2017 Suzy Spirit Awards: Meet the Finalists

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With just one day to go until the winners of the 2017 Suzy Spirit Awards are announced, find out what made the shortlisted candidates stand out from the crowd. The people who nominated them explain why they recommended their colleagues for this unique and prestigious industry award, and how each one has shown exceptional character, integrity and inspirational qualities.

The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award nominees (LtoR): Camilla Swain, Emma Tweedie, Claire Foster and Polly Kennedy

This year, the judging panel have shortlisted seven inspirational people working in PR and comms following a record-number of nominations.

Gorkana, in association with LEWIS, launched the Suzy Spirit Awards four years ago in memory of  Suzy Ferguson, who worked for the PR agency and sadly passed away from bowel cancer in 2012.

Like Suzy, the awards recognise those who have made a difference to others in the PR industry, and look to acknowledge individuals of exceptional character, principle and determination, rather than those who are just outstanding at their day-to-day jobs.

The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award nominees (LtoR): Euan Steedman, Connor Mahon and India Smyth

For the first time this year, there are two categories – The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award and The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award.

  • The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award is aimed at established PR and comms professionals who set a shining example through mentoring and championing others.
  • The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award is for an industry newcomer, who may only be at the beginning of their career, but has already demonstrated Suzy’s qualities and characteristics in their everyday work. read more

The people who nominated them reveal why they recommended their inspirational colleagues for this unique and prestigious industry award.

The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award

Claire Foster – deputy head of news at Direct Line

According to Claire’s nominator, Chloe French, Claire is the ideal person for the 2017 Suzy Spirit Inspiration award. “She leads by example and encourages our team to do the very best.”

Claire’s mantra is that you get out of life what you put in, and that if you’re spending hours and hours with colleagues, you should make their working environment the best it can be.

Polly Kennedy – director at APCO Worldwide

Polly was nominated for the Suzy Spirit Inspiration award by her colleague Andrei Goldis.

Andrei praised Polly for her ability to install confidence in everyone she works with, as well as motivate them to be better, both inside and outside of work.

Camilla Swain – PR manager for Girlguiding

Camilla was nominated for the Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award by two work colleagues; Charlotte Kelloway and Laura Payne.

Despite the fact that Camilla has only been with Girlguiding for less than a year, she’s completely changed the way the team work and think about things, according to Charlotte. “She does everything with energy, creativity and encourages us to think outside the box.”

Emma Tweedie – director of Teacake Tuesday

Emma was nominated for the 2017 Inspiration award by a host of friends, colleagues and clients, who all nominated her individually and unbeknown to each other.

One of her nominees, Grace Garland, says: “I owe Emma my career. She taught me everything she knows and invested her time in me.”

The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award

Connor Mahon – account executive at FleishmanHillard Fishburn

Connor was nominated for the Suzy Spirit Rising Star award because, as his nominator Charlotte Nicholds explains: “When we heard about the award, we couldn’t not”.

Connor’s enthusiasm for the job is contagious. He champions and mentors others outside of work and has already grown the agency’s LGBT inclusion programme, despite only being at the beginning of his PR journey.

India Smyth – media relations manager at Barclays

India was nominated by her manager Catherine Cuthbert for being the “stand-out star” in her team.

Catherine describes India as “proactive, accountable and modest”. For all her professional achievements, India’s passion for mentoring and helping others really caught the judges eye.

Euan Steedman – press officer at the BBC

Euan was nominated for the 2017 Suzy Spirit Rising Star award by two of his colleagues, Emma Carey and Natalie Clark.

Euan is described by Emma as a “secret weapon” and says that she would be lost without him.

Sally O’Neill, VP at LEWIS and a member of the judging panel, said: “The judges were very impressed with the quality and dedication of those nominated.

“With the introduction of two awards this year, we have seen those at the start of their career and those with more experience not only inspiring colleagues at work, but also mentoring others and doing amazing things for the community.

The winners of the 2017 Suzy Ferguson Spirit Awards will be announced at a ceremony in London on 17 March.

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

Last year the award went to Henry Playfoot, founder of Pitch Doctor and former strategy director at Claremont Comms, who was chosen from a shortlist of five.

Previous winners include Nicola Green, director of comms and reputation at O2, and Rosie Warin, CEO at Kin&Co.

Caliber appoints global CEO

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Rav Singh

Digital marketing agency Caliber Interactive has named former Grayling COO Rav Singh as its new chief executive officer.

Singh has been appointed to drive forward the strategic growth of the business which operates out of offices in London, Dubai and Edinburgh.

He has previously held senior posts at MMD Corporate & Public Affairs, Grayling and Huntsworth, as well as MHP Communications Most recently, he was COO at The Moment Content Company – a spin-out of TV production firm Twofour Group.

Rav Singh, said: “Joining the team to shape and drive forward the strategic direction of the business is an exciting opportunity.

“We have a strong basis within the existing marketplace where we already work with a collection of leading brands across the UK, Middle East and US. I’m looking forward to building on these relationships to further strengthen our commercial position and give our existing and new clients the best integrated service offering on the market.”

Caliber delivers digital marketing services including SEO, content marketing and digital PR to blue-chip clients across the UK, Middle East and the US. The agency recently made Chris McGhee, formerly of Beattie Group, head of communications.

Jonny Scott, executive chairman at Caliber, added: “Rav is the latest exciting addition to the Caliber team. His solid financial and operational background and expert insight into the wider marketing industry will be invaluable.”

Tech journalist Adam Hartley joins Kaizo

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Kaizo has hired TechRadar’s launch news editor, Adam Hartley, as its first head of editorial, as the agency looks to strengthen its content offering.

Adam Hartley

Hartley is an NCTJ-trained journalist and PR consultant. He was launch news editor of TechRadar.com, one of Europe’s leading tech websites, and has since contributed to titles including Flipside – the IET’s science and tech magazine for schools, Gizmodo, and T3.

Hartley new role at Kaizo will include extending the number of content led programmes the agency handles for clients, which will include Brocade, CA Technologies, D-Link, Coffee and Health and Dunkin Donuts, as well as developing new services.

Rhodri Harries, MD of Kaizo, said: “Having adopted a paid, earned, shared and owned approach for some time, bringing in a specialists to enhance our approach and extend our content offer is a natural step.

“Adam’s expertise in building editorial led programmes across multiple channels, is what clients are increasingly needing help with as we move away from a traditional PR model. We are excited to have him on board.”

Finn appointed by Grace Blue

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Finn has been appointed by global executive search firm Grace Blue to support its business strategy as it celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Matt Bourn

The client joins Finn’s specialist media practice set up by Matt Bourn, former Braben MD.

Bourn, partner and director at Finn, said: “This is a hugely exciting brief for our media team to work closely with a global business that aids clients to build advertising, marketing and communications teams that can truly capitalise on these dynamic changes.”

Ian Priest, CEO at Grace Blue, added: “This is a pivotal time in brand marketing. The impact of technology on consumer behaviour and business models has led to the most exciting period of change, disruption and opportunity for businesses and the way they take themselves to market.

“We are very much looking forward to working with the Finn team to share our thoughts and expertise on what this means for the world’s advertising community and how we can support clients as a strategic partner.”

Grace Blue operates from offices in London, New York and Singapore, helping brands, media owners and agencies to ensure that they have the right leadership talent in place.

NewMotion hands UK rollout brief to Threepipe

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NewMotion, Europe’s largest electric charging provider for electric cars, has appointed Threepipe to help launch its UK rollout in 2017.

NewMotion

Launched in the Netherlands in 2009, NewMotion offers more than 30,000 cloud-connected smart charge points through its public charge network, and has over 80,000 registered charge cards throughout Europe.

The company is now looking to expand in the UK, with plans to have 5% share of EVs-to-market by the end of 2017.

Threepipe has been briefed to create both a B2C and B2B-focused programme that will communicate to a wide range of stakeholders, from fleet managers to housing associations, as well as enhance NewMotion’s consumer brand visibility.

Estee Chaikin, head of marketing comms at NewMotion, said: “This is a critical time in our UK rollout and we were impressed by Threepipe’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the UK electric car market.

“They have some exciting and creative plans which we believe will quickly establish us as one of the industry leaders in a growing market.”

Creative group SEEN launches health and wellness agency V-SEEN

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Global creative group SEEN, which owns London-based PR agency Beauty Seen, has launched a specialist health and wellness agency, V-SEEN, with launch clients including cosmetics giant L’Oreal and London’s first fitness boxing chain of gyms, KOBOX.

Becky Knowles and Michelle Boon

Health and wellness specialist Becky Knowles (pictured left) will head up V-SEEN, bringing with her almost 20 years of experience, much of it spent at L’Oreal working across a range of its beauty, health and wellness brands.

Knowles joins the SEEN group after leading the launch of KOBOX to the fitness market in 2016.

She will report to SEEN group CEO Michelle Boon (pictured right), who oversees growth and strategy across all group agencies both in London and New York.

Boon said: “We believe that the health and wellness category deserves dedicated expertise across all platforms and that’s why we have launched V-SEEN, our own expert offer, a sister agency that complements the specialist service that Beauty Seen provides.

“The worldwide wellness industry grew 10.6% to $3.72 trillion (£3.04 trillion) from 2013 to 15 at a time when the global economy shrank by 3.6%, making wellness one of the world’s fastest growing and most resilient markets [SRI International, 2014].”

She added: “V-SEEN seeks to answer the needs of brands and consumers pioneering this new industry at a time when the lines between beauty, health and wellness have become increasingly blurred.  The agency understands that targeting a consumer making the emotional decision to buy into a brand or service that helps them lead a healthier more meaningful lifestyle requires a different insight and skillset to that of traditional beauty purchases.”

V-SEEN will offer a range of comms services with a team that comprises both in-house and agency backgrounds. Boon said that influencer comms would also be an important element of the “agency’s DNA” and the SEEN Group.

The SEEN Group launched in October 2016 as a mini holding company. It has a headcount of 50+ across its London and New York offices.

Beauty Seen, which has offies in New York as well as London, was founded almost 10 years ago and works across global and niche beauty brands, including Unilever, Top Shop, Christian Louboutin Beaute, Revlon, Avon, Avène, Simple, La Prairie and Radox.

The PR Office hires account director

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London-based The PR Office has hired Shari Ryness as an account director.

The PR Office

Ryness will work on a variety of clients in both the community and not-for-profit and the corporate and financial services teams. Her previous experience includes a communications manager role at the European Jewish Association, based in Brussels.

She said: “I am delighted to be joining The PR Office team at such an exciting time in its development and to embrace the new challenges of my role.”

Shimon Cohen, chairman at The PR Office, added: “This is an exciting time for The PR Office as we continue to grow. Shari brings with her a unique skill set that is a perfect fit with some of our existing and potential clients. We are all looking forward to welcoming her on board.”

Opinion: How to stand-out at Advertising Week

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Sarah Ramamurthy, account director at MWWPR UK, offers a guide for PR professionals navigating Advertising Week in 2017.  

Sarah Ramamurthy

Advertising Week Europe (20-24 March) sees the great and good of the advertising industry descend on Piccadilly for a week of talks, drinking and self-promotion, creating huge opportunities for brands to stand out amongst their peers.

However, in such a crowded environment it can be hard for a brand to gain share of voice.  Over four years, MWW has represented a number of clients at the show, and here are our top tips for how to win:

Celebrity for celebrity’s sake
Competition to fill the larger stages at the show has created an arms race in celebrity speakers. However, unless your star act has some relevance to your company story, you’re simply paying for their PR.  Don’t just go for the most high-profile, or the most available, figure. First decide who’s going to give the angle that will actually make the session about you.

Don’t get lost in the middle
Whilst earned attention is, of course, the key to great ROI, it usually has to be backed-up by some investment in sponsorship and activation. However, with the profusion of sponsors and partners at the show, it can be easy to get lost in the noise.  The best results lie at the extremes – a major partner will inevitably stand-out, but some of the most interesting and creative activations have come from those with a limited budget.  In the middle, it can be all too easy to be yet another logo on the board, lost in a sea of competing activations.

It’s not all about the show floor
While the activity centres around the theatres and public spaces of the Picture House, some of the best promotional activations happen elsewhere. The show itself is noisy, crowded and hectic, leaving little room for a brand to shine.

The off-site activities – whether officially Ad Week sanctioned or not – can be more relaxed and intimate, letting you tell your story to a captive (and probably relieved) audience at your own pace.

Intelligent media relations
I’m going to say it – I don’t like organising media briefings at trade shows. Many years of rushed conversations with hungover journalists, squeezed into a dark corner of a crowded hallway have led me to believe that this is not the optimal approach.

Instead, invite journalists to your drinks event or speaker session, brief them on your news story ahead of time or take them out for a recovery lunch post-show to discuss the themes.

Tell a simple story
AWE is not the place to tell the world about the broad scope of your company’s strategic vision. Like any trade show, the competition for attention means that complex messages get lost.  Instead, decide upon the specific story you want to tell and make that your focus.  Better to communicate one part of your story effectively than to shout your corporate life story into the void.

The tips above are Ad Week-specific but could equally apply to any trade show.  Recognising the opportunities and limitations of the event format are always the key to winning the war for attention.

Cherish PR announces hire and client wins

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Cherish PR has appointed Pally Kaur as senior consultant, and has added two new clients to its roster: UK start-up Laundrapp and Swiss watch brand Aviator.

Laundrapp

Edward Relf, founder and CEO at Laundrapp, said: “Cherish has shown an absolute understanding of our business needs and market. The team grasped our objectives and managed to translate them into an ambitious and creative PR campaign and we’re off to a flying start.”

Kaur will focus on Cherish PR’s technology clients. She has more than 13 years of agency and in-house experience in PR and social media and has worked for global brands such as Aer Lingus, Microsoft, Wix.com, match.com and The Economist. She worked as a consultant for Cherish PR in 2009, and is returning as a senior consultant with a brief to expand the agency’s digital and consumer lifestyle portfolio.

Rebecca Oatley, founder and MD at Cherish PR, added: “They’re fast growing, exciting and driven to use PR to its full potential. With strong new additions to our team, we’re looking forward to the campaigns ahead.”

House PR re-appointed for BBC Countryfile Live’s second year

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House PR has been signed up by BBC Countryfile Live to manage a PR campaign around the four-day live event, which made its debut last year.

Pictured LtoR: Countryfile presenters Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison, John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker and Tom Heap

Taking place in the grounds of Blenheim Palace from 3 to 6 August, the event showcases the best of the British countryside and offers live arena shows, hands-on activities, animal displays, debates, food and drink, and retail.

House PR was appointed without a pitch after the success of its campaign for the 2016 event, which, it says, drove a “huge volume of ticket sales”.

The new brief is to both drive sales for Countryfile Live and handle all event media output across broadcast, national and local outlets.

Working closely with the event organisers, House PR plans to enhance the value of having household name presenters at the show with John Craven, Matt Baker, Adam Henson, Tom Heap, Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison and Charlotte Smith due to attend.

The event is produced by SME London Ltd under licence from BBC Worldwide.

Tom Clarkson, SME’s marketing director, said: “Having worked with House PR for the inaugural event last August, we’re delighted to be working with them again. While last year our focus was very much on announcing the event with a bang, our aim this year will be to take Countryfile Live to the next level by cementing it as Britain’s best day out in the countryside for all the family.”

Ginny Paton, MD of House PR, added: “House PR has a long history in supporting successful live events. We know how to squeeze every last bit of collateral out of a show or an event. It’s a joy to be working once again with such a successful event as Countryfile Live – and to be reappointed based on the results we delivered last year is really gratifying.”

In October 2016, House PR was acquired by W, as part of an ambitious expansion strategy that has already seen the company open offices in Singapore and Amsterdam.