Communications Consultant

Your work is complex. Your message shouldn’t be.

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The approach

Simplify, sharpen, and scale — from strategy to execution.

What I Do

01
Impact Communications

Turn complex program data into clear, evidence-based narratives that demonstrate results and build audience trust.

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02
Thought Leadership

Distill complex ideas into accessible, credible content that is newsworthy, technically sound and positions your organization as a voice worth hearing via podcasts, white papers, reports, or articles.

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03
Strategy & Messaging

Develop holistic strategies that define your audience, messages, channels, and approach to reach the right people with the right message.

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04
AI for Communications

Integrate AI into your communication workflows and projects practically and thoughtfully, while maintaining quality, accuracy and trust.

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05
Program Start-Up

Build communication foundations for new projects or initiatives with campaigns, websites, brand identity and digital presence.

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06
Brand Positioning

Define what sets your organization apart from competitors and effectively describe your expertise through workshops and message development.

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Impact Communications · Case Study

Fleming Fund — Global Health Communications

A £265M UK government program tackling antimicrobial resistance across 24 countries in Africa and Asia needed to communicate its impact to donors in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Inputs were technically dense, fragmented across regions and partners, with no existing reporting format.

£265M
Program scale
24
Countries
3
Field trips
Challenge

No template or reporting format existed. Technical data spanned labs, surveillance systems, and governance programs across 20+ countries. Inputs were fragmented and difficult to shape into a clear narrative.

Approach

Led development of the program’s first annual report, designing the narrative framework, section structure, and visual language. Worked with M&E teams to interpret program data and develop graphics illustrating progress across 20+ countries. Translated complex technical inputs into accessible language for non-technical audiences. Shot all photography personally on media trips to Laos, Uganda, and Nigeria.

Result

Delivered the program’s first integrated annual report, combining data and human impact stories to communicate progress clearly to donors. Created a format that continues to support transparent and meaningful reporting.

View report PDF →
Thought Leadership · Case Study

Practice of Partnership — DAI Podcast

A development organization wanted to communicate complex ideas around partnerships in international development in a way that was engaging and distinct from traditional media.

Challenge

There was no existing platform for this type of content.

Approach

Led end-to-end creation of a new narrative-style podcast, from concept through to delivery. Defined the podcast’s purpose, audience, and thematic focus. Researched and developed episode themes, secured expert contributors, and conducted and hosted all interviews. Produced and edited all episodes, developed accompanying web content, and oversaw visual identity and art direction.

Result

Successfully launched a new thought leadership platform that boosted organizational visibility and created reusable content showcasing expertise. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the DAI website.

Strategy & Messaging · Case Study

SHARPE Ethiopia — Multi-Stakeholder Communications Strategy

A complex refugee economic development program needed a cohesive communications strategy to reach a variety of stakeholders — including the Ethiopian government, humanitarian actors, and UK government donors — to communicate about a new program model.

Challenge

Messaging was undefined and stakeholders held different interpretations of the program’s objectives and value. No agreed communications approach existed across the diverse stakeholder group.

Approach

Designed and delivered an in-person stakeholder workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to clarify communication objectives and build consensus on key messages. Developed a multi-audience messaging framework including specific value propositions and proof points for government, donors, and humanitarian actors. Produced a practical communications plan covering channel strategy, content priorities, and KPIs.

Result

Developed a communications approach that brought alignment and targeted messaging to a diverse group of stakeholders. Supported the program to communicate its work more clearly with key audiences.

AI for Communications · Case Study

AI-Enabled Research — Start-Up Perception Briefs

An accelerator supporting a cohort of eight start-ups needed to understand the market perception of each company ahead of a pitching workshop. The businesses spanned technology, consumer goods, and science, each with varying levels of media coverage. The challenge was to create a consistent, comparable assessment across eight very different companies.

8
Companies
1
Day delivered
2wk
Traditional timeline
Challenge

Creating a consistent, comparable perception assessment across eight very different companies — spanning technology, consumer goods, and science — each with varying levels of media coverage, ahead of a pitching workshop.

Approach

Developed an AI-enabled research framework that combined media and social listening with manual source validation to ensure accuracy. Analyzed narrative themes, sentiment drivers, and positioning opportunities for each company using a structured methodology, then synthesized the findings into a standardized briefing format.

Result

Delivered eight executive-ready communications briefs in a single day — a process that would traditionally have required up to two weeks of manual research and analysis. The briefs identified the narratives shaping external perception, highlighted positioning opportunities and credibility gaps, and provided actionable recommendations to strengthen founder storytelling, media engagement, and fundraising communications.

Program Start-Up · Case Study

Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate — Brand & Digital Launch

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) — a UK government program managed in partnership with DAI and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew — needed to rapidly define its purpose, positioning, and brand identity, and build a professional digital presence from nothing.

Challenge

A newly established international research program needed to communicate clearly with funders, researchers, and stakeholders from day one — with no existing brand, messaging, or digital infrastructure.

Approach

Designed and facilitated workshops to clarify core messaging, target audiences, and strategic positioning across partner organizations. Managed an external creative agency through development of visual identity, tone of voice, and brand guidelines. Defined website structure and user journey, developed and edited all core web content, and oversaw design and build through to launch.

Result

Established a clear and consistent identity enabling the program to communicate its purpose and engage partners effectively from launch. Created a strong foundation for ongoing communication with funders, researchers, and stakeholders. Visit gcbc.org.uk →

Brand Positioning · Case Study

Brand Positioning — International Development Consultancy

A leading international development consultancy needed to strengthen its brand positioning in a competitive market and define what differentiates it from competitors.

Challenge

No single, agreed articulation of the organization’s unique value proposition or positioning. Senior leaders held different views on what the brand stood for and how it should be communicated.

Approach

Designed and facilitated a structured workshop for senior leaders to define what brand means in practice and identify potential market differentiators. Developed and delivered an interactive session connecting brand positioning to concrete actions across sales, delivery, marketing, and monitoring functions.

Result

Senior leadership aligned around a clearer understanding of their brand and identified key differentiators in a crowded market. Provided a foundation for more consistent messaging and stronger client engagement across all organizational functions.

Megan Howe
About Me

Credible, clear communications.

I’m a communications strategist with over a decade working in international development, global health, journalism, and business. My career started in humanitarian aid as a regional communications manager across Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. It’s moved through business, journalism, executive communications, and brand strategy across the UK, US, Africa, and the Middle East.

I help organizations that do complex, important work communicate it in a way that actually lands. That means being honest about what’s working, clear about what isn’t, and focused on what the audience needs to hear, not just what the organization wants to say.

CIPR Professional PR Diploma · Chartered Institute of Public Relations
M.A. International Journalism · City University London
B.Sc. International Affairs · Florida State University
Get in touch

Let’s talk.

If you’ve got a complex story to tell, I’d love to hear it.

meganraehowe@gmail.com
Based inWashington D.C.
AvailabilityOpen to projects
CitizenshipUS & UK
LinkedInMegan Howe →