Yellow Jersey hires financial PR specialist Winkles

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Independent financial PR agency Yellow Jersey has appointed Felicity Winkles, formerly of St Brides, as board director.

Winkles has some ten years’ financial PR experience working Yellow Jersey Profile 91predominantly across the leisure, natural resources, energy and support services industries and specialising in AIM-listed clients. She previously supported the launch of the St Pancras retail app StP.

At Yellow Jersey she will advise senior management level listed and non-listed companies, as well as driving business development.

Winkles said: “I am delighted to be joining an agency which has grown at unbelievable pace, in just a few short years, to become a leading UK player with 47 clients across nine sectors.”

Dominic Barretto, Yellow Jersey MD, added: “Understanding the media is a key component of any financial and corporate PR strategy and in Felicity we have a heavyweight who can offer senior counsel and strategic advice across a range of sectors.”

Exact Ventures hires Liberty Communications

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Exact Ventures, the market intelligence firm, has appointed digital marketing and communications agency Liberty Communications to raise brand awareness and revamp its website.

Liberty

Liberty global CEO Dee Gibbs

As part of the brief, Liberty will run a campaign, including PR and social media, to promote the firm’s thought leadership and Exact Ventures’ profile.

Exact Ventures is based in California and, describing itself as a boutique analyst house, it provides advisory and strategy services and technology market intelligence and analytics. In the technical networking, telecommunications and wireless markets, it creates unbiased, enduring benchmarks for measuring market shares and understanding market transitions and opportunities.

Greg Collins, founder and principal analyst at Exact Ventures, said: “Liberty really stood out due to its close connections with big industry events such as Mobile World Congress and its expertise in markets in which Exact Ventures works.”

Dee Gibbs, founder and global CEO at Liberty, added: “We’re very excited to be working with Exact Ventures to push their brand forward. With our global reach and deep understanding of the technology industry, Liberty is well placed to support Exact Ventures with its goals.”

Emperor acquires corporate agency Accrue Fulton

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Communications and design agency Emperor has acquired Oxfordshire-based corporate agency Accrue Fulton, a specialist in corporate comms, branding and reporting.

Accrue Fulton, which has more than 50 clients in different sectors, will retain its own brand and bring the number of UK offices in Emperor’s network up to four.

Following the acquisition, Richard Guy and Jenni Fulton will lead the AF team. Alastair Fulton, chairman and co-founder of AF, is retiring from the business.

Richard Guy (pictured), managing director and co-founder of Accrue Fulton, said: “Having known Emperor for many years we are delighted to have joined forces with a partner that will enable us to continue and accelerate our future growth.”

Steve Kemp, CEO of Emperor, added: “I am incredibly excited about Accrue Fulton being part of Emperor. It has a talented, like-minded approach and is a great cultural fit.”

EdenCancan promotes Mischa Joslin

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Lifestyle PR agency EdenCancan has promoted Mischa Joslin to associate diEdenCancanrector.

Having joined the agency in February 2015 as a senior account director, Joslin will help shape the agency as a brand, with a focus on driving new business growth, in her new role.

She will continue to oversee EdenCancan’s brand roster, acting as a senior point of contact and directing the wider team.

Nick Fulford, MD of EdenCancan, said: “Mischa is the right person with the right talent to take EdenCancan into the future. The feedback from clients has been incredibly positive, and the strategy Mischa has evolved to develop our services further is spot on. It’s very exciting that she has now stepped up to the role of associate director.”

Joslin added: “I’m looking forward to taking the agency to the next level, growing the client portfolio and the team, whilst ensuring we continue to be an agency brands love working with and other PRs admire. We have a wonderful team, and I am delighted to be working even closer with both MD Nick Fulford and creative director Nick Ede as I take on this new challenge.”

Coloplast briefs Stand Agency on “taboo” health subject

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Coloplast has appointed Stand Agency to deliver a campaign to “get the nation talking” about the subject of constipation.

Coloplast specialises in providing services and products in “intimate healthcare”, including ostomy, urology and continence, and wounStand Agency Coloplastd and skin care.

The brand says there are an estimated two million adults affected by constipation in the UK. Last year, constipation cost the NHS £145m through unplanned admissions.

Coloplast has brought in Stand Agency as it wants to encourage openness and more discussion around a health issue which is widespread, but little talked about.

Greg Quinn, public affairs manager at Coloplast, said: “We’re delighted to appoint Stand to provide PR support on this vital project. They impressed us with their passion and their determination to get engagement around an issue that media could potentially shy away from.

“We’re looking forward to working with Stand to change perceptions and dispel some of the myths around the topic. It’s often a preventable condition that can be managed by a few diet and lifestyle changes and we want to let as many people as possible know this.”

Laura Oliphant, MD at Stand Agency, added: “People are embarrassed to talk about constipation and we hope that by raising the profile of how widespread it is and the health problems it causes, we can help break this silence and save the NHS money.”

Lansons handles Metro Bank LSE listing

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Lansons advised Metro Bank on its successful listing on the London Stock Exchange last week.

Metro Bank raised £400m through a private placement to existing and new shareholders before listing its shares on the Main Market last Thursday.

Lansons has advised Metro Bank on all external communications since before its 2010 launch when it became the first new high street bank in the UK for more than 100 years.

Tom Baldock, director, Lansons, said: “Metro Bank has delivered on its promise to build a revolutionary new bank. Raising £400m in volatile markets to further support its growth plans is an incredible achievement and shows the faith investors have in Metro Bank’s leadership and business model.”

New comms lead at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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Sam Lister, the Department of Health’s comms director, is moving to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as group director of comms.Sam lister

Lister has spent the last four-and-a-half years at the Department of Health (DH), where he has led several government comms programmes including the domestic handling of Ebola, the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, the development of the “Stoptober” stop smoking drive, local authority care reforms and campaigns to manage pressure on the NHS over winter.

Before joining the DoH, he spent 11 years at The Times in senior reporting and management roles, including as a reporter, specialist correspondent, news editor. Latterly, he spent three years as the newspaper’s health editor.

He is expected to join BIS in the summer, at which point he will work on key campaigns including supporting the growth of the UK business sector, the recruitment of three million apprentices by 2020, promoting the national living wage and work with UKTI and Cabinet Office on the GREAT Britain campaign.

Alex Aiken, executive director of Government Communications at the Cabinet Office, said: “The communications work of BIS is key to the Government’s plans for this Parliament, and I am very pleased that Sam is taking on this role, as well as continuing our vital wider work to enhance the Government communications profession.

“His leadership and experience taking forward some of the most demanding communications in Government over the last five years leaves him very strongly placed for these new challenges.”

Lister added: “It is a great privilege to be joining the communications team at BIS and its wider network of organisations at such an important period for driving forward the Government’s programme for the economy, job creation, EU reform and supporting innovation.

“After four-and-half fantastic years at the Department of Health, the time felt right for a new challenge, and I greatly look forward to taking up my role.”

Behind the Headlines with LEWIS’ Ranj George

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Ranj George, head of consumer at LEWIS UK, on why agencies need to get better at valuing their staff, the need to love, live and breathe PR to succeed, and how he dreams of running a pick’n’mix shop in Shoreditch.

Before I reach the office in the morning, I’ve already…
Watched BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, skimmed through two newspapers, checked my emails – replied where possible – and checked my calendar schedule for the day. It’s amazing what you can get done while getting ready, and on the journey to work, although to be fair it takes me about an hour to get ready in the morning – I need to make sure I’m looking good!

You’ll mostly find emails about…in my inbox.
A real mix of things. As head of consumer there’s a lot of variety – meetings galore, staffing, new business related emails, but also client and team stuff. Going through Gorkana updates is a priority too, obviously!

I know I’ve had a good day if…
The day has flown by, my team and clients are happy, and especially if I get news of a new business win. We’ve grown the Consumer arm of LEWIS from five clients to 15 clients over the last ten months, across everything from retail, fashion, automotive and travel, to FMCG, sport and consumer technology.

My first job was…
A law related job which I’m qualified in. My first PR job was working for a company where I was doing the PR for paper cups and plates, as well as hot dogs (with only 50% meat content) sold in cinemas. Even thinking about it makes me shiver. It was horrendous, but if you can sell in and be enthusiastic about paper cups, then you can do anything, so I guess it was good grounding.

I can tell a campaign is succeeding when…
The atmosphere is electric and there’s a kind of kinetic energy – everyone believes in the idea they’re pitching in or the event/stunt they’re attending. I love hearing someone on the team shouting, “The Sun loves the story, covering it tomorrow,” or “We’ve smashed our media attendee target.”

I eat….when nobody is watching.
I don’t care who’s watching nowadays. I eat crisps in the morning and after lunch I love having some sweets, like Haribo Starmix. People sometimes comment on my diet but it goes over my head (and not just because I’m short!).

The first time I pitched to a journalist…
I was so nervous. I thought how the heck am I going to pitch paper cups to an actual journalist? I did my research, had my pitch in front of me and just pretended I was talking to a friend – which actually worked.

The worst thing anyone has said to me is…
“I’m not sure you’re cut out for PR.” Words from my PR work experience mentor, when I had just given up a career in law to do PR. To be fair, my lacklustre attitude, which clearly showed, stemmed from boredom on what I was working on – spray mounting coverage until I suffocated. There will always be elements you don’t fully enjoy in any job, but in PR you have to (for the most part) love, live and breathe what you do. That’s when your passion translates into great results. If you don’t have that, it will come across in your work.

The last book I read was…
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. If you haven’t read it, get a copy. It won’t disappoint. I’ve also read Sofia the First (over and over again until I feel sick) to my daughter. It’s a must read…if you’re four-years-old.

I’ve never really understood why…
PR is such a fast moving industry, people-wise. My experience at previous agencies is that staff tend to move every two to three years. I’m the kind of person who likes to stay in one place for a while, establish and build on something. We need to get better at valuing staff and making them feel engaged, keeping them interested, and providing a variety of work. It’s the same with clients who move from agency to agency. The key is to keep things fresh!

If I could go back and talk to my 10-year-old self, I’d say…
Write down what I say EXACTLY…The lottery winning numbers for the next five years are…

This time next year, I’ll be…
Here at LEWIS, with more clients, more staff, and the consumer division will have continued to grow. As part of this, we will have produced even more fantastic insight-led ideas and campaigns. Either that or I’ll be running a pick’n’mix shop in Shoreditch – watch this space.

JFA Systems appoints Rooster PR

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JFA Systems, a travel reservations systems provider, has appointed its first PR agency, Rooster PR, to push its UK media launch.

Following a competitive pitch, Rooster is launching JFA Systems to media in the UK, managing its press office and raising brand awareness among national and trade publications.

JFA Systems, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, develops and provides travel reservation systems for tour operators, accommodation providers and travel agents including The Walt Disney Travel Company and TUI.

In 2011, it launched a browser-based platform, Diamond Reservation System, which manages and streamlines the reservation process allowing businesses to manage and track customer reservations across all components of a travel package.

Adam Greghni, managing director at JFA Systems, said: “After our rebrand in 2015 and, with new products launching this year, we’re looking forward to partnering with Rooster to showcase 25 years of work and expertise that has largely been under wraps until now.”

James Brooke, managing director at Rooster PR, said: “JFA Systems has been quietly brilliant for 25 years. Utilising our extensive client experience in the travel technology sector, we’re looking forward to helping Adam and his team make some noise in the industry, starting with their 25th anniversary this year.”

Poundland briefs FleishmanHillard Fishburn

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Retail chain Poundland has hired FleishmanHillard Fishburn to handle its consumer PR and social media following a competitive pitch.

The new arrangement is put in place this month and will include brand campaigns, content planning and press office activity.

Gill Stewart, head of marketing & space, Poundland, said: “We went through a stringent pitch process and FleishmanHillard Fishburn met the overall criteria of what we were looking for in an agency and stood out with their creativity and execution of the brief.

“We are looking forward to working with them and dialling up the consumer PR activity at an exciting and busy time for Poundland.”

Isabel Wood, director and co-head of brand marketing at FleishmanHillard Fishburn, added: “Poundland is a fantastic brand and its growth and commitment to the UK’s high streets make this such an exciting time to begin this next chapter together.

“In addition to running a full-service press office, we will be focusing on creative campaigns that communicate Poundland’s exciting new ranges, product launches and milestones throughout 2016.”

Poundland Group operates over 900 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, selling products across 17 shopping categories, including  food and drink, health and beauty, household, gardening, DIY, pet, stationery, books, DVDs and toys.