Julian Tanner is the CEO and founder of AxiCom. With 18 years' experience in technology communications, Julian has covered almost all areas of the industry, from component electronics to systems software, and from video games to mainframe computers.

Julian started his career with a high tech specialist agency in 1985, moving on to become a director of an agency where he built the high-tech practice and opened its Paris office. In 1993, he moved to Silicon Valley to work as a director of one of the largest high tech agencies in the US.

After his return to the UK in December 1994 Julian founded AxiCom to provide a strategic and pan-European communication service to mirror those available in the US. Since 1995, Julian has built AxiCom from a two-person agency to a major European agency network that owns offices in seven countries and has affiliates covering all important markets across EMEA.

Helen helped found AxiCom with Julian in 1994, having previously worked in the IT industry for nine years.

Starting her career as a journalist with the UK technology press, Helen developed a lasting taste for the IT industry and never looked back. After five years reporting on the IT market and the companies that shape it, Helen made the move to PR in 1991 as an account manager for a high-tech specialist managing work for companies including Motorola, Avalon, PeopleSoft, Cheyenne and Taligent.

Helen has been instrumental in growing the AxiCom UK and European business and currently leads the Clean Tech practice, and supervises a number of major accounts in the Enterprise Computing and Consumer Tech sectors.

Lyle Closs is managing director at AxiCom, with network-wide and UK responsibility for finance, HR, property and legal. He also works with some clients and manages major client projects.

Lyle has over 20 years' experience in technology PR and marketing. He started out as a business press journalist, then worked in PR and marketing roles, in agencies and in-house, across the full spectrum of technology business.

Lyle came to the UK with his family in 1991 and was PR Manager for The Sage Group before moving to work on the IBM account with a London agency. He then moved to Ogilvy PR where he led the European technology practice for four years, his primary client being IBM's EMEA agency network, and was managing director of Ogilvy PR UK for three years.

Lyle spent a year as marketing director of internet telephony provider Callserve before joining AxiCom in February 2001.

David Josephs joined AxiCom after a period running his own healthcare sector communications agency with international clients in the pharmaceutical and healthcare technology sectors.

Prior to setting up that business, David was Director of External Relations at the UK's National Society for Epilepsy where he led the external relations directorate with responsibility for fundraising, public relations, information services and government lobbying. He was also chairman of the Joint Epilepsy Council of the UK and Ireland, an umbrella organisation representing 23 epilepsy voluntary organisations with a primary focus on government relations.

Before that, David worked at a major London PR agency for more than 10 years, where he helped build the agency's technology practice. At the end of that time he was a company managing director with responsibility for 45 employess and a turnover of £4 million.

David's previous role was as a corporate and trusts fundraising executive at the NSPCC, following starting his career in beverage marketing.

Henry Brake is an associate director at AxiCom and heads up the enterprise computing team. Henry has an in-depth knowledge of the IT industry and specialises in enterprise software, services and infrastructure. He oversees a number of accounts including VMware, JBoss, iPass, Airespace and ScanSafe. Henry is responsible for client programme implementation, strategy and message development and managing Pan-European accounts.

During the five and a half years that Henry has been with AxiCom he has been instrumental in the growth of AxiCom's client portfolio and worked on industry leading brands including IBM, HP, CrossWorlds Software, ActivCard, e-skills UK, NICE Systems and Check Point.

Henry graduated from the University of the West of England with a degree in Business Studies. He spent his placement year at Sun Microsystems where he provided marketing and public relations support to Sun's Government sales division.

Kate is the head of AxiCom's European Consumer Practice. In the nine years Kate has worked in PR, her experience has spanned consumer technology, working on brands such as Dell, Garmin and Handspring; gaming, working with companies such as Minds Eye Productions, Empire Interactive and Whiptail Interactive; mobile and new media, with clients such as MTV Mobile, 12Snap and Filmnight Digital; through to corporate and B2B campaigns with major world brands.

Kate began her career launching the first hard-disk based MP3 player, the Creative DAP Jukebox, and went on to work with Creative Labs for over four years, building the brand and awareness of its extensive product portfolio.

Kate joined AxiCom in early 2007 as Account Director working on a range of telecoms and mobile clients. She took over responsibility for AxiCom’s Consumer Technology practice in 2008 and manages programmes for clients including Dell, Sling Media, Blurb, Linksys, and LaCie.

Stephen Orr has worked in communications for the past 20 years, in marketing, as a journalist and most recently heading up the Digital Media Team at AxiCom.

A seven year stint as a journalist saw Stephen editing high profile graphics and media titles, a career which culminated in the launch of Video Age magazine, a monthly trade and technical title targeted at digital media professionals in Europe. In 1998 he joined AxiCom as an Account Director, establishing Digital Media as the first of AxiCom's dedicated pan-European practices.

Stephen is involved on a day-to-day basis with clients as well as heading up the Digital Media Team across Europe. He graduated from Bristol University with a Joint Honours degree in Psychology & Sociology.

Richard is the associate director leading AxiCom’s telecoms and wireless practice. He joined AxiCom in 1999, initially working across multiple IBM accounts before going on to found and build the telecoms expertise within the agency.

Richard has extensive experience in developing and rolling-out pan-European PR programmes and works with clients on a day-to-day basis to develop their communications strategy. Richard leads AxiCom’s cross-agency team at Mobile World Congress, which in 2008 saw a team of 19 from six AxiCom offices representing 24 clients in Barcelona.

Prior to joining AxiCom, Richard lectured economic history at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He graduated with first class honours in International Politics and International History from the University of Wales.