B5 CONSULTANCY
Matt Himsworth
Matt is a director and founder of the firm. Having spent 20 years now working as a media lawyer, first at media law firm Schillings and then through his own law firm Himsworth Scott (formerly Himsworths Legal) he brings a wealth of experience in understanding digital communication, developing safe cultures and protecting reputation and privacy in sport and beyond.
He has acted for some of the most celebrated names in sport and works as a trusted adviser to many top Premier League and Championship Football Clubs as well as player associations and other sports organisations and companies.
Matt provides reputation and privacy protection services to players, coaches and executives and has worked hard with the clubs’ education and player care departments to deliver a unique education and mentoring programme for Academy and Elite Development squads in relation to reputation, privacy, the media and social media. Matt continues to extend this educational offering to other sectors including FTSE 100 companies, government organisations and high-net-worth families.
"Matt's solid strategic approach, calm persona, practical, measured and speedy responses help us to more effectively manage our reputation and we are grateful for your support"
Director of Communications, top 4 Premier League football club
Fraser Franks
Fraser is a director and founder of the firm. He is a former professional football player, having retired on medical advice at the age of 28.
Fraser's focus is on working with the firm's sports clients to support education, knowledge and also welfare and mentoring.
Fraser combines his experience, having come through a Premier League Academy and going on to enjoy a successful career as a professional, with the firm’s expertise in protecting reputation and privacy.
His playing career began at Chelsea and then Brentford before he went on to play for AFC Wimbledon, Welling, Luton, Stevenage and Newport County, making over 300 appearances in total.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Franks
"Fraser is a remarkable young man. He combines tough mental fortitude with a genuine compassion and moral goodness which can only help the young players that he works with"
Head of Player Care, top 4 Premier League club
Leigh Nicol
Leigh is an Associate Director at the firm and combines her role at B5 with heading up Player Care at Crystal Palace Women in the Women's Super League.
Leigh works with both directors to support clients in education, off-field behaviours, mentoring and knowledge.
She has a particular passion in raising awareness and campaigning in relation to online harms and she has shared her own story openly and powerfully with Sky Sports, the Football Mindset podcast and Melissa Reddy's Between the Lines.
Born and raised in Motherwell, Leigh came to London in 2012 to play at Arsenal’s Academy and has since played for a number of clubs in London and the South East, including London Bees, Millwall, Charlton Athletic and, now, with Crystal Palace. Leigh has also represented Scotland at various youth levels.
Celia Quansah
Celia is an Associate Director at the firm. She is a rugby player, having represented England and Team GB at Sevens and she combines her role at B5 with playing for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Women's Rugby.
Celia works across many of the projects and services that we offer to clients - working with Matt on some crucial projects on online hate, including identifying and taking action against perpetrators whilst working with clubs and sports organisations, and she is also a hugely important part of our growing work in women's sport - working with Leigh to produce the same level of support that the men's game has become accustomed to.
Celia has long used her position, as an elite athlete, to raise awareness and positivity on the issues that impact sportswomen and girls and is excited at the prospect of doing more as part of our little tram.
Richard McElwee
Richard is a Senior Consultant and oversees our work in Ireland.
Having practised as a Barrister, Richard pivoted into sport through his representation of athletes and provision of consultancy services for brands and sporting organisations and, alongside his consultancy with us, he works full-time as Director of Communications and Legal Affairs at Rugby Players Ireland.
He has a passion for helping the union's members and also played a central role in the establishment of Tackle Your Feelings, a multi-award-winning mental wellbeing campaign that leverages the profile of Ireland’s rugby players.
Shaun Whiter
Shaun is a Senior Consultant and is working with us to deliver education and inspiration relating to the true impact of drink and dangerous driving and the limitless nature of human achievement and resilience.
Shaun's passion, and compassion, shines through. He is dedicated to get the message across to as many people as possible that those stupid mistakes that so many make on the road can devastate lives. Football has always been his passion and we are so proud to give this brilliant young man a platform to positively influence young footballers and other sportsmen and women.
Natasha Dowie
Tash, a highly successful international footballer and WSL champion during her playing career, is a Senior Consultant with the firm and has a particular focus on supporting female athletes and works on our WSL Academy programme operated in partnership with Loughborough College.
She combines her work at B5 with media work and is a regular contributor on LFCtv, Sky Sports and talkSPORT.
BRIAN MCDERMOTT
Brian is a Senior Consultant with B5 Consultancy, utilising his over 40 years’ experience in elite sport to add invaluable insight to the work we do, particularly in football, on Player Intelligence Reports, mentoring and all of the off-pitch support we offer.
Perhaps most crucially, though, Brian offers his unique presentation to our clients about his struggles during what would have looked to outsiders like a storied and successful career but was, to Brian and his family, an incredibly tough time. What Brian experienced: self-doubt, isolation, panic and anxiety, are typical of what we all go through at times. His story, of trying (and nearly failing) to cope with that in a high-pressured environment is emotional, inspiring and gives us all an excuse to talk and to think about how we can help ourselves, and others, in our daily struggles with our mental health.
Peter Mitchell
Peter is a Senior Consultant a works with us both in the UK and Ireland delivering education and inspiration on matters relating to dangerous driving, resilience and the challenges that come in elite sport and in life.
A former professional footballer with Leeds United he had that career path cruelly snatched away from him when he was a passenger in a serious road accident and his spine was broken in two places. Peter is searingly honest in how much of a mental, as well as physical, challenge that was but people cannot fail to be inspired by how he flipped the narrative and has gone on the represent Ireland at wheelchair basketball, had a successful acting career, coaches the Derry City women's football team and, his proudest achievement, become a daddy.
Christine Ullmann
Christine is a Senior Consultant with B5 Consultancy, and assists B5 clients and the B5 team on digital footprints. She is an experienced digital marketing professional who has worked for a number of brands and high level institutions on SEO and online strategies. She is also working with Matt and Leigh to support clients of intimate image abuse to positively influence Google and other forums after the worst possible online harm.
