It’s my pleasure to share with you the latest episode of the Communicating Purpose podcast with Rachel Bhageerutty, Global Director of Strategic Communication at Animals Asia
Animals Asia is a charity dedicated to ending bear bile farming and improving animal welfare across Asia.
At the heart of Rachel's work is a mission to shift perceptions, build trust across cultures, and centre compassion in some of the world’s most complex advocacy spaces.
With a career spanning over two decades, Rachel has led strategic communications across the charity and housing sectors. Before joining Animals Asia, she spent nearly ten years at Brooke, the global NGO championing the welfare of working horses and donkeys.
From The Stroke Association to Notting Hill Housing and Habinteg, Rachel has consistently shaped brand narratives, built trust across diverse communities, and developed communication strategies that connect people to powerful causes.
In this episode, we covered:
🐻The remarkable story behind Vietnam's near-elimination of bear bile farming, with the help of Animals Asia, that could transform animal welfare across Asia.
🌱The grassroots approach that convinced more than 90% of traditional medicine users to abandon bear bile.
📰The front page media story that transformed Rachel's approach to journalism.
🎯The painful lesson every communications professional needs to learn about managing expectations.
I hope you enjoy.
John Higginson,
Founder & CEO, Higginson Strategy
