OUR TEAM

Tara Attfield-Tomes

Tara Attfield-Tomes – She/Her

Founder and Managing Director

Meet Tara, Founder and Managing Director of EAST VILLAGE. She’s the driver behind the brand and is focused on building an agency for the future through her three passions: PR, people, and paying-it-forward.

Big on employer brand and team culture, Tara’s role is about ensuring the agency looks good on the outside and feels good on the inside. 

Meet Tara, Founder and Managing Director of EAST VILLAGE. She’s the driver behind the brand and is focused on building an agency for the future through her three passions: PR, people, and paying-it-forward. Big on employer brand and team culture, Tara’s role is about ensuring the agency looks good on the outside and feels good on the inside.

Tara set up EAST VILLAGE. back in 2013 to create an agency that she’d be proud to work for. Centred around a strong team culture, she’s passionate about driving a people-led agency; from flexible working and free mental health support, to team socials and creative idea generation, Tara is focused on driving innovation and loves embracing change. 

As well as creating and driving the business strategy and brand, she’s also our client strategy queen and head of our new business development.

Having specialised in lifestyle PR from the start of her career, she’s delivered campaigns for the likes of Stella McCartney, BBC Good Food Show, Taste of Birmingham, Style Birmingham Live, and International Dance Festival Birmingham. Her experience working with local independent retailers, internationally renowned fashion brands, acclaimed entertainment venues, award-winning arts venues and everything in between, means that TeamEV taps into strategy and expertise that spans more than 16 years in the industry.  

A respected PR expert, Tara regularly speaks at events and on webinars on subjects including personal and employer branding, building a strong team culture, leading with empathy, diversity in leadership, and being a female entrepreneur.

She sits on The Agency Collective’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board, and Soho House ‘Cities Without Houses’ Birmingham committee. She is a mentor through Soho Mentorship, a partnership between Soho House and Creative Mentoring Network, which aims to get more people from underrepresented communities into the creative industries. As well as Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Future Faces mentoring scheme, and the Help to Grow Management initiative.

Tara is co-founder and chair of homeless charity Let’s Feed Brum, which she founded alongside Hattie; sits on the management committee for homeless accommodation project Tabor Living; and is a patron for homeless drop-in, SIFA Fireside.

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Hattie D'Souza

Hattie D’Souza – She/Her

Director of People & Culture

Meet Hattie, our Director of People & Strategy, responsible for managing the team’s progression, productivity, and processes.

She lives and breathes our values and ensures that EV. remains focused on being an agency for a modern workforce: with perks that make a difference to people’s lives and working practices that truly have the team’s wellbeing at heart.

Meet Hattie, our Director of People & Culture, responsible for managing the team’s progression, productivity, and processes. She lives and breathes our values and ensures that EV. remains focused on being an agency for a modern workforce.

A people-person who takes a vested interest in getting the best out of #TeamEV, she explores new ways of working that prioritise both efficiency and wellbeing. This dedication to innovation helped to cement her place on PRWeek’s 30 Under 30 list in 2022.

Sitting alongside Tara on our Senior Leadership Team, she’s focused on client delivery and strengthening our relationships with clients. She’s also the person who keeps the team on top of industry trends and insights, ensuring that we’re always pushing forward new ideas that get results.

Hattie also helped create our TeamEV Charter, with Tara, and remains responsible for ensuring that it remains at the heart of what we do and who we are.

Hattie considers herself an ‘adopted Brummie’ and is passionate about the city. She co-founded homeless charity Let’s Feed Brum, alongside Tara, which landed her a place in Birmingham Live’s ’30 Under 30’.

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Sophie-Mae Bourne

Sophie Bourne – She/Her

Brand Manager

Meet Sophie, our Brand Manager and the driving force behind the key projects that bring ‘BrandEV’ to life.

With her previous experience in delivering marketing campaigns for PR agencies, Sophie brings a creative flair and strong project management skills to EV.

Meet Sophie, our Brand Manager, the driving force behind bringing ‘BrandEV’ to life. With her previous experience in delivering marketing campaigns for PR agencies, Sophie brings a creative flair and strong project management skills to EV.

Her skillset spans marketing, events, and business development, and her career in hospitality ensures that every initiative takes customer experience into account.

As the first port of call for new business, Sophie is the go-to person if you want to find out what EV. can do for you. She will share all the reasons why you should work with us and help you explore the best options for your needs.

When she’s not working, Sophie is a die-hard foodie who enjoys discovering the latest must-visit venues, trends, and openings. She’s also Arctic Monkeys’ biggest fan!

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Bambus – He/Him

CEO (Chief Excitement Officer)

Meet Bambus, king of excitement and fluffy cuddles here at EV. 

His copywriting skills need a little work, but his sass is the perfect temperature-check when planning campaigns. If Bambus gives us his Chow Chow look of disapproval, we know that it’s back to the drawing board. 

Meet Bambus, king of excitement and fluffy cuddles here at EV.

His copywriting skills need a little work, but his sass is the perfect temperature-check when planning campaigns. If Bambus gives us his Chow Chow look of disapproval, we know that it’s back to the drawing board.

He loves coming along to EV. events, unless it’s raining and then he refuses to get his hair wet. We can relate.

Since moving up from Bristol (like his colleague, Hattie) at just 12 weeks old, he’s been a local celebrity every since… and can always be found with a puppichino in hand.

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Ready for PR with personality?

Get in touch to find out what TeamEV could do for you

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