Matthew O’Keeffe joins FTI Consulting

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Matthew O’Keeffe has joined FTI Consulting as a managing director in its Industrials & Special Situations team.

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Matthew O’Keeffe

O’Keeffe joins FTI with more than 20 years of experience working as a sell-side analyst at a number of major investment banks.

His most recent post was a senior analyst role at Berenberg Bank, and he has worked at Merrill Lynch, SG (Societe Generale) Deutsche Bank and UBS.

As an analyst, O’Keeffe has covered a diverse range of stocks from both transport and business services.

Best Global Brands: what Mercedes, Toyota and Tesla are doing right

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Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report has launched, identifying the 100 most valuable brands and automotive companies are leading the way. Media experts tell Gorkana why car brands are building on their strengths in terms of reputation and why Tesla is growing up fast.

A ‘valuable brand’, according to the global brand agency’s ISO-approved report, is considered in light of three key components; the financial performance of the branded products and services, the role the brand plays in influencing customer choice and the strength the brand has to command a premium price, or secure earnings, for its owner.

Out of the 100 brands, the automotive sector has the largest presence in the list with 15 entries, including new entrant Tesla and Toyota and Mercedes-Benz. Overall, automotive brands make up 14.28% of the report’s total value.

In addition, Nissan (+22%), Mercedes-Benz (+18%), Porsche (+18%), Mini (+18%), Audi (+14%), Ford (+12%), Kia (+12%), BMW (+12%), Land Rover (+11%) and Hyundai (+11%) all feature in the report’s list of 29 ‘top growing brands’ which are brands achieving double digit growth – in brand evaluation – compared to last year’s report.

So, why are automotive brands dominating in this evaluation of brand power and what role does comms have to play in this? Gorkana asks the editorial and comms experts for their views:

Edmund King OBE, AA president:

“It is perhaps not surprising that so many automotive companies are included in the top global brands and the top growing brands. For most people the car will be the second biggest purchase they make in their lives after their house and therefore they are looking for iconic brands and not just functionality. Hence the new starters such as Tesla are now growing fast as brand icons alongside the more established global automotive super stars such as Porsche and Land Rover.”

Joel Newman, director at Accelerate PR:

 “With relatively few products automotive brands have always had to work very hard on brand image, as most vehicle purchases are made with the heart and not the head. Because of this brands in this sector spend a great deal of time not only pushing their latest offerings, but connecting these products with the history and heritage of the manufacturer – and the successes and milestones it has already achieved.

“PR helps lets automotive businesses put its products, services and technology in front of the masses. Successful PR does this, but will also help shape initial opinion. In recent years the increase of social advertising has played directly into the hands of manufacturers, who can use use the budgets that may have been allocated for print, on their own PR campaigns.”

Jim Holder, editorial director at Autocar, PistonHead and What Car?:

“A key driver in car purchase is identifying yourself with a brand that matches your ideals – and here car companies stand out because the rewards for success are so huge, so they invest heavily in developing the brand. Their marketing budgets are relatively enormous, and that is always going to give them a head start when it comes to developing a brand.

“It’s perhaps true to say that for most people their car is the biggest thing they will purchase that actively advertises their social positioning – and that provides the car companies with a chance to tap into the – or one of the – strongest emotional purchases of anyone’s life.”

Juliet Cameron, director at Launch PR:

‘They say a dog is not just for Christmas.  Well how about a car brand is for life?  Car companies are particularly good at connecting with people emotionally, especially at a certain life stage, where people want reflections of themselves.  If we’re all honest, we see ourselves in our car.  So for most, it’s far from functional – and all about the brand.  The image.  The real performance between say a £10,000 car and a £20,000 car is often not that great.  Image is everything.  And the automotive sector is arguably one of the most competitive, so companies need to invest and engage cleverly, big time, to achieve any meaningful cut through to differentiate the brand and cultivate the image.

“PR is fast becoming the most creative of all disciplines, as what we do is all about creative content, across any medium.  We have all the tools at our disposal to create meaningful dialogue with target audiences.  Perfect for the automotive sector.  If you start with the premise of idea is everything, you’re half way there.  It’s the approach we’ve adopted for our client Hyundai, matched by rigorous delivery and evaluation.”

 

KEH chooses Newgate Communications

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Kuwaiti European Holding Group (KEH) has brought in Newgate Communications as its retained PR agency, with a combined financial and corporate brief.

KEH

Charles Chichester

KEH is headquartered in London and is the holding company for a group of businesses operating in the financial services, leisure and healthcare sectors. It was established in 2008 and concentrates its investments in the UK and Kuwait with a strategic focus on the wider Middle East and Europe.

Newgate will provide communications support to KEH as it looks to raise its profile in the UK and internationally.

Senior partner Charles Chichester (pictured) will lead the Newgate team with support from associate partner Zoe Pocock and consultants Lydia Thompson and Charlotte Coulson.

Humphrey Percy, chief executive officer at KEH, said: “We are pleased to have appointed Newgate as our PR agency following a competitive pitch. The team demonstrated the expertise and experience we were looking for as we seek to build our presence in the UK and beyond and I am confident that Newgate will provide us with the critical integrated communications support we require as we grow our business.”

Chichester added: “We are delighted to have been appointed by KEH at an important stage in its development and look forward to working with it closely.”

Golley Slater PR partners with The Great British Exchange

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The Great British Exchange, which supports British manufacturing and local suppliers, has named Golley Slater PR North as its PR agency and preferred PR supplier to its 500 supplier businesses.

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The Great British Exchange

Harrogate-based Great British Exchange (GBE), which launched in 2014, sources British products from all around the UK to make them easily accessible on the high street.

GBE also works with small businesses to give them access to professional service practitioners and, through partnerships, such as the one made with Golley Slater, link those businesses to reputable practitioners as part of its GBE “CommunitY”.

Matthew Hopkins, GBE’s MD, said: “We met Golley Slater through our partnership with John Lewis’ new Leeds store. Their PR team have already boosted our small businesses in Yorkshire with some fantastic coverage before the store even opens.

“We were impressed to find a locally based team who worked so professionally with big name retailers and had ran key national media campaigns in the retail sector – and so we have chosen Golley Slater to help the GBE establish our cause and promote our service to retailers and forge wider links with great British suppliers across the UK.”

Eileen Stretton, Golley Slater PR’s MD, will lead the partnership.

Stretton added: “The team were inspired by the Great British Exchange through our work with John Lewis. It’s a wonderful brief to secure the future of talented, British crafts and manufacturing through ensuring retailers understand that not everything we, as consumers, love to own can be shipped en masse into faceless retail spaces.

“This is about the GBE working tirelessly to source really beautiful, unique and skilfully produced products a real treasure trove that Matthew and his team are making available for consumers to enjoy. We are honoured to be selected to work with GBE on their cause and promote such a marvellous story.”

Triumph Motorcycles hires Performance Communications

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Motorcycle manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles has handed a UK PR and social brief to automotive and sports brand specialist Performance Communications, following a competitive pitch.

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Triumph Motorcycles

The 50-strong agency has been briefed to support the Hinckley-based British motorcycle manufacturer as it looks to grow its brand position both within and outside of the traditional two-wheeled specialist media and communities.

The campaign will include targeting both digital and traditional media channels through branded content, influencer campaigns and media experiential activity.

Former motorcycle journalist and presenter Luke Bowler has also been brought on board to support the account team, which will be led by senior director Andy Bothwell and head of digital Andy Murphy.

Andy Francis, co-founder of Performance Communications, said: “Triumph is so much more than a motorcycle manufacturer and that’s what makes it so exciting to work with.

“As a premium British brand it has been a magnet to icons of the screen from Marlon Brando, James Dean and Steve McQueen to latter day fans like Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds and Bradley Cooper; that’s down to the simple fact that building some of the most desirable bikes in the world is what Triumph does best.

“Today it is responsible for the resurgence of the Modern Classic genre with the Bonneville, building the acclaimed Street Triple and recently launching the new Tiger Explorer 1200, the ultimate trans-continental adventure motorcycle – this all contributes to making it the number one motorcycle brand in the UK.”

Rocket Software hands B2B PR brief to Fourth Day

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Rocket Software has appointed Fourth Day PR as its UK PR agency, following a competitive review.

Fourth Day

Xanthe Vaughan Williams

Rocket Software helps companies run critical infrastructure and business processes while extending technology investment to embrace mobile, business analytics, cloud services and other innovations.

Fourth Day will focus on raising Rocket Software’s UK profile as experts in infrastructure solutions among senior IT executives and business leaders. The agency will target a range of verticals including IT, financial services, business, retail, banking and the public sector.

John Procter, managing director, EMEA, at Rocket Software, said: “This is Rocket’s first PR appointment in the UK so it was essential that the team we chose was not only creative and knowledgeable in our industry, but also a good fit with the Rocket culture. Fourth Day not only met this criteria, but also showed the originality we wanted in its approach to PR.”

Xanthe Vaughan Williams (pictured), director of Fourth Day PR, London, added: “B2B technology is in the DNA of our agency, so we are looking forward to working with Rocket Software. Our mission is to communicate the opportunities that Rocket offers large organisations. That being the management of vast amounts of data in the most effective way possible, while allowing organisations to leverage this data to take advantage of the latest technologies and innovations that are often considered the domain of start-ups or small organisations.”

Founded in 1990, Rocket is based in Waltham, Massachusetts, with locations in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Infinite Global hires Thiele-Long as account director

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Infinite Global, an international professional services comms consultancy, has hired Benjamin Thiele-Long as an account director in London.

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Benjamin Thiele-Long

Thiele-Long joins Infinite Global from global law firm King & Wood Mallesons, having previously been a consultant at Pagefield Communications. He has more than seven years experience as a criminal and regulatory barrister.

Thiele-Long also has experience across a broad range of sectors and jurisdictions, advising a variety of clients on proactive corporate and consumer public relations, thought leadership campaigns and reputation and issues management.

Jamie Diaferia, Infinite Global CEO, said: “Benjamin is a great asset to our team in London and an excellent resource for our many international clients. He is our first senior hire since we rebranded from Infinite Spada to Infinite Global in the summer.”

Thiele-Long also has, from his time as a criminal and regulatory barrister,  gained extensive experience of crisis communications work, including media management and communications during internal investigations, representing companies on the scene at dawn raids, and actions and liabilities concerning white-collar crime and regulatory investigations.

Infinite Global was formed by the 2014 merger of US-based Infinite PR and UK-based Spada and has more than 45 consultants in offices in New York, San Francisco, Research Triangle and London.

Vitec appoints MHP Communications

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Vitec, an international supplier of products, solutions and services to the broadcast and photographic industries, has appointed MHP Communications to advise on financial comms.

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Vitec

Listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in the industrial engineering sector, Vitec has a market cap of around £265m.

MHP will advise on its financial communications and report directly to Stephen Bird and Paul Hayes, Vitec’s group chief executive and group finance director, respectively. Tim Rowntree and Jamie Ricketts will lead the MHP account team, with support from Ollie Hoare.

Bird said: “Our industry-leading new technology businesses, strong market positions and expert workforce mean that the Group is now facing some exciting growth prospects.

“MHP’s leadership in, and understanding of, the technology sector made it the obvious choice of agency to help Vitec articulate its growth strategy. I am very much looking forward to working with the team to achieve this.”

Tim Rowntree, managing director of MHP Communications, added: “We are really excited to be working with the team at Vitec. With a strong reputation for product quality and innovation, Vitec is extremely well placed for growth as habits and technology change in the capture, broadcast and sharing of images for both the professional and prosumer markets.”

Vitec, which owns 20 brands and employs some 1,800 employees in 10 countries around the world, provides high quality, branded equipment, solutions and services to assist in the capture and transmission of video images via its Broadcast division. Its Photographic division offers premium branded accessories for professional photographers, photographic enthusiasts and “social recorders”.

MHP, part of the Engine Group, has secured a number of recent account wins, including Franchise Brands, Saga and VPC Speciality Lending.

Suzy Spirit Award 2016 nominees

The 2017 Suzy Spirit Awards launches

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Nominations for the revamped 2017 Suzy Spirit Awards have officially opened, with judges on the hunt to find both an inspiring young star in PR, as well as an established and inspirational champion of others.

Now in its fourth year, The Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award was developed in memory of one of the PR and communications industry’s brightest young talents by Gorkana and LEWIS, Suzy’s former employer.

The award is unlike any other in the industry, where instead of looking to celebrate professional achievement, it goes further and honours candidates of exceptional character, integrity and leadership qualities.

Last year, Henry Playfoot, director at Claremont Comms, won the 2016 award, who was praised by Ben Caspersz, Claremont founder and MD, as a man who “lights up our lives”.

The level of entries were so high last year , and the individual stories so inspiring, that in 2017 there will be a change to the format, with two categories available in which to nominate:

Firstly, the judges will look to honour a rising star who may only be at the beginning of their career, but already demonstrates Suzy’s qualities and characteristics in their everyday work.

There is also the option to honour an established industry professional –  someone who sets a shining example through mentoring and championing others.

Sally O’Neill, VP at LEWIS and member of the judging panel, said: “The Suzy Spirit Award goes from strength to strength, and is increasingly recognised for its unique status in the industry as an award that focuses on people rather than purely professional achievements.”

The awards are free to enter and nominations are open now, so  if you know someone exceptional then please champion them by filling in one of the short forms below. If you know two worthy candidates, then you can nominate both.

The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award | The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award

Bowel Cancer UK is the official charity for the award which aims to save lives and improve the quality of life for all those affected by bowel cancer.

Please visit the website for for information – suzyspiritaward.gorkana.com

Newgate appoints former Wales Office special adviser

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Newgate Communications has appointed Dr Tomos Davies, a former Wales Office special adviser, as associate partner within its public affairs team.

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Dr Tomos Davies

Davies will advise clients on the threats and opportunities emerging from the changing political landscape. Along with associate partner Gareth Jones, he will report to Simon Gentry, who was recently-appointed as a partner in the consultancy’s public affairs practice.

Davies has worked with two UK cabinet ministers: Rt Hon. Stephen Crabb MP and his successor Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP.

Gavin Devine, chief operating officer at Porta Communications plc, Newgate’s parent company, said: “We are delighted to have recruited Tomos to join our team. He has unique insight into the way this Conservative Government operates, as well as a deep understanding of the way politics and regulation impacts on business. He is also a very, very smart guy, and a great addition to the Newgate family.”

Gentry added: “Having Tomos as part of our team cements our position as one of the leading integrated agencies in the UK. In addition to his hugely useful insights into the national Government, Tomos of course also knows the administration in Cardiff which is a huge benefit to Newgate’s local engagement specialists PPS Group too. It’s exciting to have him on the team.”