Rod Clayton,
EVP, International Corporate Issues
Rod Clayton is based in London where he is Head of Issues and Crisis Communications and Joint Head of the Corporate Communications practice. Over the years, Rod has dealt with a wide variety of complex issues and crises for many, diverse clients, ranging from global product recalls to extraordinary events such terrorist attacks. Matters that he handles typically include major litigation and government enforcement actions, natural and man-made disasters, environmental, health and safety issues, M&A (including proxy battles), board disputes, industrial action, product recalls and market exits, to name a few. In these and other contexts, he has dealt with a wide range of high profile, hostile print and television investigative stories.
Rod also has considerable experience training CEOs and other major figures who need to be able to answer tough questions not only from the media, but also in legislative committees, depositions and other challenging situations.
Prior to transferring to London, Rod worked in the company's Los Angeles office for almost nine years, where he was the lead for corporate issues assignments on the West Coast and, latterly, General Manager of Weber Shandwick’s Southern California operations. He spent three years beforehand in the company’s New York office working on corporate issues.
Despite his long period in the USA, Rod was born and raised in Suffolk, England, and was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he read Literae Humaniores and took a doctorate in Modern History.
