Testimonials
Chalkstream works with boards, senior teams and communications professionals across the public and private sectors. Here's what our clients say about our AI and reputation training, leadership communication programmes, crisis communication support and research services.
AI and Reputation Training Clients
Clients of our training and consultancy services to support responsible AI adoption include The Local Government Association, Cunard, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, East West Rail, The Food Standards Agency, College Marketing Network and a wide range of international public relations agencies.
"I really enjoyed the AI and Reputation Leadership course. So informative and hugely helpful tips to put into everyday use which I am sure will be transformative - within appropriate boundaries! Was gripped from start to finish and enjoyed participating with such a diverse and talented group."
Mel Riley, Managing Director at Bell Yard Communications
"Can't speak more highly of the AI and Reputation Leadership course I attended today, delivered by the brilliant Ben Verinder. A must for communicators who value their roles as reputation guardians and understand the importance of adapting these roles in the wake of AI."
Laura Webster, Corporate Affairs Director, Haleon
“Ben delivered the AI and crisis sessions with exceptional clarity, professionalism, energy and interactive exercises. He created a highly engaging learning environment, balancing theory, case studies, and hands-on exercises tailored to the specific needs of our participants. The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive.
“To date, we’ve organised over 70 workshops through our platform, and Ben is without a doubt one of the highest-rated speakers we’ve ever hosted.”
Helena Fuker, Head of Project Management & Partnerships, Croatian Association of Communications Agencies
“Ben did an excellent job of leveraging our existing knowledge and use of AI tools, such as Gemini and ChatGPT, to highlight the potential risks of not considering the information included in these tools, especially when it comes to internal data.
“He also shared personal experiences and anecdotes, providing valuable insights into the best ways to use these tools. This approach significantly engaged the leadership team.
“The leadership team now has a clearer understanding of the risks involved in using AI tools without careful consideration, a point they’ve shared with their teams. As a result, we now have a more streamlined and guided process for using AI both with clients and with internal Sherlock Comms’ documents.”
Patricia Zylberman, Head of PR Brazil, Sherlock Communications
“A superb - if at times mind-blowing - workshop on AI in comms. Endless opportunities and ethical dilemmas! Brilliant. You had my attention all day.”
Adam Kearney, Head of Communications and Marketing at Luton Council
Leadership Communication Training Clients
Clients of our leadership and management communication training include The Royal Town Planning Institute, Instavolt, ZSL, Association of Colleges, Insights North East, Institution of Civil Engineers and a wide range of further education colleges and higher education institutions.
“I found the session invaluable to take time out with my incoming President and fine-tune our key messages into a legible story for the purpose of my organisation. I can easily see how the strategies and techniques we covered can be lifted and deployed at a number of speaking engagements that I have during the course of the year ahead. I enjoyed having the opportunity to consider the framing of a throughline and will definitely consider better ways to end speeches with my own personal commitment and also a call to action for those listening. I would very much like to repeat the exercise annually as part of my mental agility to deliver great speeches!”
Victoria Hills, Chief Executive, Royal Town Planning Institute
"Chalkstream performed exceptionally well. The team tailored everything to the FE context and our GM priorities, brought strong evidence and constructive challenge, and facilitated energetic, highly practical sessions.
"Colleagues fed back that it was the “most actionable” leadership comms training they’ve had.
"We now have a clear, shared narrative and leaders who communicate it confidently and consistently — strengthening our employer and stakeholder engagement."
Tracey Wood, Chief Commercial Officer, Trafford and Stockport College Group
“Working with Chalkstream has been an intellectually stimulating and collaborative process. Ben is excellent at driving work forward at an excellent pace. He is highly regarded by all that have worked with him at ZSL and he comes highly recommended as a strategic thinker.”
Fiona Evans, former head of HR, ZSL
“I thought the training was excellent and of all the courses I’ve had over the years this was probably by far the best.”
Institute of Civil Engineers
“The training was delivered as part of our Summer Staff Conference, focusing on stakeholder engagement and organisational reputation.
“Chalkstream’s facilitation was excellent—engaging, thought-provoking, and highly relevant to our strategic priorities. The session encouraged open dialogue and practical reflection, and your approach helped staff connect the themes of reputation and engagement to their day-to-day roles.
“The impact has been tangible. Staff generated a wide range of actionable ideas, many of which are now being implemented. These outcomes reflect a renewed energy and shared commitment to enhancing our reputation and stakeholder relationships."
Lizzie Jones, Executive Director of Corporate Services, North Hertfordshire College
Crisis Communication & Issues Management Clients
Clients of our issues management and crisis communication training include The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, UK Finance, Royal Holloway University of London, University of Westminster, Liverpool University and a very wide range of colleges and universities.
Clients of our consultancy include a wide range of providers in, and suppliers to, the further and higher education sectors.
"We found Chalkstream to be very professional, very well prepared for the task and very knowledgeable of our organisation’s needs. The activities were carried out with the utmost professionalism, sensitivity and in strict confidence."
Yiannis Koursis, former Principal and Chief Executive, Barnsley College
"Ben’s advice is always appropriate to our context and demonstrates his formidable knowledge and his wide experience. His support has enabled the college to build its own capacity, so whilst he has taken the lead in planning and providing materials where necessary, he has also enabled our leadership team to grow our understanding, knowledge and skill. Part of the value of Ben’s advice has been guiding us on what not to do and giving us the confidence to know what requires action and what does not.
“Ben has the highest ethical standards and his open and transparent approach builds effective, trusting relationships – we know he is acting in our best interests."
James Staniforth, Principal and CEO, Shrewsbury College Group
"The team at Chalkstream are expert communicators, both in the content they deliver and the way they go about it. Constantly engaging and full of insight, they provide the highest quality professional development.”
Ant Bagshaw, (former) Deputy Director, Wonkhe
"Ben provided outstanding support and training to our multi-academy trust on crisis communications planning and media spokesperson skills. His extensive experience in both communications and the education field gave us confidence that he not only had the right knowledge and skills to pass on, but that his advice was also highly relevant to our area of work. Our Trust Communications Team and School Principals now feel more confident when dealing with the media and in times of crisis."
Siân Kalidoski, Head of Marketing & Communications, Lionheart Educational Trust
Research Clients
Our research clients include The Learning & Work Institute, City & Guilds, The Gatsby Foundation, UK Government, The Quadram Institute, Protocol, The Productivity Institute, Changing Faces and hundreds of colleges, schools and universities.
"Chalkstream performed very well – the team was very responsive and delivered outputs before the agreed deadline. The survey findings have been reviewed by senior leaders and shared with the board, and they will be used to inform our three-year organisational plan."
Emily Jones, Deputy Director, Learning & Work Institute
"Right from the start, Chalkstream set out clear expectations in term of their proposed methodology, timeframes and costs so that we could closely track the project. Their approach was very professional and thorough, engaging with many key stakeholders in the area to gain valuable feedback, along with using secondary data to forecast demand and identify trends. They went over and above to ensure the recommendations they made were robust and could be relied upon so that we could make key decisions."
Sarah Baxter, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, The Bedford College Group
"Chalkstream interpreted our brief exceptionally well and delivered a series of comprehensive reports under challenging conditions. They demonstrated an understanding of our market that far exceeds any other research organisation we have commissioned."
Carol Snape, CEO, Gateway Qualification
"Chalkstream were fantastic - clear communication throughout and very professionally conducted. The project has provided a much wider breadth of information than was anticipated and is now a valuable part of our overall strategy.”
Nikki Davies, CEO and Principal, Leeds College of Building
“Chalkstream were incredible. They worked quickly, intelligently and completed the insight interviews in short order and provided a report outlining our standing with our key stakeholder schools and provided a wide range of helpful suggestions to improve our reputation and work with our feeder schools.”
Dan Shelley, Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, ESCG
“Chalkstream performs very well, on time and to a high standard…The survey provides us with industry data on the trends, issues and challenges impacting public relations so we can benchmark standards and spotlighted stories that guide our work as well as insights into our commercial offerings to help us improve our member service.”
John Gerlis, Public Relations and Policy Manager, CIPR
“We are extremely pleased with the outputs generated, some of which have transformed our thinking and are informing our employer responsive programmes and curriculum planning. A number of unexpected additional benefits including sponsorship offers have been clearly gathered and reported on."
Louise Wolsey, Group Executive Director Strategy, Communications & Organisational Development, LSEC
"With detailed insight from Chalkstream, New City College’s senior team created a multi-faceted recruitment and retention strategy.
"The research directed our focus to specific areas of curriculum and student support as well as messaging and promotion. Less than a year later, we’ve recruited and retained learners comfortably over our allocation, leading to welcome uplift funding. There is no doubt that our work with Chalkstream set us in the right direction to reach this positive position."
Ruth Lomax Group Director, Communications and Marketing, New City College
"The project delivered an incredibly rich set of evidence-based results that truly help us understand how we can improve our standing in the community. Our senior team is working with colleagues from across the College to design and deliver an action plan that we are confident will support this.”
Steve Hyland, Director Of Communications and Marketing, MidKent College