Louis Brooke
British strategic communications executive; Managing Director / Executive Director of Research and Strategy at Zinc Network (formerly Breakthrough Media); previously Head of East Africa at Breakthrough and Team Leader of the Syria Strategic Communications Advisory Team (SSCAT) at EU DG Home; director of Zinc Network Limited from February 2020; Oxford PPE graduate; co-founder of Move Your Money UK and Now Press Play
| Louis Alfred Brooke | |
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| Born | May 1987 |
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| Nationality | British |
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| Occupation | Strategic communications; managing director; research and strategy executive |
| Known for | Managing Director and later Executive Director of Research and Strategy at Zinc Network / Breakthrough Media Network; Head of East Africa at Breakthrough; Team Leader, Syria Strategic Communications Advisory Team (EU DG Home); director of Zinc Network Limited from 7 February 2020; work on counter-disinformation and influencer networks in the Baltics, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia and East Africa |
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Louis Alfred Brooke (born May 1987) is a British strategic communications executive. He has been a director of Zinc Network Limited (company number 06651251, formerly Breakthrough Media Network Ltd) since 7 February 2020. He previously served as Head of East Africa at Breakthrough Media and as Team Leader of the Syria Strategic Communications Advisory Team (SSCAT) at EU DG Home. He is currently described as Executive Director of Research and Strategy at Zinc Network. He holds a first-class BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford (2006–2009).[1][2][3]
Early career and other ventures
Brooke studied PPE at Oxford (2006–2009). Between 2009 and 2013 he was Communications and Marketing Director at the London Rebuilding Society. In 2012 he co-founded Move Your Money UK CIC (company 07895861), serving as UK co-founder and chairman until 2019; he resigned as director in November 2014 and the company was later dissolved. He also co-founded the Better Banking Campaign and Community Investment Coalition. In 2011–2012 he founded and directed Now Press Play Ltd (company 08031358), a start-up producing immersive audio experiences for schools; he remains a director.[1][4]
Breakthrough Media, SSCAT and Zinc Network
Brooke joined Breakthrough Media (later Zinc) around 2013. He served as Head of East Africa for approximately 15 months (c.2013–2015), responsible for operations across the region under US Department of State and UN funding, including Somalia and Kenya stakeholder engagement and the production of television and radio content. He then became Team Leader of the Strategic Communications Advisory Team (SSCAT / SCAT) at EU DG Home (c.2014–2015). In that role he established a team of six, built a network of senior communications and counter-terrorism officials from 24 member states, led ten consultancy visits, and contributed to the establishment of dedicated units and campaigns in several member states.[2][3]
From around 2015 he became Managing Director at Zinc Network, responsible for all international work across country offices (including Kenya, Somalia, Tunisia, Estonia, Australia and Iraq). He developed a portfolio described as worth £8 million per annum and oversaw strategy, creative, implementation, budget, client management and business development. His work has included counter-disinformation projects in the Baltics, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia, ranging from alternative and counter-narratives on Zinc’s Russian-language social media platform (ZAG) to building networks of influencers. He has delivered advisory work for the Prime Minister of an Eastern Partnership country on national disinformation, lectured at King’s College London on disinformation and strategic communications, and sat on the board of NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Strategic Communications. He was appointed director of the renamed Zinc Network Limited on 7 February 2020, days before the formal name change from Breakthrough.[1][3][2]
Miller’s 2022 report lists Brooke among SSCAT/ESCN-linked staff with significant history in the RICU/Breakthrough ecosystem and notes that his LinkedIn stated he worked for Breakthrough throughout the period he was at SSCAT.[2]
See also
- Zinc Network
- Breakthrough Media Network
- Syria Strategic Communications Advisory Team
- European Strategic Communications Network
- Research, Information and Communications Unit
- Scott Brown
- Robert Stephen Elliott
External links
- Companies House: Louis Alfred Brooke appointments
- David Miller, The Radicalisation Awareness Network (Spinwatch, February 2022) – Chapter 5
- The Org profile
- Zinc Network technical response (2018/2019, includes CV)
- Additional Zinc CV material (2021)
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Companies House: Louis Alfred Brooke appointments.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 David Miller, The Radicalisation Awareness Network: Policy network in search of an evidence base or covert propaganda platform?, Public Interest Investigations / Spinwatch, February 2022, Chapter 5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zinc Network technical response / CV material (2018–2021), including archived PDF.
- ↑ The Org profile.