About Us
Meet Team Rebel
We’re a collective of comms professionals, creatives and coaches. We love helping our clients solve their most complex problems and we really enjoy doing things a little differently!
We’re a bunch of good eggs who love getting our teeth stuck into client briefs and thinking up new and innovative ways to make an impact. We love what we do – and that’s why we’re on a mission to help people thrive in the work they do. Read on to meet us all and find out what being a rebel means to us…
“Being brave enough to do things differently in the world of work”
Advita Patel
Founder
Having worked in internal communications roles for most of her 19-year career, Advita took the leap to self-employment to create CommsRebel and is based in her hometown of Manchester.
She wanted to use her own personal experiences of not fitting in and belonging in the workplace to create a comms consultancy that focuses on making a difference to people and how they feel at work.
A qualified coach, Advita also works with senior leaders and internal communications teams to develop their confidence to lead change and have those difficult conversations.
Known for being a straight-talker, Advita is leading a rebellion to make the comms industry more diverse. In 2021, she held the first ‘Unleash Your Inner Rebel’ conference for comms and HR leaders to learn how to lead with impact.
Advita is the co-founder of A Leader Like Me, a membership for underrepresented women looking to progress in their careers, and a co-host for an award-winning podcast, CalmEdgedRebels. She’s also an experienced speaker and often shares her thoughts on internal comms, confidence and being a rebeI with a cause.
Advita is currently writing a book about diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, which will be published in 2023.
Dharini Patel
Chief Operating Officer
Dharini has over 15 years’ experience of working within the education sector, leading on numerous programmes, high-profile projects and policies within government.
In September 2022, Dharini branched into the world of CommsRebel as our COO. As a qualified project manager, Dharini can solve any complex challenge and brings a wealth of experience to oversee all things operational for CommsRebel.
“Not being afraid to say, do, or be different and empowering others to tap into their rebellious side!”
Alexandra McAvoy
Creative Virtual Assistant
Alexandra McAvoy has been in the world of marketing and events since she was fresh out of university in 2013.
Being a social butterfly all her life, she has a passion for marketing communication. With a MA in Digital Marketing communications, Alexandra has experience in many sectors including professional services, construction, and technology. Using the experience gained over time, Alexandra founded Voy Management and became a creative VA to help businesses with their presence online, for a fraction of their time.
“Using my voice to constructively challenge the way I and others think”
Sarah Weston
Sarah Weston is an expert at creating bespoke event solutions for organisations.
With over two decades of experience and an extensive network of contacts, Sarah has produced thousands of event all over the world. Offering full event management; from venue organisation to third party sourcing, procurement and budget control, Sarah offers a flexible service tailored to client’s needs.
“Wearing double leopard print! Feeling confident to do what I think is the right thing… even when everyone else thinks its not!”
Rupa Bharadva
Associate
Rupa Bharadva is a skilled copywriter and communications professional with over two decades of experience in corporate communications and PR.
She is a former PR manager at EY, professional services firm, where she focused on promoting the firm’s employee and diversity and inclusion policies. Before EY, Rupa managed the editorial direction of internal and external magazines at the private bank Coutts.
In 2021, Rupa started her own consultancy business, Rupa Bharadva Comms. What began as a side hustle became a full-time business in 2023. Now she collaborates with business founders to craft engaging, personality-packed content for websites, blogs, email and
social media. She also freelances with large companies, providing strategic communications advice for projects and boosting employee engagement.
Rupa is known for truly understanding businesses and telling their stories effectively. She excels at helping businesses build genuine connections with their audiences.
Having the courage to do things your way. Life's too short to conform!"
Vardeep Edwards
Vardeep Edwards is the founder of The Branding Fox, a brand development agency that helps growing businesses build distinctive brands – helping them stand out and connect with their ideal audience.
I believe that when you understand what your brand stands for, you can communicate the story of who you are and what you do in a way that connects with your ideal clients. I put in the effort to ensure that each client becomes an expert in their own brand so they can effectively share their story, both in writing and verbally.
I’ve been helping SMEs do just that for over 20 years and I love seeing our clients get real results from our work together!
"Being a rebel means stepping outside the box and finding your own path"
Sarah Black
Associate
Sarah brings more than 30 years of communications experience across three countries to her role as a consultant, trainer and strategist.
Her experience and expertise in helping organizations and individuals work and communicate more effectively across cultures and lines of difference is based on working with peacebuilding and reconciliation organizations in Belfast in the 1980s and 1990s, subsequently living and working in Norway and Texas and is the communications partner for a global DEI consultancy.
Since founding Athru Communications six years ago, she has worked with clients in the UK, the US, Brazil and Thailand. Sarah is a former Board member of a global non-profit where she co-led their volunteer communications team, working across eight different countries and multiple time zones.
Sarah is a CQ (Cultural Intelligence) Certified Facilitator and Trainer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
“Daring to do things differently because you know it makes things better for everyone. And having the audacity to be uniquely yourself, out loud, all the time."
Raakhi Vadera
Raakhi has 12+ years experience within HR with everything from Recruitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion planning for businesses and helping individuals get the best out of their job and championing themselves.
She is a huge believer in belonging and the employee experience. Raakhi works with businesses to embrace the employee experience side of employment and individuals to help empower and advocate for themselves with the end goal of enjoying work and having the work-life balance they deserve.
"Being a rebel to me means that I live unapologetically and unafraid. I try to "do" life authentically and I strive for better for myself and others"
Nishant Patel
IT management professional
Nishant Patel is an IT management professional with over 15 years’ experience across several sectors.
His extensive and progressive career incorporates service delivery, new/existing technologies and global team leadership. With his strong commercial acumen and technical expertise, Nishant has broad insight of business drivers to provide effective and efficient solutions to the management of processes and strategic technology.
"The ability to disrupt a market is being a rebel to me"
Sarah Browning
Sarah is an independent kindness cheerleader and communicator. She first fell in love with internal communications when she stumbled across it in her first ‘proper’ job in financial services.
Since then she has moved to specialise in working with charity, Higher Education and public sector organisations. She works with these not-for-profit clients to find ways to communicate their stories, change attitudes and behaviours, and achieve their organisational goals. She is a member of CharityComms and the Organisation for Responsible Businesses.
In 2021 Sarah founded the Time for Kindness programme, an initiative to celebrate kindness and rebalance the narrative we have about the world we live in.
"Kindness is powerful because it connects us all as human beings. There is lots of it in the world already, we just don’t talk about it enough – yet!"
Martha Salhotra
Associate
Martha brings a decade of experience in communications, with a strong background in both internal and external communications as well as social media management for reputable organisations.
She demonstrates exceptional skill in crafting campaigns and narratives that resonate with audiences, prioritising the human element in all her communications efforts. In 2021, Martha gained a Specialist Diploma in Internal Communication, focusing her work on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in communications.
Bollywood and Punjabi music play a big part in Martha’s life and have led to her becoming a content creator on TikTok, where she has garnered over 10,000 followers. Her love for Indian culture comes from spending long summers with her family in her home in Punjab, India.
"A rebel is someone who challenges the status quo and uses their voice for the voiceless."
Rachel Extance
Rachel Extance is an award-winning writer.
She worked as a journalist for 15 years, as a reporter, then on the newsdesk of a busy regional daily newspaper and then as website editor. She is adept at getting to grips with complex issues quickly and making them accessible to a general audience.