Esther Stanton Gibbons
- Specialism: Head of Communications.
- Track Record: 25+ years working with top brands across automotive, telecoms, DTC, B2C and B2B, including Skoda, Vodafone, Three, EE and Virgin. And collaborating with ambitious scale-ups and challenger brands, helping them clarify their voice and connect the dots between strategy, story and growth. Having worked abroad and with international clients, I’ve developed a strong instinct for cultural context and how to weave that into brand thinking.
- Offer: As a Fractional Head of Communications, I help brands sharpen their messaging, align communications with business goals and build strategic clarity.
My services include: Research and message development, Tone of voice creation, Communication audits and messaging frameworks, Internal and stakeholder communication, Creative team mentoring, Campaign and content oversight.
Whether you need to reignite or reevaluate your story, align your comms with growth plans or bring fresh creative thinking to your brand narrative, I’ll help you find and deliver messaging that’s clear, compelling and strategically sound. - Esther says: “A collaborative, well-rounded leader, trusted advisor and creative force, someone who can build your messaging momentum and strengthen your team. Together we can do something out of the ordinary. Steal horses with me.”
- Try me: www.holycustard.co.uk
After over two decades in senior communications roles, I wanted to use my skills more collaboratively as a true partner to founders and brand leaders. Getting under the bones of a business in a more strategic and connected way makes it easier to drive meaningful change. So many businesses spin their wheels, unsure how to create the growth they need to reach their potential. It’s a joy to be the partner who helps them find a way forward and see how the right shifts in messaging and strategy can make a lasting difference.
I got started by launching Holy Custard in 2018 as a freelance messaging strategist and brand writer. It soon became clear that the most rewarding and effective way to work with a brand is to be more involved, helping them from the inside out. This approach allows me to explore the brand more deeply and spot the gaps and narratives that can be overlooked in the day-to-day running of a business. Then, I help bring those to life, both internally and externally.
One of my first successes was spotting the magic a founder had missed. Working with a premium pet food brand, I uncovered a powerful sales insight they’d overlooked – one that their customers would instinctively connect with. It helped reframe their positioning conversations and gave them a clearer narrative direction.
Along the way, I’ve learned that experience is only valuable when you know how to apply it. I draw on over 25 years across every kind of communications challenge, from messaging frameworks and tone of voice to product launches and stakeholder communications, and tailor the approach to each business based on where they are now and where they want to be.
It’s working for me now because working across sectors keeps my thinking fresh. I bring ideas from different industries, helping founders see beyond their own echo chambers. That outside perspective helps surface insights internal teams often miss and gives growing brands a strategic and hands-on partner.
Looking ahead, I hope to support ambitious founders with a great product and a clear vision who know their messaging isn’t working as well as it should. I help them find their voice, clarify their story, and share it in a way that resonates with customers, teams, investors, and stakeholders.