CUTAWAY - Key Persons
Cutaway's founder is Tom Griffin. After two decades of working directly with senior leaders, Tom founded Cutaway in 2018 to meet a need for specialist communications and public affairs expertise available immediately and flexibly to chief executives and boards.
Educated at a Cardiff state school, and graduating from Oxford University with a degree in PPE, Tom's academic research interest is in presidential communications, particular speechwriting, and interviewees include Theodore Sorensen, Johnson Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, and former President Ford.
Tom began his professional career on Capitol Hill, serving as an intern with the staff of the House Judiciary Committee during President Clinton's impeachment. He worked as an academic researcher at Cardiff Business School on major European projects before working with blue chip clients in two of the UK's leading public affairs agencies.
After four years providing political and parliamentary advice to senior ministers in Westminster, Tom rejoined the private sector as corporate affairs lead for General Dynamics in the UK. Reporting to the UK board, he was awarded the global GD Chairman's Award for an "Outstanding Contribution to the Corporation" in 2007 and received three UK President's Awards for his work leading communications and public affairs on key business bids, including GD's winning bid for the armoured vehicle contract now in service with the British Army as AJAX.
After joining the University of Glamorgan as its media lead to be closer to home with a young family, Tom accepted the offer to build a team delivering an integrated media, internal and public affairs capability for the University. As Head of Corporate Communications he worked with the board and executive team to plan and deliver communications and political engagement in the UK's largest Higher Education merger, and major programmes of restructure and estate change. Tom was elected unanimously by his peers to chair the all-Wales group of university communications directors, and has been asked regularly to provide expert advice to UCEA, the higher education employers' body, and Universities UK.
Tom is a member of the IOD and Cardiff Business Club.
Tom is a father, a vintage clothing fan, a rugby referee, and in his spare time is a musician who plays the horn and teaches children from 8-16. He blogs and tweets personally, with his Instagram at TomOffTheRecord.