Polyus' Olimpiada Pit

60 Seconds with Hudson Sandler’s Charlie Jack

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Fresh from supporting gold mining giant Polyus on its London flotation, Charlie Jack, Hudson Sandler partner, gives his views on life after the 2008 financial crisis, how comms contributes to IPO success and the “buzz” of working with the media.

Charlie Jack

Charlie Jack

What communications challenges do businesses face when preparing for an IPO? And how can a strong investor relations strategy help overcome them?

The most common challenge is ensuring the investment case cuts through powerfully and quickly. The buy-side investors are notoriously short on time and the media is notoriously stretched, so brevity and impact are key.

Half of the skill is having the know-how to advise the client what to focus on. The other half is having the diplomatic skills to ensure they omit the rest.

You’ve overseen more than 20 IPOs over the course of your career. How has financial PR changed in that time?

In terms of the dynamics and issues, the PR process in the lead up to an IPO is arguably one of the few areas that that has not changed.

In 20 years, many of the other “traditional” financial PR work streams have changed massively. First, the evolution of the business media and its agenda as well as the sell-side analyst landscape means the scope of work has undeniably broadened for most in the industry. Second, life pre- and post- the 2008 crash still seems markedly different. So you need to be nimble and integrate yourself wider into a client’s business.

What would you say are the biggest challenges facing IR and PR professionals today? And what can be done to overcome them?

I would always say I am in PR, which supports and works with IR.

The dynamic of the City is that corporate brokers manage the buy-side relationship. Therefore, a perennial challenge for financial PR is advising with any authority on fund managers’ evolving focus and sentiment. Excellent relations with sell-side analysts help, but only so far. It is useful to get to know well some fund managers (without stepping on the toes of the broker).

How do you predict the IR and PR space will change over the next five years?

The majority of financial PRs (individual advisors and firms) will finally realise that having a sole and narrow capital markets focus is not the way forward.

What are your clients currently asking you about, or for advice on?

As ever, it is a range of things – from preparing for MiFID 2 to communicating how they are dealing with the consequences of a weaker pound, inflation and the national living wage. That, and coming up with an alternative caveat to “despite the wider economic uncertainty”.

What advice would you give your younger self, starting-out in the industry?

Don’t stop asking questions. Read the newspapers. Follow companies and sectors you are genuinely interested in. Get out and network. Accept that you don’t build relationships over email.

What’s the most rewarding part of your role, and why?

I still get a big buzz from working with the media. If you don’t, you are in the wrong game. Seeing younger members of the team grasp responsibility and ownership and forging relationships with clients is equally satisfying.

How do you like to unwind after a long week at work?

By getting wound up by my children!

I started kite surfing recently, which neatly ticks the mid-life crisis box.

  • Pictured: Polyus’ Olimpiada Pit in Russia
Qure team

This week’s PR news in brief (17-21 July)

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Here is a round-up of the essential PR stories, account wins and people news that have been announced over the past week.

Account wins

Little Red Rooster has been appointed to handle the press and publicity for premium menswear brand Mr Quintessential.

Italian manufacturing company Fenix Group has appointed RKM Communications to handle the UK launch and ongoing media campaign for its EndoSPHÈRES therapy system.

Rockpool Acquisitions has selected Abchurch to provide ongoing Financial PR and corporate communications advice, following its recent IPO.

Integrated agency ilk will support the launch of healthcare app Qure by providing local experiential activities in Clapham, as well as developing a London-wide and national engagement plan.

Campaign Collective, the social enterprise providing communications advice to charities and campaigners, has been appointed to support the Power to Change Community Business Weekend following a competitive pitch.

Fanclub PR has been appointed by health food brand The Paleo Foods Co. to support its UK growth, following a competitive pitch.

People news

Andy Silvester will join The Sun as its head of PR, after Dylan Sharpe left the paper last month to become Damian Green’s special adviser. Silvester joins from the Institute of Directors where he was head of campaigns and deputy director of policy.

Ranieri founder Pietro Ranieri has become the consumer tech and lifestyle agency’s group MD, making way for former director Sarah Tokeley to take the helm as managing director. Jaime Carron has also been promoted to associate director.

Financial services consultancy Quill PR has appointed Ellis Ford as an account director to work across a range of clients within the asset and wealth management sectors.

London-based insight agency Opinium Research has hired Hall & Partners’ Wez Eathorne as its new research director.

Oxford-based agency Bottle PR has appointed Anna Hardman and Gillian Foley as head of editorial and editor respectively.

Allison+Partners has promoted Lisa Schmidtke from senior vice president to general manager of the agency’s Phoenix office.

Awards

The PRCA’s South East and East Anglia DARE Awards were held in London on Wednesday 19 July, recognising PR and communications excellence in 18 categories.

Hope&Glory won Event, Launch or Stunt of the Year for its IKEA ‘The Dining Club’ campaign. The agency also won the Charity/Not for Profit award with Marie Curie for ‘ Garden of Light’.

Retirement care provider Anchor Trust won the In-House Team of the Year award, and the Media Relations award with Stand Agency for Standing Up 4 Sitting Down.

Large Consultancy of the Year went to Eulogy, Small Consultancy of the Year was awarded to The Honey Partnership and New Consultancy of the Year went to Talker Tailor Trouble Maker.

Rising Star of the Year went to Ella Roche, client director at The Honey Partnership. Industry Leader of the Year went to Lesley Singleton, Playtime PR’s founder and managing director.

Francis Ingham, PRCA director general, said: “A huge congratulations to all of the winners at this year’s PRCA DARE Awards South East and East Anglia. The standard of entries really impressed our judges, who had an extremely tough job in deciding on the winners.”

  • Pictured: (left to right) Qure’s Alex Templeton, Charlie Harrington and Dr Ed Hatley

NOW: Pensions appoints Cicero Group to retain PR brief

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Workplace pensions company NOW: Pensions has hired Cicero Group’s PR practice to handle its UK communications.

The partnership will see Cicero provide an ongoing proactive media relations programme to publicise major issues in the industry around auto enrolment and workplace pensions.

“Auto enrolment has been a huge success story but there’s no room for complacency and much more needs to be done in order for its full potential to be realised,” said Amy Mankelow, director of communications at NOW: Pensions. “Increasing awareness around these issues is essential and by working with Cicero across both public relations and public affairs we can ensure maximum impact.”

Mike Robb, executive director at Cicero Group, added: “With auto enrolment helping six million people to start saving for a pension, it’s an exciting time to be working in this sector. NOW: Pensions are at the forefront of this change and we are delighted to be supporting them in telling their story.”

Hudson Sandler supports Quiz clothing on £200m IPO

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Omni-channel womenswear company Quiz has successfully placed its shares as part of a £200 million IPO on the AIM stock exchange, with comms support from Hudson Sandler.

The Hudson Sandler team comprises of client executive Fern Duncan, client director Sophie Lister and partner Alex Brennan. The agency became Quiz’s retained corporate, financial and brand PR adviser in November 2016.

Brennan said: “Quiz is a fast-growing fast-fashion brand with a relevant omni-channel business model. The brand is really making waves in the industry and among a rapidly growing customer base who want the latest looks with exceptional quality and value, whether that’s in store, online, or across international markets.”

Tarak Ramzan, founder and CEO of Quiz, added: “We have a well-invested infrastructure, a clear customer focus and a fantastic team and I am delighted that investors have recognised the company’s significant strengths and opportunities with their support.”

Quiz’s flotation is expected to take place on Friday 28 July.

Taylor Bennett Foundation

Opinion: PR mentorship is a win-win deal for everyone involved

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Whether for the mentor, mentee or the organisation itself – PR mentoring is win-win for all, says Mazar Masud, senior consultant at Powerscourt and Taylor Bennett Foundation trustee.

Mazar Masud

Mazar Masud

From religious prophets to secular thinkers, from ancient philosophers to political leaders, all have settled on the one truth that helping others is a uniquely satisfying experience.

This is manifest in the PR industry too, be it through charitable campaigns or small acts of everyday kindness in our respective offices. One such example is mentoring, which helps to cultivate and develop talent in our industry, and benefits all parties involved.

To excel at PR, we must first learn from experienced practitioners – those seasoned professionals who have journeyed with their clients especially during challenging times.

As mentors, these people are an invaluable source of guidance, support and advice for new PR recruits. As well as helping with professional development, great mentorship can improve self-confidence and, indeed, a mentee’s life chances.

Great PR mentorship can change lives

Oprah Winfrey once said that a mentor is “someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself”. This was evidenced this month by the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s mentoring programme, when it appealed for 70 PR mentors to help black, Asian, minority and ethnic individuals break into the comms industry.

Some mentors quickly learned that their mentees required more than just career advice. The first in his family to ever attend university, one mentee was on the verge of despair after a series of rejections by PR firms. But, thanks to his mentor’s active encouragement, education and pep talks, he overcame the obstacles in his way and secured a job at a leading communications consultancy.

Developing a relationship with a mentor helps people to realise their full potential. PepsiCo’s CEO Indra Nooyi is reported to have once declared: “If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Embracing PR mentorship sends a clear signal

But the benefits are not limited to just mentees. In helping others, we also help ourselves. Mentoring increases job satisfaction, re-energises careers and helps aspiring leaders develop their management and coaching styles.

In the above example, mentors said they were not only “surprised” at the impact they had on their mentees, but also “proud”.

Embracing PR mentorship schemes like the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s sends a clear signal that senior management is willing to invest in its employees and values personal growth. It helps retain staff and is a cost-effective way to identify emerging talent.

We can all do with a helping hand sometimes. Whether you’re an experienced communications advisor or an aspiring one, I would urge you to get involved.

  • Pictured: Taylor Bennett Foundation mentees
Superyacht

FTI assists superyacht company with AIM float

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Superyacht painting, supply and maintenance company GYG has floated on the AIM stock exchange with comms support from FTI Consulting‘s consumer industries team.

The team consists of managing director Oliver Winters, senior director Alex Beagley, senior consultant Fiona Walker and consultant George Robinson. It is now providing the firm with ongoing financial and corporate communications support.

Remy Millot, GYG’s CEO, said: “We have been very pleased with the level of demand we have received from investors and would like to welcome our new shareholders to our register as well as thanking our existing investors for their continued support.

“The superyacht market is growing and resilient and I am very excited about the next stage of our journey as we continue to grow our global offering.”

  • Pictured: The I Dynasty superyacht
Carley Sparrow

Headland announces raft of senior hires

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Financial and corporate comms consultancy Headland has appointed Carley Sparrow as associate director, along with another six new consultants.

Sparrow joins Headland from Teneo Blue Rubicon, where she led clients including O2, Mondelez and AstraZeneca. She has worked in comms roles for Thames Valley Police and local government.

Henry Wallers joins Headland as an account director from Finsbury. A financial PR and special situations consultant, Wallers has worked on accounts including Walgreens Boots Alliance, Shell’s acquisition of BG Group and Volkswagen’s emissions crisis.

Orla Swindells, also an account director, joins the agency from Deliveroo, where she was corporate communications lead for the UK and Ireland. She has also worked both in-house and agency-side representing businesses including Telstra, Sainsbury’s and Instagram.

Account manager Jennifer Powell was previously chief of staff to Sajid Javid MP. She has also been Geoffrey Van Orden MEP’s aide, vice chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and president of the New Direction think tank.

Other Headland hires include account manager Ewa Lewszyk, who joins from Sainsbury’s, and account executives Anne-Charlotte Duhaut and Georgia Reynolds. These appointments take the agency’s headcount to 55.

Chris Salt, Headland CEO, said: “Headland’s point of difference is its ability to offer teams that bring together corporate, financial, campaigning and public affairs expertise to offer properly rounded advice. The new hires epitomise our joined-up approach to communications. They join Headland at an exciting time for the firm.”

ESF Festival of Football

Mercieca wins ESF Festival of Football social media brief

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Mercieca will manage the social media for the ESF Festival of Football, the UK’s biggest youth football festival.

ESF Events has briefed the Camden-based agency to drive awareness among its target audience of families and grassroots football clubs.

“Having seen the work Mercieca has delivered for brands including Mitre it was already on our radar,” said Martyn Young, company director at ESF Events. “The team’s knowledge, creativity and network brings great value to our business and their social media expertise will help us to drive greater awareness and sales in the run up to our next festival in 2018.”

Gemma Oakes, Mercieca director, added: “Our social media offering has accelerated over the last 12 months through creative, community management and paid social briefs for brands including Tia Maria, Sellotape and Brooks Running.

“Combined with our experience of grassroots sports and helping brands talk to families, this has been a really fun brief to work on.”

Why every business can benefit from corporate newsrooms

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Instilling newsroom culture into a business will maximise the effectiveness of its corporate communications, the co-founders of corporate comms agency Stampa argued in yesterday’s Cision webinar.

James Curtis and Abigail Levene said that every business can follow the lead of brands like Coca-Cola and ING to start treating their comms departments like media organisations.

“We believe the time is right for this because it helps companies deal with big corporate changes,” Curtis said. “The companies that embrace the newsroom culture are really only just beginning to discover the possibilities it opens up.

“It can really drive a change in culture, which puts communications in a more central role. At the same time, it will drive higher engagement, understanding and trust.”

To help you reap the benefits a corporate newsroom could bring to your business, here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways from this exclusive Cision event.

Why corporate comms can emulate journalism

A corporate newsroom is essentially a central hub that uses journalistic processes and standards to manage sophisticated internal and external comms programmes.

Curtis argued that adopting this model increases the effectiveness of corporate comms programmes by bringing them in line with what consumers expect from the media they engage with.

“This can be a pretty big mindset shift for people in the corporate world,” added Levene. “Your readers are your clients. Your client is not the business department that comes to you and says ‘I want you to profile my work’.”

To achieve this shift in culture, Levene recommended implementing strict editorial guidelines to help staff identify a good story.

She also stressed the importance of relationship building at all levels of the business and suggested assigning different “beats” or departments to each member of the content team to help them uncover stories efficiently.

How Coca-Cola embraced the corporate newsroom

One business that has fully embraced the idea of a corporate newsroom Coca-Cola, which Stampa works with. The FMCG giant relaunched its traditional corporate website as Coca-Cola Journey in 2012, transforming its comms programmes in the process.

“Journey is one of the best examples of how a corporate newsroom can work,” Curtis explained. “It’s all about bringing the company, its brand and its values to life through stories. It’s a fully fledged media channel.”

After the success of its global launch, Cola-Cola has since launched over 30 localised versions of the Journey initiative – providing it with a global publishing network.

Levene also singled out Dutch bank ING as a business which has applied this model to make its content more engaging.

“Every business can and should be doing this”

When asked if some companies might just be too boring to run an effective corporate newsroom, Curtis said this simply isn’t the case.

He singled out ING’s ‘A Step Ahead’ video series – which sees ING clients talk about an important step in their life or business – as a great example of how to take dry subject matter and make it human.

“Every organisation that has people, and every organisation has people, is by definition interesting,” he said. “I love these examples from ING about the baker’s daughter and the fisherman, because that’s a fantastic example of what we’re talking about.

“We’re talking about structured finance here. That’s very dense, complicated stuff. But they’ve managed to find really interesting stories with real people whose lives have been affected by the organisation.”

Out Of Thin Air

tpr media to promote two BBC documentaries

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Independent production companies Hopscotch Films and Mosaic Films have appointed tpr media to promote two BBC Storyville documentaries this summer.

Hopscotch Films’ Accidental Anarchist will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 23 July and follows the story of Carne Ross – a diplomat-cum-anarchist who John Le Carré described as “a brave and original thinker and a man whose actions speak for his convictions”.

Mosaic Films’ Out of Thin Air will be broadcast on BBC Four on Monday 14 August, ahead of an international Netflix release in September. The tense psychological thriller tells the true story of Iceland’s biggest-ever criminal investigation.

tpr media’s brief is to drive audiences for both documentaries around transmission and raise the profile of Hopscotch Films and Mosaic Films.

Sophie Toumazis, founder and director of tpr media, said: “BBC Storyville consistently provides a window onto the world through its award-winning storytelling and both these documentaries fit the bill. For both campaigns, we will be using both traditional and non-traditional media to promote the films – from the Observer to Vice, Newsnight to The World Today.”

  • Pictured: A poster for Mosaic Films’ Out of Thin Air