About us
The Surgery was founded in 2013 by Paul Cohen and Nick Cordell, built on a heritage of graphic design, brand thinking and digital craft. From brand development, print and sponsorship activations to retail environments and digital experiences, our roots have always been in creating work with clarity, intelligence and unmistakable creative polish.
As our relationships with clients deepened, one discipline consistently drew us in: internal communications. With the insight and encouragement of client and internal comms specialist Sarah Meurer, who later joined our leadership team, we made a deliberate decision to specialise. Carly Murray soon followed, strengthening our strategic capability and helping us shape a rare blend: design thinking and internal communications working seamlessly together.
Today, Sarah has returned client‑side, but her influence runs deep. As part of her legacy, we continue to run Barn to Boardroom – the internal comms event she and Carly launched over a decade ago. Now in its eleventh year, it remains one of the sector’s most valued forums for insight, challenge and connection.
This integration of disciplines has become our hallmark. Insight sharpened by creativity. Creativity grounded in human understanding. A combined practice designed to create communication which resonates and transforms.
We’ve grown intentionally, not exponentially. A 20‑strong team, proudly independent and purposefully lean. Strategists. Designers. Brand thinkers. Writers. Internal Comms specialists. All working side by side to deliver clarity, confidence and meaningful change for some of the world’s most respected organisations.
Our studio sits in a converted barn on a working West Sussex farm, a place with room to think, challenge, create and breathe. It shapes how we work: focused, thoughtful and always curious. A setting that invites fresh thinking and fosters great ideas.
We’re proud of our blue‑chip client list. Proud of the awards we’ve earned. But most of all, proud of the impact we create – work that helps people understand, connect and move forward with confidence.
This is The Surgery.
Independent. Insight‑driven. Creatively led.
Work that works®.
What drives us
Our mission
To create work that works – strategic, insight‑led, creatively crafted solutions that move people and organisations forward.
Why we do what we do
Because when people understand, believe, and feel connected to what’s happening around them, organisations thrive. Clear, purposeful and creative communication changes everything.
What we do
We combine human insight, strategic intelligence and creative craft to deliver internal comms, EVPs, brand, design and digital solutions that align and inspire your people.
How we do it
We listen deeply, think boldly and design with intention. We cut out the unnecessary, focus on what matters and turn complex challenges into clarity – and clarity into action.
All the AI training in the world doesn’t necessarily mean people feel confident about it and are ready to embrace our new robot colleagues.
Behind the scenes?
Uncertainty. Scepticism. Maybe even quiet panic about what it all means for them and their jobs.
Our AI Hearts and Minds campaign helps you:
• Open up and start having honest conversations about AI with your people
• Build belief and trust
• Bring people with you rather than leaving them behind.
A feel-good AI campaign to help you and your people unlock all the benefits it can provide.
We’re all about work that works. So, if you need your people to believe and to feel engaged and confident about AI and where it’s heading, talk to one of our Surgery humans today
Sorry, it`s too painful to write a caption for this post.
Most internal comms teams get loads of positive feedback… but still have a nagging feeling something didn’t quite land 🤔
In this episode, we spoke with Amanda Atkinson, an internal comms professional, about how she’s using AI to dig deeper into that gap and support her day-to-day work.
💡 Writing the core narrative herself, then using AI to scale it across invites, posts and supporting content
💡 Analysing event feedback alongside original objectives to uncover what didn’t land
💡 Using AI to turn gut instinct into a clear, data-backed story for stakeholders
💡 Capturing ideas, feedback and stakeholder signals in real time, then regularly synthesising them
💡 Treating AI as part of the workflow rather than something separate to learn
It’s a really honest take on where AI genuinely helps and where human judgement still matters most.
Link in the comments and available from Linktree in the bio. Take a listen
Last week, the barn doors flew open once again for Barn to Boardroom – and what a day it was.
From inspiring speakers and practical workshops to networking with fellow IC, HR and Employer Brand professionals, the focus was on sharing ideas, insights and actions people could take straight back to the office.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day such a success. The conversations, connections and willingness to share experiences are what make Barn to Boardroom so special year after year. If you were there, check out the gallery from this year`s event (link in the bio)
This year`s event sold out, so if you`d like to be first in line for Barn to Boardroom 2027, pre-register now and you`ll be among the first to hear when details are released. (Link in the bio)
We`d love to welcome you to the Sussex countryside next year for another day of insight, networking, practical takeaways, great food and plenty of fun.
#InternalComms #EmployeeEngagement #InternalCommunications #HR #EmployerBrand #BarnToBoardroom
Most organisations are focusing on AI capability.
Fewer are focusing on how people feel about it.
That’s the gap.
With different teams at different stages of AI adoption and all doing different things, employees don’t just need training.
They need clarity, reassurance and a reason to believe.
At The Surgery, we work with IC teams to:
• Cut through the noise
• Build a clear narrative
• Support leaders to communicate with confidence
• Make AI land in a human way
Less hype. More impact.
Need to explore what this could look like for you? Get in touch and talk to The Surgery humans about how we can help.
Link in our bio
Everyone in internal comms is being pulled into AI conversations right now, but often with very little guidance 🤔
Cue our new podcast, Unprompted: AI in IC 🥳
Carly and Si will be chatting to people who are actually using this stuff, sharing their experiences and helping us progress together.
In our first episode, we caught up with Rebecca Lindsay from Hyperexponential to talk about how she’s been building AI agents into her day-to-day work.
💡 Building an annual leave assistant that drafts out of office messages and summarises what needs attention
💡 Creating a tone of voice agent to help teams write more consistent comms
💡 Testing an emotionally intelligent comms checker that sparked strong reactions
💡 Using internal survey data to design tools around real friction points
💡 Getting tools in front of people at the right moment through systems like HR triggers
It’s an honest chat and exactly the kind of conversation we’ll be having more of. Practical, free flowing, and focused on learning together.
Link in the bio. Take a listen!
Right then… it`s just seven more sleeps until THE event of the internal comms, HR and employer brand calendar.
If you`re coming to #BarnToBoardroom this year get ready to get influencing with impact, give us a wave below, and we`ll see you on 1st July, we can`t wait!
AI is moving fast. But inside most organisations, it’s not joined up.
Different teams, different messages, different tools, different ways of doing things.
It’s all a bit confusing for you and for your people.
Where there’s confusion, internal comms can provide clarity!
We get AI. It’s why we can help you to:
• Create a clear, usable story for AI
• Bring consistency to how it’s talked about
• Build confidence across your workforce
• Turn uncertainty into action
AI only really works when people understand what it can do for them and how their organisation wants them to use it.
Drop us a message (to a real human!) and let’s talk it through.
