Martin Langford

Martin Langford

Martin Langford is one of the world's most experienced media, issues and crisis management counsellors. With 36 years experience in the public relations industry in Europe and Asia, he has managed more than 350 issues and crisis globally and he was dubbed 'The Master of Disaster' by the Daily Telegraph in 1988, for his successful work in this area.

Martin has extensive management experience having managed to London office of Burson Marsteller, the International Public Relations Company, and also the companies ASEAN offices while he was based in Asia.

He was chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association for 2 years and was named Public Relations Professional of the year by the industry magazine PR week.

Martins reputation has continued to build through an extensive series of assignments, most of which - particularly the most interesting - will unfortunately for reasons of confidentiality remain forever underwraps. Exceptions, however, include:

  • Handling the aftermath of Esso's Melbourne refinery explosion, which left the whole of the State of Victoria without gas for a fortnight
  • Handing the Singapore Oil Spill in 1997, the largest spill in Singapore's history after two vessels collided in the Singapore Straits
  • Counselling the management of Shell International following the discovery that Formular Shell could damage the inlet valves of some vehicles
  • Training the management of Gulf Oil worldwide in effective crisis handling following their Bantry Bay disaster.
  • J&J's Tylenol recall, where Martin handled the crisis in the only non - US Tylenol market, Ireland - in an event still widely employed in text books and business schools as a definitive case study in crisis management
  • Worldwide counselling and training, including 'train the trainers' training for 150 J&J managers following the relabeling of Propulsid in the US
  • Counselling during the class action law suit on Shiley faulty heart valves
  • The famous Perrier Water recall and re-launch
  • Handling Dell's interests when a disgruntled Beijing dealer attempted to have the company debarred from the Chinese market
  • Crisis training at the behest of Singapore's Tourist Board for all ASEAN foreign and tourism ministers, enabling cooperative action on cross-border crises
  • Plant closures - handled on over 30 occasions in a dozen different countries
  • Crisis planning systems - created for more than 50 companies
  • Trained over 2000 spokespeople in Asia, Europe and the USA.