Ignite ETRM appoints Milk & Honey PR

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Milk & Honey PR has been appointed by Ignite ETRM to raise awareness of its technology in the energy and commodity trading marketplace. 

Jo Cresswell

Ignite ETRM is a leading provider of natural gas, crude oil and energy trading and risk management software solutions.

Milk & Honey PR will be responsible for helping Ignite to reach its target audience through a measured mix of news generation and distribution. Jo Cresswell, client director, will lead the account.

George Bradshaw, managing director at Ignite ETRM, said: “Having known Jo for a number of years, Milk & Honey PR was the natural partner to support us in growing our presence in the energy trading marketplace. The team demonstrated a great understanding and enthusiasm for what we want to achieve and how the media can help our journey.”

Kirsty Leighton, managing partner of Milk & Honey PR, added: “Ignite ETRM is a nice addition to our growing fintech portfolio. We love working with ambitious companies on a growth trajectory and now is the perfect time for Ignite ETRM to begin boosting its profile. We’re looking forward to working with George and his team.”

Teneo acquires Ryan Communication

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Global CEO advisory firm Teneo has acquired Ryan Communication, a leading strategic communications firm with operations in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.

Ryan Communication’s senior management team, including founder and managing director Damien Ryan and executive director Lauren Chung, will continue in their leadership roles in the business.

The agency will report to Charles Watson, chairman of Teneo International. Teneo will combine the Ryan operations, which includes a significant presence in Greater China and Southeast Asia, with Teneo’s existing teams in Hong Kong and Singapore, as they look to create ‘a powerful new force’ in Asia.

Declan Kelly, chairman and CEO at Teneo, said: “Our acquisition of Ryan Communication is transformational for Teneo’s business in Asia as we continue to grow our operations around the world. This transaction ensures that we can continue to provide our clients with an ever-growing range of capabilities in this strategically important region.

“We have great respect for what Damien and team have done in building such a successful business in three critical markets and we are proud to welcome our new colleagues to Teneo.”

Ryan said: “We are excited to join Teneo, which is reshaping the global advisory landscape. Our two companies share the same approach to addressing client challenges as both our cultures and values are aligned. Our teams of highly skilled professionals across Asia are excited to be part of the next stage of Teneo’s growth.

“The compelling combination of talent and expertise creates a dynamic platform, enabling our clients to better navigate an increasingly complex and high-growth region.”

Women’s media brand The Pool appoints Finn

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Finn has been appointed by The Pool, the Webby award-winning media brand for ‘smart, busy women’, to run a comms campaign.

Finn will deliver a communications campaign building on The Pool’s commercial profile with advertisers and agency partners, following the media brand’s second anniversary as ‘a champion of women’s voices in the mobile age’.

The campaign will focus on showcasing The Pool’s offering to brands and agencies as a dynamic, digital media brand with extensive consultancy capabilities, highlighting the many exciting and innovative commercial partnerships open to advertisers.

Jo Morrell, CCO at The Pool, said: “The Pool is all about communicating meaningfully to a valuable audience. Commercially we do this through multimedia packages of content where brands can tell their story in a safe environment.

“We provide a truly unique digital platform for women, combining the very best of broadcast expertise, quality content, influential contributors, user experience, and mobile technology.

“Our appointment of Finn, with its expertise in the media and marketing landscape, will help advertisers discover why The Pool, with its highly engaged fan club of an audience is such a fantastic opportunity to communicate with real impact to women.”

Matt Bourn, partner and director at Finn, said: “The Pool is a wonderfully innovative media brand offering a powerful portfolio of brand partnership packages to advertisers. We are excited to be working with a business redefining the expectations of what media can be in the mobile age.”

Consilium Strategic Communications strengthens senior healthcare team

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Consilium Strategic Communications has strengthened its senior international healthcare team with the appointment of Philippa Gardner and Suki Virji.

Gardner has more than 13 years’ experience as a healthcare sell-side analyst covering European biotechnology, life sciences and mid-cap pharma companies following a career including at Lehman Brothers, Jefferies and Edison.

Virji joins Consilium from Scrip – part of Informa‘s pharma intelligence division – where she has held a number of editorial positions over the past 16 years. Most recently, she was managing editor of European commercial news.

Mary-Jane Elliott, managing partner of Consilium Strategic Communications, said:“Philippa and Suki’s significant experience of the healthcare industry make them excellent additions to the growing team at Consilium. Philippa’s equity research analyst expertise and Suki’s editorial experience complements our world-leading strategic healthcare communications offering and aligns with Consilium’s constant goal to deliver the highest level and breadth of strategic advice to clients.”

Gardner added: “Consilium Strategic Communications has an excellent reputation as a leading provider of strategic investor relations and communications advice to healthcare companies. I am delighted to be joining the team as it continues to expand its impressive international client base and I look forward to continuing the momentum and delivering for clients.”

Virji commented: “I have always admired the Consilium team who I have known for many years and I now am hugely excited to be joining the team. Working as a journalist in the healthcare sector, principally on Scrip, for more than 16 years has given me a deep understanding of what a strong communications strategy can do for a company, and I can’t wait to bring that experience to bear for our clients.”

Santander promotes international comms team

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Santander has promoted Jennifer Scardino, previously senior vice president of Banco Santander and Michael Strachan, formerly communications director of group international communications.

Jennifer Scardino

Scardino’s role will be expanded as she also becomes deputy head of communications, corporate marketing and research division and head of global communications. She will report to executive chairman Ana Botin.

Also, Strachan will now take responsibility for all financial communications and media relations for the Group across all countries outside Spain, as well as the global businesses.

As director of media and financial communications, he will take reporting lines from Angela Roche, Benjamin Vélez and Maite Bermúdez and their teams. Strachan, himself, will report to Scardino.

Media briefing with MoneyWeek

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There are still spaces left for you to join Gorkana for an exclusive media briefing event with MoneyWeek’s editor in chief, Financial Times columnist and respected investing expert Merryn Somerset Web next week on May 16.

MoneyWeek, through its print title and website, gives insight into personal finance, collecting information from the world’s press and commenting on main trends in the financial world. Somerset Web will be talking at the event about the influential title, her contributions to the Financial Times and FT Money and how she likes to work with PRs and communicators.

Regular content in the title includes investment recommendations for personal portfolios – from rising-star tech companies to the best dividend payers on the FTSE 100, market updates, property analysis and in-depth personal finance guides for pensions, taxes and ISAs to keep long-term saving plans on track.

The MoneyWeek briefing takes place on Tuesday 16 May at 8am. It will be held at Regent Street Cinema,
309 Regent Street, London W1B 1UW.

  • To apply for the Money Week event, which is free to attend, you can register here.

PHA Media hired by art investment platform Maecenas

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PHA Media has been appointed to run a profile-raising campaign for Maecenas, which is using blockchain technology to launch an online trading platform in fine art.

Maecenas

The new online marketplace will match owners – who list up to 49% of the value of a work of art on the site – with investors, who will be able to buy and sell shares in real time, giving them fractional ownership of works of art.

Maecenas says its ‘art tech’ concept will democratise the £43 billion market, allowing works of fine art to be traded on an open exchange as liquid financial units.

PHA Media will work to promote Maecenas’  crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, which aims to raise additional finance for its launch, with a minimum target of £400,000.

It has already received £200,000 from a single investor.

Marcelo Garcia Casil, founder and CEO of Maecenas, said: “We have a unique proposition in a market that has remained largely unchanged for 300 years and we’re excited that PHA will be helping us tell our story.”

Tim Jotischky, senior consultant at PHA Media, added: “Maecenas is an innovative art tech company, which is bringing a new approach to the fine art market by creating greater transparency and cutting costs for owners and investors. We’re delighted to be supporting them in their fundraising campaign.”

Revolut hires first global comms lead

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Revolut, an app-based banking alternative, has brought in Rocket Internet’s Chad West as its global head of comms.

Chad West

Launched 18 months ago, Revolut allows users to set up a current account in 60 seconds, exchange currencies at the interbank exchange rate, transfer in 23 currencies to any bank in the world, and spend fee-free in 120 currencies with a contactless MasterCard.

The company has since acquired more than 600,000 customers, has plans for international expansion, and will launch a business service later in the year.

As Revolut’s first comms employee, West’s primary responsibilities will be to enhance brand awareness in new and existing markets, implement a creative campaigns programme and aid the company towards achieving growth targets.

West was previously PR and comms manager at Rocket Internet’s Hassle.com, an online marketplace for booking household services.

Before that, he worked agency-side on public affairs and government relations at Remarkable Group.

West said: “To have acquired 600,000 customers in just 18 months signifies the demand for rapid change in the banking sector. Revolut is eliminating unfair and hidden bank charges, allowing people to spend and transfer money fee-free and building an app so technologically advanced that makes managing your money enjoyable.”

“I’m looking forward to making some serious noise around Revolut and helping to change people’s negative perceptions towards banking and finance. From a marketing and communications perspective, we’re going to be different, bolder and creative in our messages.”

Daily Record’s Iain Pope joins Stripe Communications

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Iain Pope, the Daily Record’s former head of digital news,  has joined Stripe Communications in the newly-created role of editorial director.

Iain Pope

Pope has more than 20 years’ experience in print and online executive editorial roles.

As well as his head of digital news role at the Daily Record, he was also digital intake editor for STV and assistant news editor of The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News.

He will now work with Leith-based Stripe Communications across a range of accounts, including Scottish Power, the Scottish Government, John Lewis, Merlin Entertainments, Ubisoft, PaddyPower and IRN-BRU makers Barr Soft Drinks.

Stripe CEO Juliet Simpson said: “We are thrilled Iain is joining us. He brings a significant experience of the ever-changing media landscape and will help us deliver thoughtful, relevant content on behalf of our client brands.”

Pope added: “I was attracted not only by Stripe’s enviable reputation within the industry as a multiple-award winning agency, but also as an interesting and challenging place to work. Everybody I spoke to told me to jump at the chance of joining the team.

“I’m very much looking forward to joining an expanding outfit bursting with fresh ideas and representing some exceptional clients.”

Hatch Communications wins trio of brands

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Spectrum Brands UK has awarded Hatch Communications its Russell Hobbs, Remington and George Foreman accounts following a three-way pitch.

Hatch Communications wins trio of pitches

Hatch Communications will develop brand activations for Russell Hobbs’ ‘Love Is in the Little Things’ campaign

The Leeds-based PR agency will manage a raft of consumer facing campaigns and support them with social content creation and experiential engagement initiatives.

Hatch will also develop international brand activations to support Remington’s ‘80 Years’ Young’ and Russell Hobbs’ ‘Love Is in the Little Things’ campaigns.

“We are really looking forward to working with the team at Spectrum Brands,” said Hatch Communications’ director, James Hickman. “The sheer scale of Remington’s Russell Hobbs and George Foreman product portfolios, and the consumer awareness and heritage of the brands, gives us so much valuable content to work with.”

Mike Little, Spectrum Brands’ UK and Ireland commercial director, added: “We are excited about our new partnership with Hatch. The team demonstrated real ability and experience in managing big brand campaigns, along with an innovative and strategic creative approach.”