Our Team

The LionsDen team is made up of a small experienced group of coaches, facilitators and trainers. Their backgrounds are different but their passion is the same – helping people communicate, present and tell stories in ways that resonate with their audiences.

Their specialities include journalism, training, Public Relations and HR. Whatever their starting point they have all spent years honing their coaching and training skills to ensure that they can analyse client’s existing expertise and help them, improve.

Dr Catherine Hood

Catherine Hood is a physician, broadcaster, presentation coach and facilitator and is perfectly at home in the healthcare and pharmaceutical worlds. For nine years she lectured in communication at the University of Oxford before moving to London to work in Brunswick, the leading financial PR house where she coached executives at board level in FTSE 100 companies. She has fronted several primetime TV programmes, written columns for several national newspapers and popular magazines.

Rick Woodward

Rick Woodward has over 25 years broad based experience in learning and development gained in the pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and materials handling sectors. He works with senior teams and medical professionals around the world and has a particular interest in helping them win acceptance for major change programmes and providing training in communication, leadership and influencing skills.

He is a master facilitator for meetings and coaches senior medical professionals in meeting management, educational supervision and feedback skills.
He has worked extensively in the NHS and has designed and led training for over 3,000 appraisers and appraisal leads. He was previously Global head of learning and development for Kimberly-Clark dividing his time between USA and Europe.

Linda Gummery

Linda Gummery is an international media issues and crisis consultant. She specialises in message development and presentation skills in the healthcare and pharmaceutical world. She was a broadcast journalist for 18 years and is an award-winning reporter and producer in both TV and radio.
She has worked internationally with many of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies. Linda has helped senior executives prepare for major presentations before European regulators and keynote speeches at conferences. She has also helped prepare for national media interviews during a crisis or drug withdrawal. She has facilitated symposiums and breakout groups at major conferences as well as at internal communication training events for senior executives, MSL’s and KOL’s.

Carsten Heer

Carsten is an economics and business journalist who reported for six years as a foreign correspondent in London and Paris. He specialises in communications consulting and coaching for multinational brands in areas of energy, finance, health and pharmaceuticals.

As a media and presentations skills trainer he passes on his experience to CEOs, CFOs and experts on how to work with the press and media. A native German speaker, Carsten is also fluent in English.

Stephen Lederer

Stephen leads the LionsDen presence in North America. He is a highly respected internal and external corporate communicator and skills trainer with considerable in-house and consulting experience in USA and Europe. He is a former senior communications executive at Pharmacia and at Pfizer, where he supported the R&D Presidents and their leadership teams.

Stephen has significant experience in journalism (as a reporter and editor), entrepreneurial success, considerable skills counseling senior leaders and a strong track record in internal communications, media, public relations, public affairs and policy.

He is based in Providence, RI.

Tessa Hopkins

Tessa is a senior communications professional with high-level experience and a great reputation in the life sciences sector. She has held senior positions at both the then Glaxo Wellcome Plc and MSD, two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

She was a Director and Vice President of Burson Marsteller, one of the world’s leading PR consultancies, and is acknowledged as a natural leader with highly-developed management and people development skills. She has wide experience of all aspects of internal and external communications in particular driving internal communications during integration following a merger or to support major change programmes. She has been involved extensively in both issue and crisis management and in all other aspects of public affairs.

Gemma Bird

Gemma is a multinational communications coach and trainer. A native English speaker, she is also fluent in French, Spanish and Dutch. With a background in public relations, she works with senior clients on how to work with the media on a range of issues from crises to everyday situations. She is also in demand as a presentation skills coach, and has a particular expertise in helping prepare for Q&A sessions.

Gemma has carried out Media and Communications trainings for clients in a number of fields including pharmaceutical, IT, FMCG and financial services.

Meet Our Directors

Our Team

The LionsDen team is made up of a small experienced group of coaches, facilitators and trainers. Their backgrounds are different but their passion is the same – helping people communicate, present and tell stories in ways that resonate with their audiences.

Their backgrounds include journalism, training, Public Relations and HR. Whatever their starting point they have all spent years honing their coaching and training skills to ensure that they can analyse client’s existing expertise and help them, improve.
They include:

Dr Catherine Hood

Catherine Hood is a physician, broadcaster, presentation coach and facilitator and is perfectly at home in the healthcare and pharmaceutical worlds. For nine years she lectured in communication at the University of Oxford before moving to London to work in Brunswick, the leading financial PR house where she coached executives at board level in FTSE 100 companies. She has fronted several primetime TV programmes, written columns for several national newspapers and popular magazines.

Rick Woodward

Rick Woodward has over 25 years broad based experience in learning and development gained in the pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and materials handling sectors. He works with senior teams and medical professionals around the world and has a particular interest in helping them win acceptance for major change programmes and providing training in communication, leadership and influencing skills.

He is a master facilitator for meetings and coaches senior medical professionals in meeting management, educational supervision and feedback skills.

He has worked extensively in the NHS and has designed and led training for over 3,000 appraisers and appraisal leads. He was previously Global head of learning and development for Kimberly-Clark dividing his time between USA and Europe.

Linda Gummery

Linda Gummery is an international media issues and crisis consultant. She specialises in message development and presentation skills in the healthcare and pharmaceutical world. She was a broadcast journalist for 18 years and is an award-winning reporter and producer in both TV and radio.
She has worked internationally with many of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies. Linda has helped senior executives prepare for major presentations before European regulators and keynote speeches at conferences. She has also helped prepare for national media interviews during a crisis or drug withdrawal. She has facilitated symposiums and breakout groups at major conferences as well as at internal communication training events for senior executives, MSL’s and KOL’s.

Carsten Heer

Carsten is an economics and business journalist who reported for six years as a foreign correspondent in London and Paris. He specialises in communications consulting and coaching for multinational brands in areas of energy, finance, health and pharmaceuticals.

As a media and presentations skills trainer he passes on his experience to CEOs, CFOs and experts on how to work with the press and media. A native German speaker, Carsten is also fluent in English.

Stephen Lederer

Stephen leads the LionsDen presence in North America. He is a highly respected internal and external corporate communicator and skills trainer with considerable in-house and consulting experience in USA and Europe. He is a former senior communications executive at Pharmacia and at Pfizer, where he supported the R&D Presidents and their leadership teams.

Stephen has significant experience in journalism (as a reporter and editor), entrepreneurial success, considerable skills counseling senior leaders and a strong track record in internal communications, media, public relations, public affairs and policy.

He is based in Providence, RI.

Tessa Hopkins

Tessa is a senior communications professional with high-level experience and a great reputation in the life sciences sector. She has held senior positions at both the then Glaxo Wellcome Plc and MSD, two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

She was a Director and Vice President of Burson Marsteller, one of the world’s leading PR consultancies, and is acknowledged as a natural leader with highly-developed management and people development skills. She has wide experience of all aspects of internal and external communications in particular driving internal communications during integration following a merger or to support major change programmes. She has been involved extensively in both issue and crisis management and in all other aspects of public affairs.

Gemma Bird

Gemma is a multinational communications coach and trainer. A native English speaker, she is also fluent in French, Spanish and Dutch. With a background in public relations, she works with senior clients on how to work with the media on a range of issues from crises to everyday situations. She is also in demand as a presentation skills coach, and has a particular expertise in helping prepare for Q&A sessions.

Gemma has carried out Media and Communications trainings for clients in a number of fields including pharmaceutical, IT, FMCG and financial services.

Meet Our Directors