ilk launches London operation

Nev Ridley and Shaun Beaumont, owners of Leeds-based PR agency ilk, have invested £185,000 into the opening of a new London office and appointed client services director Beth Archer to lead the new operation. The move follows the agency re-branding from Manifest Communications back in July.

With previous creative roles at Sky and Accenture, working on national marketing campaigns and brand consultancy, Archer joined ilk in May 2015 as client services director.

Her aim is to establish and grow the reputation of the new London office as one of the city’s most vibrant integrated agencies, echoing the growth of ilk’s HQ in Leeds.

Archer said: “We’re an ambitious agency and opening a London office was always a core part of our UK growth strategy post-rebrand. We’ve already got a number of new accounts on our books in the South, so we’re off to a great start.

“Our hope is that having a London office will complement our Northern operations and allow us to better service clients right across the country. With a lot of hard work, and a lot of good work, I think that ilk London is a project with huge potential.”

In July, Manifest Communications was renamed ilk. The move followed Alex Myers, co-founder of sister agency Manifest London taking full control of the PR firm, as well as Manifest New York, following a deal that saw Ridley and Beaumont sell their stake in the business for an undisclosed sum.

Ridley said: With a diverse international client portfolio and plenty of existing experience working within the London market, we think the time is right to set up a permanent base in one of the most dynamic cities in the world.

“With Beth at the helm, we’ve got a leader with diverse B2B and B2C experience and a lot of talent. When you combine that with an excellent new office in Spitalfields and a number of new clients, I think we’re all set to make a big impact.”