Who we are
O'Hear & Co (OHC) is a strategy and communications advisory founded by former TechCrunch journalist Steve O'Hear and ex-Googler Rachael Brown. Our team of experienced communications specialists includes former operators at Zapp, John Lewis, Amazon, Arcadia Group, and the British Government.
We support startups, scale-ups, and other digital-first companies with strategy and communications, including positioning, corporate PR, crisis prevention, internal communications, owned channels, and change management communications.
We act as true partners and an extension of your in-house team, structuring commercial terms accordingly. We select our partners carefully based on our assessment of a company's goals and the value we can uniquely add. We work hard to align expectations and always strive to underpromise and overdeliver, building relationships for the long term.
Our services
Steve O'Hear
Chief Executive Officer
Steve has been an integral part of the European technology industry for over 20 years, serving as a journalist, startup founder, and executive. He spent a decade reporting for TechCrunch, covering European startups and venture capital. At Zapp, he was SVP of Strategy, leading on comms and sustainability. He previously co-founded a venture-backed startup and is an active angel investor.
Zapp, TechCrunch, Beepl, ZDNet
Rachael Brown
Managing Account Director
Rachael is an experienced operator at startups, big tech, and corporates. She was Senior Communications Manager at Zapp, responsible for internal and external communications. At Google, Rachael worked in the corporate press office and on various consumer campaigns. At John Lewis, she worked in corporate communications and supported the tech and home teams with consumer PR.
Zapp, Google, John Lewis
Dominic Smith
Strategy Director
After nine years as a journalist, writing, editing and commissioning stories for regional and national daily newspapers, Dom joined the UK government to advise prime ministers, cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries on communications. He served as Head of News at DCMS and as press secretary to seven secretaries of state for technology - leading, managing and delivering multi-channel communications strategies.
British Government, Newsquest
Alanna Hagan
Account Executive
Alanna has worked in-house and agency-side, supporting startups and established brands in tech and retail. At Zapp, she delivered campaigns for corporate announcements and product launches. At Umpf, Alanna supported the retail sector with consumer PR and influencer marketing. At Arcadia Group, she undertook PR, event organisation and influencer outreach for high street brands such as Miss Selfridge and Outfit Kids.
Zapp, Umpf, Arcadia Group
Sophie Tran
Account Executive
Sophie started her career in human resources, before choosing to focus on internal communications and content marketing. At Zapp, she was responsible for internal communications, all-hands programming, and newsletter creation. As an intern at edtech company MathSpire, Sophie supported marketing and business development.
Zapp, MathSpire
We act as partners for the companies we serve.
Kathleen Ong
Global Communications
Cleo
"We've been consistently impressed with OHC's ability to secure targeted media coverage that aligns with our strategic and business goals, while operating with the agility that is rare among outside agencies."
Ngoc Chu
CFO
Zapp
"OHC has delivered effective comms to stakeholders across the business, from customers and employees, to investors and partners. It is unusual to find an agency that operates as a fully invested team member, but that is exactly what OHC does."
Jochen Doppelhammer
COO
Voicemod
"O'Hear & Co is not just an agency, but akin to having our own VP of Communications. Delivering strategic positioning, press office, owned channels, and internal comms, OHC is our trusted partner."
Hussein Kanji
Founding Partner
Hoxton Ventures
"O'Hear & Co has a deep understanding of the European tech ecosystem that you can only acquire by being part of it. OHC has become our go-to for strategic communications, both for ourselves and our portfolio brands."
Alexander Heller
Co-Founder & CEO
HyperSpace
"Steve and his team are strategic in their approach and have the connections and experience to create amazing results for their clients. I could not recommend them more highly."
