Fathm deepens international footprint with three regional director appointments across Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific
London, August 2026 - Fathm, the media innovation and strategy consultancy, has appointed three regional directors as it moves from project-based international work to a permanent, on-the-ground presence in three of its fastest-growing markets.
Claudia Báez joins as Regional Director for Latin America, Leonie von Elverfeldt as Regional Director for Africa, and Jaemark Tordecilla as Regional Director for Asia-Pacific. The appointments come as Fathm looks to convert a growing portfolio of regional partnerships into longer-term, deeply embedded programmes, rather than one-off engagements. The appointments also mark a deliberate push beyond Fathm's traditional newsroom base, as the company expands its client mix to include SMEs, corporations with in-house media or marketing teams, and media organisations across each region.
The move reflects a wider shift in how global consultancies are having to operate in media and news innovation: proximity and local trust increasingly matter as much as global expertise. Each of the three new directors will lead business development in their region, build relationships with media organisations, funders and industry partners, as well as SMEs and corporations with media or marketing teams that Fathm's programmes could support, and identify where Fathm's methodologies can be adapted to meet emerging local needs. They will also shape Fathm's programmes and proposals for their markets - pairing the company's global playbook with their own networks and first-hand understanding of the organisations they work with.
For Fathm, the appointments mark a deliberate step-change. Having already built substantial bodies of work across Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the company is now investing in sustained regional leadership rather than managing these markets remotely. At the same time, Fathm is widening its focus beyond media organisations alone, targeting SMEs and corporations with media or marketing functions as new growth areas across each region. It's a bet that the next phase of growth in each region depends on being genuinely present, not just responsive.
Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard, Co-founders of Fathm, said in a joint statement, “We've always built Fathm around relationships, not just delivery, and relationships need proximity. We've spent years building trust with media organisations, funders and partners across Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and the truth is that trust only scales so far when you're managing it from a distance. This is a deliberate strategic shift: rather than continuing to run these regions remotely, we're investing in permanent leadership who live and work in these markets.”
“Claudia, Leonie and Jaemark aren't just regional hires - they're three of the most respected people in their fields, and they bring exactly the kind of local knowledge and credibility that can't be replicated from London. What excites us most is what this unlocks: instead of one-off projects, we can now build the kind of long-term, embedded programmes that move the needle for newsrooms and media organisations on the ground. That's the whole point of this next stage for Fathm.”
The three appointments bring senior journalism, media innovation and executive leadership experience into Fathm's regional operations, including backgrounds spanning award-winning investigative journalism, newsroom AI adoption, and executive roles at major regional and global media groups.