About

My name is Mark Detre. I've spent eighteen years working across every aspect of communications: PR, internal communications, corporate communications, strategic communications, and public affairs.

My career has taken me from Google and Vodafone to leading communications for high-growth tech companies, working across multiple countries and industries. I've advised boards, shaped government policy, secured Prime Ministerial visits, and built communications functions from the ground up.

I work with founders who need communications support, and with experienced comms professionals who need senior help on specific projects or during pressure points.

The advantage of a generalist

Most comms people work in silos. The PR team doesn't talk to the internal comms team. External messaging doesn't align with what staff are being told. Opportunities get missed because no one's connecting the dots.

I've worked across all of it. That means I can spot the connections: when your press announcement needs an internal comms plan, when your public affairs strategy should inform your customer messaging, when what you're saying externally needs to line up with your internal culture.

If you're a founder, I can help you see these connections for the first time. If you're a comms professional, you already know how valuable this perspective is.

Real experience, practical support

I've handled the situations that test businesses. A billion-pound fundraise. A warehouse fire destroying hundreds of customers' belongings. Sensitive leadership transitions under media scrutiny. A visit from a Prime Minister.

Most recently, I led communications for two companies in the telecoms sector, positioning both as credible industry voices and navigating complex stakeholder landscapes.

Why I started Northbrook Advisory

In today’s economy, growing businesses need senior communications support, but they don't always need it full-time. They need someone who can step in for a day, a week, a month – someone senior enough to see the bigger picture but practical enough to get their hands dirty.

That's what Northbrook Advisory offers. Flexible, strategic communications support for businesses that need a helping hand.