Cascade is about people and relationships
We are Cascade, specialists in campaigning, advocacy, engagement and communications across the built environment. An award winning consultancy advising our clients on issues that directly impact local communities, businesses and politics.
Our People
Emma Waterfall
Founder & Managing Director
Emma Waterfall
Emma’s clients value her straight talking, strategic thinking and ability to cut through complex issues. She loves a challenge and enjoys complicated projects where there are many moving parts. Emma founded Cascade in 2011, shaping a highly personal level of service and advising on high profile projects such as Battersea Power Station and Lambeth Palace Library.
Emma’s ambition for Cascade has centred on doing a great job for clients, advising on the most interesting projects and working alongside the best people in the property sector.
Sam Wilson
Business Director
Sam Wilson
Sam is a specialist in grassroots and digital campaigning, always seeking new ways to reach different audiences and nurture relationships with stakeholders. Clients depend on Sam for his open and personable approach, as well as his natural ability to be an extension of their team. Sam prides himself on building strong relationships with his client teams as well as stakeholders, underpinned by a proactive approach, extensive knowledge and good humour.
Sam leads on the growth and development of Cascade’s best asset – our brilliant team – which was recognised in the 2020 Best Places to Work in Property.
Clare Hartshorne
Business Director
Clare Hartshorne
Clare is best-known for her reputation management skills. She brings a creative approach that is results driven. Her clients value the way she forms a close, honest working relationship, having been a trusted adviser on corporate profiles for over 10 years. She is as skilled at keeping clients out of the press as she is at getting them in.
Clare’s strategic insight and corporate background, allows her to understand bigger picture business objectives, while navigating complex stakeholder management across projects. She is passionate about bringing clients and stakeholders together by translating project ambitions in to benefits that resonate across audience groups.
Valentine Agamah
Business Director
Valentine Agamah
Enthusiastic and passionate about future cities, new technology and innovation, Valentine leads Cascade’s campaigning and community engagement offer, Community Stream. His unique and bold approach to engagement includes trialling new ideas alongside tried and tested approaches, and working closely with community groups to encourage greater inclusivity in consultation.
He is at his happiest discussing social value, community action, and the importance of wellbeing for local communities. Trained as a planner, he is well-known as a trusted and dependable advisor for clients and consultants across the development community.
Emma Garner
Client Director
Emma Garner
As testified by her clients, Emma is a “calming” and “helpful” member of the team, and as such, is an invaluable addition to any project. She is a passionate advocate for meaningful consultation and has an outstanding track record of winning local support for challenging projects. Her former role working in-house with UK retailer Sainsbury’s, means that she has the ability to build relationships with multiple stakeholders, from local residents, to politicians, and the media.
Reece Pugh
Client Director
Reece Pugh
Reece’s clients value his political insight and strategy implementation. A district councillor in Kent and former Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, he is passionate about regeneration and the role it plays in bringing communities together.
Rupuk Vekaria
Client Manager
Rupuk Vekaria
Rupuk’s background in public affairs and the built environment makes him a valuable member of the team when planning proposals go through their consultation and engagement phase. Cool and level-headed after working with several high-profile clients, he knows how to solve complex and controversial issues relating to consultation and engagement.
Rob Smith
Client Manager
Rob Smith
Rob is an experienced grassroots campaigner with an in-depth knowledge of local and central Government. Passionate about about genuine resident engagement to enhance communities, he has delivered many community consultations, taking them from early inception through to planning approval stage. With a strong political network, Rob is adept at creating different strategies to suit client requirements. He is a Conservative Party activist in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
Albert Harrison
Client Executive
Albert Harrison
Albert has an abundance of major events experience with high-profile clients, and sharp interpersonal skills. He has a keen interest in politics, with a degree from the University of Bristol. Albert has a proven track record in events planning, problem-solving and media management.
Maria-Dimitra Gkaripi
Operations Manager
Maria-Dimitra Gkaripi
A dedicated business manager with several years of experience, having successfully supported the C-Suite at various global consultancy firms. During her career, she has been responsible for resolving important business issues on behalf of the directors whilst leading business management activities including HR and finance operations, project management, business development and management of office resources.
Sir Steve Bullock DL
Strategic Advisory Counsel
Sir Steve Bullock DL
The first elected Mayor of Lewisham, where he stood from 2002 until his retirement in 2018, Sir Steve supports Cascade’s clients by offering senior counsel to help policy making and building trust between local authorities, public sector bodies and developers. Sir Steve also served as Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association and as Chair of the University Hospital Lewisham NHS Trust. He is currently Chair of the Housing and Finance Institute and the Sutton Housing Partnership.
WHY CASCADE?
WE LOVE OUR CLIENTS AND WHAT WE DO
We want our clients to regard us as part of their team, working together to shape strategies that meet political ambitions, locally and nationally, and the aspirations of communities.
We respect everyone we engage with
Building trusted relationships that help transform communities.
We have the expertise
Our team is experienced, bright and at their best when meeting people.
We are proud of our work
Specialists in complex projects that require multi-layered engagement, delivering some of the most high-profile development projects across the UK.
Join Us
Cascade is continuing to grow. We are building our team and actively seeking talented professionals with skills and contacts to complement our award-winning team.