jamie held roles including Interim Head of Communications at the Museum of London and Head of Communications at Culture Mile, the City of London’s cultural district project. Before this, Jamie was part of both the Client Services and Business Development teams at international marketing agency, AKA. Over six years he worked across industry-leading brands including Historic Royal Palaces, National Theatre, Royal Academy of Arts and Tate. Outside of work, Jamie volunteers with grassroots organisations Aylesham Community Action, Voice4Deptford and LGBTQ+ charity Opening Doors.