BUSINESS PROFILE
Congratulations on establishing your new company Calvermont, how did this come about? We’ve been neighbours for years and weirdly worked in exactly the same sector and circles in London for big brands and property grandees. With such a vibrant business and creative community in Tunbridge Wells, together with the investment and development that’s happening here, we saw an opportunity to bring our skills and expertise locally. Instead of commuting to London every day for big corporate firms with little personal impact, we could work more agilely and creatively near home, helping local businesses and developers grow and succeed, whilst being closer to our families too. Can you tell us about your choice of name? We wanted a name that highlighted our Tunbridge Wells roots and networks, that was simple to spell and available on social platforms too. We both live between Calverley Park and Claremont Road, so decided the mash-up ‘Calvermont’ would demonstrate our commitment to the local area. We were also keen to have a destination focus, in order to highlight our wealth of experience working for global hotel brands, national property investors, developers and agents.
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LONDONskills locally Calvermont is a Tunbridge Wells-based communications company, set up by PR and brand creatives, friends and neighbours Laura Gibson and Olivia Thornhill. Here they tell Eileen Leahy why they’re so passionate about what they do and why they want to help future proof the town’s prosperity
What do you enjoy most about your job? Both of us love to write, are sociable and creative, and also understand the news agenda – core requisites in PR and brand communications. Moreover we work hard, take time to get under the skin of our clients and have a background in property, which gives us a unique insight into a certain type of client – from developers to locations, investors to occupiers, agents to architects, hotels, retail and so on. You’re working with Elysian Residences, developers of the old cinema site. What are the key challenges on a project like this? Elysian Residences engaged with us because they are aware of the site’s chequered history and the cynicism associated with a site that has remained empty for 20 years – and had five different owners. As operators, in addition to being developers, their commitment to The Belvedere development is long-term and it is crucial to them that the community trust this, as well as their ability to break the mould and actually make the scheme a reality. Our job is to tell Elysian’s story and to reassure the town they are invested in Royal Tunbridge Wells’ future. We believe their choice to work with a local business such as ours is testament to their commitment to putting down local roots. We are incredibly excited for them to get started and know they are working hard toward a construction kick-off date now that they have full planning consent. Tell us about your work on the Tunbridge Wells Business Improvement District (BID)
Art Direction: Lee Smith | Photography: Craig Matthews
SO Magazine | November 2019 | 21