PR news round-up (25 June – 2 July)
Here’s a round-up of last week’s biggest PR news – featuring Forbes Europe’s Alex Wood and senior appointments at Curzon, Montfort, Cicero Group, Cirkle and Hydra Strategy.
Forbes Europe media briefing
Forbes Europe works best with PRs, companies and entrepreneurs that develop long-term relationships with the title, Forbes Europe editor Alex Wood revealed at last week’s exclusive Cision media briefing.
Enhancing your PR measurement with ‘maturity mapping’
AMEC’s Measurement Maturity Mapper will help communicators uncover the vital insights they need to build more effective PR campaigns, its creators said in last week’s Cision webinar.
Thought leadership
Iain Anderson, Cicero Group‘s executive chairman and committee member at LGBT+ PR networking group InterComms, discusses whether PR is inclusive enough and how communicators can help support the LGBT+ community.
Lauren Winter, head of brand and consumer marketing, EMEA, at FleishmanHillard Fishburn, details why the importance of brands taking risks was her big Cannes Lions takeaway.
Interviews
Guy Walsingham, founder and CEO of B2B tech agency Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, discusses why he started the agency, his fight against “factory PR” and the thinking behind the name.
Account wins
Birds Eye has appointed Cirkle to handle consumer and B2B PR, influencer relations and crisis communications for its frozen food product portfolio.
Captain Birds Eye
Former The Apprentice contestant Elizabeth McKenna has selected Radioactive PR to manage her profile and build her personal brand. The agency will look to promote McKenna as a media personality, small business expert and the face of online florist brand Lizzie’s Bundles.
Venture capital firm Draper Esprit has appointed MHP Communications as its retained financial PR adviser.
The Hub will handle briefs for catering equipment supplier Nisbets, food distributor Leathams, fruit and vegetable smoothie brand Love Taste Co and chai latte brand Drink me Chai.
Clean energy drinks brand Flyte has appointed Palm PR to manage PR and social media content around its UK launch.
Shooting Star has announced three new account wins. The agency is to increase market research company Swift Research’s social media presence, handle PR and social for UV gel nail brand NeoNail and promote the Our Health Heroes Awards, a national awards scheme supporting the NHS’s 70th anniversary celebrations managed by Skills for Health.
People news
Cicero Group has hired Joey Jones as strategic counsel, with a wide-ranging brief to provide strategic political and communications advice to its blue-chip client base. Jones has previously served as Theresa May’s spokesperson while she was home secretary and deputy political editor at Sky News.
Global strategy and comms consultancy Curzon PR has appointed Jason MacKenzie as managing director.
Montfort Communications has appointed Nick Bastin as a senior consultant. He brings significant corporate and financial comms experience to the consultancy, offering particular expertise in the M&A and share offer fields.
Cirkle has hired Chris Grabowski as its first creative director in order to expand its creative capabilities.
Hydra Strategy has appointed Neil Stockley as a partner. He will lead the agency’s integrated, strategic comms across the energy and environmental sectors.
Integrated comms agency Mercieca has hired FMCG and lifestyle specialist Amina Ghaith as an account director.
Amina Ghaith
Gatehouse Bank has appointed Andy Homer as director of communications who will be responsible for developing the bank’s comms strategy and product offerings.
Agency news
Threepipe has acquired creative agency Earnie to boost its creative services offering. Earnie’s founder Alistair Gammel will continue to lead the company while also joining Threepipe’s management team.
James Higgins, former group editor of Cumbrian publisher CN Group, has launched PR, content marketing, media training and digital strategy agency 32West.
Sterling Media took home the PR Firm of the Year award at the UK-India Awards 2018. The agency has worked on a number of briefs which encompassed both countries, including helping to launch Aston Martin in India.
PRCA news
The first Summer Stars intake
The PRCA has pledged £50,000 towards membership and training fees to the alumni of the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s new summer internship programme; Summer Stars. Cision’s head of insight Paul Hender is among those to guest lecture for the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s scheme.
