I HELP THE WORLD’S BEST ATHLETES, TEAMS & LEADERS IN SPORT TURN COMMUNICATION INTO THEIR COMPETITIVE EDGE

Black and white portrait of a woman with long, wavy hair smiling with arms crossed, wearing a denim shirt, against a plain background.

ABOUT ME…

I help the world’s best athletes, teams and organisations in sport use communication as a competitive edge.

As a senior strategic communications advisor with more than 15 years’ experience in high-performance sport, I work with leaders and teams during periods of change, at high-pressure moments, or when they simply need experienced senior-level support.

Before setting up my own business, I held senior roles at England Rugby, Team GB, World Rugby and the UK Sports Institute, working inside world-class teams and some of sport’s highest-pressure environments. Since then, I’ve worked across Olympic and Paralympic sport, governing bodies, major events, rights holders and brands.

My work can take many forms. I advise CEOs and senior leaders, help organisations navigate change, develop the narrative around a new strategy, build reputation and communications strategy, or helicopter into teams that need additional senior-level support. Whatever the brief, I excel at getting under the skin of an organisation quickly, making sense of complicated situations and helping people communicate through them clearly.

There’s also an idea that has become increasingly important to my work: the role communication itself plays in performance.

I’ve seen first-hand how the right communication can increase confidence, create clarity, strengthen relationships and build culture - and what happens when it gets overlooked. Communication creates the conditions for performance to happen.

Today, I combine strategic consultancy and interim senior support with one-to-one work with athletes, coaches and leaders – helping people and organisations across sport turn communication into their competitive edge.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me racing or riding my bike, usually in search of a good hill.

CV

Services

  • I work with leaders and teams to solve complex communications challenges and turn organisational priorities into clear, effective communications strategies.

    From a new organisational strategy or business direction to a major launch or repositioning, I help work out the story, what needs to be communicated, to whom and when – and turn complicated thinking into a clear communications approach.

    This includes:

    • Senior leadership and CEO counsel

    • Communications strategy and planning

    • Organisational and brand narrative

    • Positioning and messaging

    • Stakeholder strategy and engagement

    • Strategic communications audits

  • I help leaders and organisations communicate through change, bringing clarity to complex situations and helping people understand not just what is changing, but what it means for them.

    Having worked across national teams, governing bodies and organisations throughout the UK high-performance system, I understand the relationships and complexities that sit behind the org chart, and that successful change is ultimately about people.

    From organisational change and new strategies to leadership transitions and periods of uncertainty, I provide senior counsel and practical communications support from planning through to delivery.

    This includes:

    • Change communications strategy and planning

    • Senior leadership counsel

    • Change narratives and key messaging

    • Leadership communications, briefings and scripts

    • Employee and stakeholder engagement

    • Communications through periods of uncertaintycription

  • I can step into a team quickly, get under the skin of what’s happening and provide the leadership, strategic thinking and additional capacity needed – whether that’s covering a senior role, leading a specific piece of work or supporting a team through a particularly busy or challenging period.

    I’m comfortable working directly with senior leaders, leading communications teams and getting stuck into delivery when needed. Having spent much of my career working in and around high-performance sport, I’m used to joining fast-moving environments, building trusted relationships quickly and knowing when to advise, challenge or simply get things done.

    This includes:

    • Interim communications leadership and senior role cover

    • Fractional senior communications support

    • Communications team leadership and mentoring

    • Senior leadership counsel

    • Major projects and priority workstreams

    • Additional senior capacity during busy or critical periods description

  • I help organisations protect and build their reputation – from managing complex or sensitive issues to creating the stories and moments that get people talking for the right reasons.

    With more than 15 years working in high-profile sport, I understand the scrutiny that comes with it and how quickly the communications landscape can shift. I provide strategic counsel when the pressure is on, while also bringing the media experience and relationships to spot opportunities, shape stories and generate meaningful coverage.

    Whether it’s preparing for an issue before it happens, responding when it does, or building a proactive media strategy, I help organisations make good communications decisions and tell their story with confidence.

    This includes:

    • Reputation and issues management

    • Crisis communications and scenario planning

    • Media strategy and senior counsel

    • Proactive PR and media relations

    • Press office and major event support

    • Spokesperson preparation and media training

  • I help organisations use communications to put important issues on the agenda, influence the conversation and build support for change.

    Working alongside policy and public affairs teams, I turn complex issues into clear, compelling narratives that resonate beyond the organisation – bringing together media, stakeholder engagement, campaigning and political communications to reach the people who can make a difference.

    My experience includes advocacy campaigns across sport and disability, working with athletes, governing bodies, MPs and other political stakeholders to build awareness, influence decision-makers and create momentum around issues that matter.

    This includes:

    • Advocacy and influencing strategies

    • Campaign narratives and messaging

    • Political and stakeholder communications

    • Media strategy and campaigning

    • Parliamentary and stakeholder engagement

    • Athlete and spokesperson advocacy

  • Great stories make people care. I help organisations find them and turn them into campaigns that cut through.

    From major sporting moments and purpose-led campaigns to launches and longer-term storytelling, I bring together strategy, creativity and a strong understanding of what makes a story resonate with media, stakeholders and audiences.

    I can lead a campaign from the first idea through to delivery, or work alongside existing teams and partners to provide strategic direction, build out the narrative and make sure everything joins up.

    This includes:

    • Campaign strategy and planning

    • Creative concepts and storytelling

    • Launch and announcement strategies

    • Content and editorial planning

    • Athlete and ambassador storytelling

    • Integrated media and communications campaigns

  • I offer 1:1 and small-group coaching to help athletes, leaders and high performers communicate with impact; on camera, in meetings, on the pitch and under pressure. This work blends mindset, messaging and delivery; building confidence and presence when it matters most.

    • Personal messaging and narrative work

    • Media and interview coaching

    • Leadership and influence communication

    • Ongoing feedback and performance prep

get in touch

clients

SAIL GP logo with the tagline "Powered by Nature" underneath.
A black silhouette of a cat with pointed ears and a curved tail, sitting and facing to the right.
Logo of British Wheelchair Basketball featuring a stylized wheel with red, gray, and blue sections and bold text in red, gray, and blue.
Logo for Girona Racing Academy with large white letters and smaller text on a black background.
State Farm logo with red and blue color scheme and stylized tree design.
UK Sport logo with a stylized person in red and navy blue, in a celebratory pose.
Pixelated logo of UK Sports Institute with a stylized checkmark and text
Loughborough Sport logo featuring a stylized shield with a flame symbol, in navy, white, and maroon colors.
Logo of the British Paralympic Association with a stylized lion's head in red and blue flames, the text 'British Paralympic Association' beneath it, and the Paralympic symbol with three agitos in red, blue, and green.
Logo for the British Triathlon Association, featuring a stylized figure running, swimming, and cycling, with the text 'British Triathlon' below.
United Kingdom Athletics logo with red and blue text on a white background.

CASE STUDIES

  • Multiple sailboats racing in a competition with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

    SAILGP - STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT

    With a global championship spanning multiple markets and an ambitious growth strategy, its communications team is balancing the demands of delivering a major international sporting calendar with the longer-term strategic work needed to support the business.

    I was brought in to provide additional senior-level communications capacity – working alongside the in-house team to take ownership of priority strategic projects while allowing them to stay focused on the day-to-day demands of delivering the championship.

    My role has spanned a range of projects across corporate, commercial and championship communications. This has included developing communications strategy and narrative around SailGP’s longer-term business ambitions, supporting future calendar communications, shaping the positioning and communications approach for new commercial initiatives and providing strategic input into projects designed to grow the profile and reputation of the championship.

    Working across different teams and senior stakeholders, I’ve been able to get under the skin of projects quickly, provide experienced communications counsel and turn complex commercial or strategic thinking into clear narratives and practical communications plans.

    THE WORK

    • Strategic communications counsel and additional senior team capacity

    • Corporate and B2B narrative development

    • Long-term strategy communications

    • Global calendar communications planning

    • Commercial partnership and new business communications

    • Reputation-building projects and awards strategy

    • Senior stakeholder engagement

    • Communications planning from strategy through to delivery

  • A group of people sitting around a table in a room with stone walls, attending a presentation with a woman standing near a large screen displaying a colorful chart.

    TREATING COMMUNICATION AS A PERFORMANCE DISCIPLINE

    In high-performance sport, athletes and coaches invest huge amounts of time developing the physical, technical and psychological capabilities that underpin performance. Communication, despite influencing so much of what happens around performance, is rarely given the same deliberate attention.

    I was invited to Girona, home to a thriving community of professional cyclists and triathletes, to work with elite athletes, coaches and teams and explore a different approach: what happens when we treat communication as a performance discipline in its own right?

    Drawing on more than 15 years working across Olympic, Paralympic and professional sport, I designed and delivered interactive sessions exploring how the way we communicate can influence confidence, relationships, leadership and team culture – and how those things create the conditions for people to perform.

    Rather than focusing on traditional media training, the sessions turned the lens inwards. We explored personal communication styles, how communication changes under pressure, the ability to influence and connect with different people, and how athletes and coaches can become more deliberate about the language and behaviours they use every day.

    The result was a new way of thinking about a skill we often take for granted. Athletes and coaches left with practical tools they could apply immediately, but also a bigger question: if communication can influence how people think, feel, connect and perform, why wouldn't we train it?

    THE WORK

    • Performance Communication workshop design

    • Athlete and coach development

    • Communication styles and self-awareness

    • Communication and influence under pressure

    • Leadership and team communication

    • High-performance culture

    • Practical tools and individual reflection

  • A woman in a black athletic jacket speaking with a young man in a gym or boxing ring area.

    UK SPORTS INSTITUTE - SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY

    I provide senior-level communications support to the UK Sports Institute, working closely with its Directors Team and communications function during a significant period of organisational change.

    My role combines strategic counsel with hands-on communications leadership – advising senior leaders on how and when to communicate, developing organisation-wide narratives and helping turn complex or sensitive information into communications that are clear, considered and focused on the people receiving them.

    Working across the organisation and wider high-performance system requires an understanding of a complex stakeholder environment, where people, teams and organisations are closely connected. A key part of my role is anticipating how communications will land with different audiences and helping leaders navigate that complexity.

    Alongside change communications, I provide additional senior capacity across priority projects, stepping in where experienced communications support is needed and working closely with the internal team from strategy through to delivery.

    THE WORK

    • Strategic communications counsel to senior leaders

    • Change communications strategy and planning

    • Leadership communications

    • Organisational narrative and messaging

    • Employee and stakeholder engagement

    • Senior communications team support

    • Priority strategic projects

  • Cyclists lined up at the start of a race on a street with spectators and photographers, banners, and tents along the sides, in a town with colorful buildings.

    BRITISH CYCLING - TOUR OF BRITAIN WOMEN

    I was brought in by British Cycling to lead the communications for the inaugural Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, with a clear brief: establish a compelling narrative for the new event and generate widespread, positive media coverage.

    With less than three months until the opening stage, I developed and delivered the communications strategy from launch through to race week – combining proactive media relations, athlete storytelling, partnership announcements and fan-focused content to build momentum around the event.

    The strategy was designed to engage established cycling audiences while taking the race and its riders to a much broader mainstream audience. Working closely with teams, athletes, partners and stakeholders, I led the press operation across all four stages of the Tour and used strong relationships with national, broadcast and cycling media to maximise coverage throughout.

    The result was more than 300 pieces of coverage before, during and after the event, with major broadcasters and national publications represented throughout the Tour and a strong media platform established for the new race.

    THE WORK

    • Communications strategy and planning

    • Event communications leadership

    • National and cycling media relations

    • Athlete and team storytelling

    • Press office and media operations

    • Partnership and stakeholder communications

    • Content and fan-focused storytelling

  • Paralympic athletes in wheelchairs being interviewed by a man with a microphone, with media and spectators in the background at a public venue.

    PARALYMPICSGB - PARIS 2024: CREATING A NATIONAL MOMENT

    ParalympicsGB brought me in to lead the communications for the Homecoming of more than 200 British athletes returning from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

    The ambition was bigger than simply delivering a successful event. We wanted to create a national media moment that reflected the scale of the athletes’ achievements and ensured Paralympic sport commanded the mainstream attention it deserved.

    I developed and led a targeted communications and media strategy, working closely with ParalympicsGB, athletes, broadcasters and media to build anticipation around the Homecoming and maximise the opportunity presented by having the team back together in the UK.

    Every major UK broadcaster attended, generating widespread coverage across BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky News and Sky Sports News, alongside prominent national print and online coverage.

    The Homecoming gave athletes a platform to tell the stories behind their performances and helped extend the impact of Paris 2024 beyond the Games themselves – turning their return home into another moment for British audiences to connect with Paralympic sport.

    THE WORK

    • Strategic communications leadership

    • National media strategy and relations

    • Event communications and media operations

    • Athlete engagement and storytelling

    • Broadcast planning and coordination

    • Senior stakeholder management

    • Press office delivery

  • A female athlete with short hair, wearing a helmet and a Great Britain sports uniform, smiling and holding a Union Jack flag behind her at an outdoor sports event.

    BRITISH WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL X PARALYMPICSGB

    When the UK Government announced it would remove the dedicated Minister of State for Disabled People, British Wheelchair Basketball and ParalympicsGB wanted to use the collective voice of sport to challenge the decision.

    I worked with both organisations to develop a communications and advocacy campaign that would put the issue firmly on the agenda and build pressure for the decision to be reconsidered.

    At the heart of the campaign was an open letter to the Prime Minister, ultimately backed by 56 organisations from across the sport and physical activity community. Alongside coordinating the communications around the letter, we developed a targeted media strategy and secured an exclusive with national media to bring the issue to a much wider audience.

    The campaign formed part of a much broader effort by disability organisations, campaigners and individuals calling on Government to reconsider. Weeks later, the decision was reversed and the dedicated Minister for Disabled People role reinstated, with the campaigning efforts from across sport recognised as having contributed to the pressure for change.

    It was a powerful example of what communications can do beyond building profile – bringing organisations together around a shared issue, giving people a voice and helping create momentum for real change.

    THE WORK

    • Advocacy and influencing strategy

    • Campaign strategy and narrative

    • Open letter and stakeholder mobilisation

    • Political and stakeholder communications

    • National media strategy

    • Partner communications and coordination

    • Senior spokesperson messaging

get in touch

Whether you’re looking for support with a specific project, want to explore coaching, or just fancy a conversation about performance and communication, I’d love to hear from you.

Drop me a message using this form, or send an email directly to charlotte@charlotteharwood.com.

  • “When I needed extra support on a high-profile event launch and didn’t have time to recruit, Charlotte was my first port of call. Having worked with her at Team GB throughout an Olympic cycle, I knew her calm, methodical approach and sharp eye for detail would ensure everything was delivered to the highest standard, with minimal fuss. She’s a true professional — reliable, thoughtful, and always one step ahead; both strategically astute and operationally hands-on.”

    UK Athletics

  • "Charlotte is a really savvy and efficient media operator who is terrific at both the operations side of communications and building trusted relationships. She is incredibly good at what she does."

    Senior Journalist, Tokyo 2020 Olympics

  • "It has been an absolute pleasure to have Charlotte on board for the lloyds Tour of Britain Women. Charlotte was an important part of the team and played a key role in the event's success."

    British Cycling

  • "Charlotte has been a brilliant addition to the English Institute of Sport leadership team. She made a fast start and kept up a superb level throughout the period of maternity cover."

    UK Sports Institute