Super User
Head of PR and Marketing
Anna is a marketing communications and PR professional with a strong track record of promoting small and medium-sized businesses across many sectors.
For nine years, she drove B2B communications for the business lobbying group, London First. As Marketing and Communications Director for its subsidiary, foreign direct investment agency, Think London, she developed promotional campaigns targeting international companies of all sizes through media relations, publications and events. She achieved widespread press coverage, including the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal Europe and Newsweek.
Previously, at London Weekend and Granada Television’s world-wide programme sales company, she managed all marketing, media relations and advertising and wrote and produced 100 publicity brochures.
Eight years ago, Anna set up a freelance consultancy business. Her clients have included UK Trade & Investment, The People’s Bank of China and Think London. She was assigned by Central London Partnership to manage communications and events for the ‘Legible London’ pedestrian wayfinding initiative, funded by Transport for London.
Anna was responsible for two successful business projects on behalf of Camden Council: raising the profile of jewellery start-ups in Hatton Garden and creating a communications plan to increase engagement with the local business community.
More recently, she was a PR account manager for international workplace provider, Regus. She also worked on a freelance marketing project for a newly-built international academy in Catalonia.
Anna has an honours degree in French and Spanish from London University and also speaks Catalan.
Command of the Oceans at the Historic Dockyard Chatham
New Build and Refurbishment in a Heritage Context
4.5-hectare heritage public realm and new Discovery Centre for the Grade I-listed Chatham Dockyard. The project achieved major environmental improvements by eliminating heating in large areas and upgrading thermal insulation and building services systems. 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize finalist.
This multi-award-winning project at The Historic Dockyard Chatham preserved key Scheduled Ancient Monuments and the 18th-century HMS Namur timbers. It introduced world-class galleries, interpretation spaces, visitor facilities, a 4.5-hectare heritage public realm, and a Discovery Centre to highlight the dockyard's significance during the age of sail.
This multi-award-winning project at The Historic Dockyard Chatham preserved key Scheduled Ancient Monuments and the 18th-century HMS Namur timbers. It introduced world-class galleries, interpretation spaces, visitor facilities, a 4.5-hectare heritage public realm, and a Discovery Centre to highlight the dockyard's significance during the age of sail.Skelly & Couch provided full mechanical, electrical, public health, and environmental design for the project. Significant energy savings—both carbon and financial—were achieved, crucial to the long-term sustainability of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust’s strategy. These were realised through enhanced thermal insulation and upgraded building services.
From the outset, the design prioritised environmental conditions to preserve the ship's timbers. The specialist advised maintaining them in their existing condition (as floor joists beneath the floor) without heating or ventilation. To address the thermal and latent loads from visitors, Skelly & Couch developed a natural ventilation strategy.
Undercutting the old timber north and south doors by 50mm allowed cross-ventilation and ensured adequate fresh air. Provisions were made for a future fan installation in the store beneath the link bridge adjacent to the undercroft, to accommodate potential temperature and moisture fluctuations. While the bays above and adjacent to the Namur undercroft are heated, many bays in the mast house and mould loft remain unheated.
Another challenge was concealing containment routes while ensuring future service access would not damage the timbers. For instance, positioning smoke detectors required planning to place supports without disrupting the exhibit.To minimise waste, a proportion of existing cast iron radiators and coolie light fittings were refurbished and reused wherever possible.
The project successfully combined heritage preservation with sustainability, achieving both carbon and financial benefits while safeguarding its historical significance.
Awards
2016 – Civic Trust Conservation Award Regional Finalist.
2016 – Offsite Construction Awards Finalist.
2017 – RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlisted.
2017 – RIBA National Award Winner.
2017 – RIBA South East Regional Award Winner.
2017 – RIBA South East Conservation Award Winner.
2017 – RIBA South East Building of the Year Winner.
2017 – Kent Design & Development Award Winner.
2017 – AABC Conservation Civic Trust Awards Finalist.
2018 – Civic Trust Award Winner.
2018 – RICS South East Best Tourism and Leisure Award Winner.
2018 – RICS Best Project Winner.
Watch a 360 degree interactive video of Command of the Oceans.
Quarantine House
The project is the provision of a new containment and quarantine facility at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. This was the first building of its type in the world and a large part of the project was understanding and defining the brief to allow the building to function within the requirements under Kew’s DEFRA license, as well a commercial venture for use by external clients, and as a key operations building.
Sixth Form Centre, St John’s School
The project was the refurbishment and conversion of an existing historic stable block into a 6th form centre and CCF for St John’s Independent School in Leatherhead, Surrey. The building is one of a number of projects Skelly & Couch have worked on for the school as part of its delivery of a five-year masterplan for the campus. It was delivered along with a new Girls’ Day House under a phased construction programme.
Churchill Day House, St John’s School
A new Day House for St John’s Independent School in Leatherhead, Surrey. The building is one of a number of projects Skelly & Couch have worked on for the school as part of its delivery of a five-year masterplan for the campus. It was delivered along with the conversion and refurbishment of an existing historic stable building into a 6th Form Centre under a phased construction programme.
Ryde School, Isle of Wight
The project is a new-build teaching block for Ryde School on the Isle of Wight. The new build incorporates ADT workshops, arts studios, a visitor reception and new kitchen and dining facilities for the school. It also relieves congestion and improves the entrance to the school by providing a car-free courtyard.
Hatcham Temple Grove Free School
Hatcham Temple Grove Free School is an exciting, new, non-selective, bilingual (English/German) primary school for 420 pupils with an additional 55 nursery places, within the Haberdashers' Aske's Federation. The project involved the reinstatement, refurbishment and extension of the school following a fire which badly damaged the original Victorian building in 2010.
Highgate School: New Junior School
The New Junior School is an exciting new development for the high-profile Highgate School and involves the demolition of its existing junior school and the construction of a new building occupying a highly visible new location in Highgate. The project aims to deliver a state-of-the-art facility and includes approx 4000 m2 of high-specification performance spaces, design technology laboratories, as well as science, music, drama and art facilities, all based around a central hub and designed to encourage a culture of open and accessible learning.
Royal Greenwich University Technical College
The Royal Greenwich University Technical College is a co-educational college for 600 14-18 year-olds. The UTC specialises in engineering and construction, with a particular focus on transport and sustainable technology, equipping students with vital technical skills that lead to apprenticeships, higher education or employment.
Lady Eleanor Holles School - Hampton
The Arts Centre at the Lady Eleanor Holles School won a 2014 RIBA London award. The project was to build a new music and art department, a new 350-seat purpose-built theatre and some new teaching accommodation for a leading independent girls’ school in London.
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
New spaces for four million objects.
Refurbishment and extension of the grade II-listed building in Dorchester's urban conservation area to create a ‘Collections Discovery Centre'. Basement archives rely on innovative passive climate control, while gallery spaces and workrooms use HVAC systems for controlled conditions.
The development created new facilities for display, education, research, and storage at the Museum, expanding opportunities for audiences to explore collections and stories while improving access, research potential, and public engagement. It also supports the local economy, tourism, and museum collecting capacity across Dorset.
The Museum holds around 4 million objects spanning Natural History, Geology, Archaeology, Social History, Costumes and Textiles, Photography, Literature, Fine Art, and Decorative Arts. Among its significant collections are the renowned UNESCO Jurassic Coast geology collection and a Thomas Hardy Archive listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register. The Museum also features an extensive library, archive, and a dynamic temporary exhibitions programme in collaboration with national and regional partners.
The basement archives employ passive measures to maintain optimal preservation conditions. A highly insulated fabric minimises heat transfer, while high thermal mass materials stabilise temperature fluctuations. Hygroscopic materials regulate humidity, reducing reliance on mechanical systems. Where possible, natural ventilation enhances airflow, further optimising energy efficiency.
Gallery spaces and workrooms benefit from stable temperature and humidity through tailored HVAC systems, with full air conditioning in areas requiring even greater climate control.
Skelly & Couch collaborated with the Museum from the outset to develop an environmental control strategy balancing artefact preservation and operational efficiency. Their approach integrates recent research supporting stable conditions with minimal seasonal variation, mitigating extreme fluctuations to optimise conservation and climate control.
The development enhances public access to the Museum’s collections, deepens research opportunities, and supports the community, and enriches its the cultural and educational experience.
Photographs courtesy of Dorset Museum & Art Gallery ©
