Leadership Lessons with Ella Fallows, Senior Director at Hawthorn Advisors

In recognition of International Women’s Day, Hanson Search is running an interview series throughout March showcasing female talent across the industries we work in.

In this interview, Janie Emmerson, Managing Partner at Hanson Search, spoke with Ella Fallows, Senior Director at Hawthorn Advisors and co-founder of the Women in Public Affairs Network. They discuss changes in the industry, Ella’s leadership journey and the defining trends of 2026.

Looking back at 2025, what major shifts in client expectations or industry dynamics most affected how your agency operated?

Continuous geopolitical uncertainty coupled with a volatile political environment at home, has meant rethinking our approach to engagement somewhat. We’ve had to be more fleet of foot on when and where to engage; we’ve also been able to support clients in unexpected ways and leverage new relationships more than you would usually expect at this point in the political cycle.

What emerging Public Affairs trends do you think will define 2026 for agencies and which ones are being overhyped?

I think the issue of sovereignty is only going to grow as the geopolitical situation continues to change. As governments question who owns and runs their critical infrastructure, we could see a shift towards homegrown solutions, and that brings risks for clients, as well as opportunities. I think in PA terms, the likelihood of a change in government and the need to engage Reform reached fever pitch last year. Despite likely difficult results for Labour in May, I don’t see a change in leadership on the cards and I think people will begin to engage across the political spectrum rather than focusing on Reform as drivers of the policy narrative.

Are clients becoming more risk-averse or more experimental? How is that shaping the kind of work they ask for?

Both! There’s a clear drive towards experimentation in the AI space, with a view to efficiency, but we’re also seeing people being less willing to raise their heads above the parapet or engage in big, shiny campaigns.

 How has the role of an agency leader evolved over the past few years, and what core leadership principles do you believe never change?

Leading by example is always in fashion! Agency leadership is about setting positive examples about how to deliver client work and how we advise clients in challenging times.

How are AI expectations from clients influencing your agency’s approach to offerings and resourcing and where do you see the most meaningful opportunities for AI to elevate client work in the future?

AI provides the opportunity to deliver much quicker in-depth research into key issues. This means consultants have more time to focus on the ‘so what’ and that means more insightful support for clients on their strategic priorities. I think on the flipside of that, there is an awareness amongst clients that work can be quickly but not always accurately delivered via AI and therefore there’s a heightened focus on high quality, human led outputs.

 As a woman in the public affairs industry, what challenges and opportunities have shaped your journey to leadership?

The never ending need to be well networked in parliament and politics more widely has been a huge challenge, especially as I’ve had kids and moved out of London. So much Westminster networking takes place in the bars in the evenings. Finding and creating new ways to network has been central to my progression. I’ve also always suffered from the need to people please; it’s subsided as I’ve gotten older but I think it can be a very female challenge. We need to support women to tackle that and other challenges as they progress.

What one change would make the biggest difference to advancing women into senior leadership in public affairs?

Salary transparency on job adverts and internal promotions! It’s the central campaign for Women in Public Affairs and it is central to ensuring women can find the right roles, and be rewarded appropriately.