Markettiers Manchester hires new general manager

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Broadcast consultancy Markettiers has appointed Josh Wheeler as general manager of its Manchester division.

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Josh Wheeler

Wheeler, who has been with Markettiers for three years, will take the lead on day-to-day client activity and team development, as well as the growth of the division.

Howard Kosky, CEO of the markettiers4dc group, said: “After a successful first five years in Manchester, we are delighted Josh shares the same ambitions for the future which will see our Manchester office thrive. Josh’s appointment reaffirms our commitment to Manchester for the long term and its key role within the Group.”

Wheeler added: “I am delighted to be taking on such an exciting role in Manchester as we continue to grow the business here. Our development over the year will bolster a strong and talented team to continue offering clients stellar campaigns through traditional broadcast media as well as digital services, including live streaming to mobile.

Markettiers, which also has offices in London and Dubai, will continue to grow the headcount of its Manchester base in the coming months, taking new office space in the city centre.

Markettiers Manchester has worked with clients such as Co-op Bank and Refuge, in a campaign which highlighted the issue of financial abuse within relationships.

 

Independent investment consultant Redington appoints MRM

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Independent investment consultant Redington has appointed financial services PR consultancy MRM to support its growth plans.

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Dave McGovern

MRM will work closely with head of marketing, Dave McGovern, and Redington’s senior management and marketing team to support its plans through a media campaign. Members of MRM’s social and digital and public affairs teams will also provide tactical input and guidance.

Andrew Appleyard, director and co-founder at MRM, said: “Redington is a hugely dynamic and exciting business at the vanguard of innovation within the UK pensions space.

“We are looking forward to working closely with Mitesh and the team to devise and implement an integrated communications programme that will help the company achieve its objectives and continue to evolve and adapt to meet clients’ long-term needs.”

McGovern added: “We have set ourselves a hugely ambitious target of making 100m people financially secure. Throughout the selection process MRM showed us they really bought into our vision, showing clear passion and determination to help us engage with a much wider audience.

“They also demonstrated how their integrated approach can add value beyond a traditional outsourced press office, making them the perfect partner for us. We are excited to work with the team and wider business as we continue to grow our presence in the UK and internationally.”

Yellow Jersey PR appoints account director

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Corporate and financial consultancy Yellow Jersey PR has hired Georgina Whittle as an account director in its corporate team.

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Georgina Whittle

Whittle who will report to head of corporate Adam Wurf, joins from MHP, part of Engine Group. She has previously worked for The Daily Telegraph, RMG & Co and Giorgio Armani.

Wurf said: “We are delighted to welcome Georgina to the team at a time when we have carved out three distinct disciplines of financial, corporate and branding – we know she will bring a level head to the table as the agency wins larger remits with blue chip organisations.”

Yellow Jersey PR recently moved its London office to a new location on the Southbank.

KPMG hires Paul Middleton as corporate comms senior manager

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Professional services firm KPMG has appointed Ketchum’s Paul Middleton as corporate communications senior manager, with special responsibility for the firm’s Brexit comms.

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Paul Middleton

The newly-created post forms part of the firm’s wider Brexit team, offering guidance to clients and staff. Middleton takes over from Margot Cowhig, who moves to KPMG’s public affairs department, and Richard Warwick, who returns to corporate internal communications.

Middleton will report to Sorelle Cooper, UK head of communications at KPMG, and will work with Karen Briggs, head of Brexit, as part of the firm’s executive committee leadership team. Middleton will help KPMG to deliver its Brexit response, and will be based in Canary Wharf.

Prior to joining KPMG, Middleton held a media relations strategy and issues management role at global PR agency, Ketchum. He has worked in PR for more than 15 years, leading communications initiatives for both private and public sector organisations. Before Ketchum, Paul worked at Westminster City Council under Alex Aiken, who is now the executive director for government communication.

Sorrelle Cooper, UK head of communications at KPMG, said: “Brexit is a major issue for KPMG and its clients. Some 20% of our staff are international workers and our ability to offer them the chance to move around Europe with their work is one of our greatest strengths.

“In addition, our clients across every sector – from retail, to automotive, to banking and finance – are seeking to understand their likely exposure and how to optimise their response. Paul joins our team via an external recruitment process where we met candidates from a variety of different backgrounds. He was selected because of his track-record of creative campaigns with proven results.”

Paul Middleton, corporate communications senior manager (Brexit) at KPMG, added: “The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union presents both substantial risks and extraordinary business opportunities. 2017 will be a defining year for Brexit so I’m delighted to be joining the advisory firm with the largest and most well established network of experts specialising in this area. I’m looking forward to helping KPMG and its clients make the most of the changes ahead.”

At the same time, Mark Walters, former director of comms for the global chairman of KPMG, is leaving the firm as he accepts a global comms role at Dentons.

Brian Bannister, head of global communications, said: “In the four years he has been with KPMG – initially based in Hong Kong and for the past two years in New York – Mark has made an enormous contribution to building a market leading profile for our global chairman. He has also played a leading role in the wider global communications team, leading a number of international projects.

“We’re sorry to lose Mark as a colleague, but wish him every success in the next stage of his career.”

Hume Brophy hires Metro Bank PR director to lead corporate affairs team

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Hume Brophy has appointed former director of communications at Metro Bank Pete Murray to lead on corporate affairs.

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Pete Murray

Murray supported Metro Bank during its £400m capital raise, and successful listing on the London Stock Exchange last year (2016).

Prior to joining Metro Bank in 2015, Murray worked for global design consultancy Ove Arup, where he spent nine years working in the UK and East Asia as head of government affairs.

Robert Condon, MD of public and corporate affairs at Hume Brophy UK, said: “For ten years, Pete worked around the world protecting corporate reputations, before returning to build one of Britain’s best brands.

“Together with Chris Martin, our director of public affairs, and our senior advisor Esther McVey, Pete is another heavy-weight appointment, and strengthens our ability to offer clients seamless corporate and public affairs support.”

Murray said: “After the excitement of taking a start-up through an IPO, I wanted to work for another fast-growing, challenger brand. That’s why I’m delighted to join Hume Brophy. I’ve been recommending them for years as “the best agency you’ve probably never heard of” – more dynamic and more creative than the old, established players – and a lot more willing to pull out all the stops to deliver for their clients.”

Remarkable hires north region director

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Communications and public affairs consultancy Remarkable Group has hired Kevin Whitmore as north region director. He will oversee the group’s work across the north of England and sits on the operational board of directors.

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Kevin Whitmore

Whitmore joins Remarkable from Lexington Communications, where he was a director. He brings nearly a decade of public affairs experience to the role, and has advised clients across the housebuilding, retail, commercial property and energy sectors.

Whitmore said: “I’m delighted to be joining the UK’s largest public consultation and stakeholder communications agency. 2017 will be an exciting year for Remarkable Group following the agreement to acquire HardHat and the expansion of our Northern team.

“Remarkable Group’s fresh approach to public affairs and ability to use new technologies to unlock local support for our clients, enables us to de-risk the planning process and add real value to development projects large and small.”

Remarkable’s northern team services a range of clients across the north west, north east and Yorkshire, including Aldi, McCarthy & Stone, Transport for the North and Peel Group.

Blacks Solicitors hires Brass

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Blacks Solicitors LLP has chosen Headingley-based marketing agency Brass to manage its PR in 2017.

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Left to right: Chris Allen, Lucy Baird, Beverley Reinemann and Asad Ali

Brass will help to differentiate Blacks Solicitors in a crowded market by positioning it as the best law firm in Yorkshire.

According to Brass, the Leeds-based law firm was impressed with the team’s creativity, passion, and pro-active approach, as well as its focus on delivering measurable results.

Chris Allen, managing partner at Blacks, said: “It’s great to have Brass on board. We were impressed with their innovative and forward-thinking ideas. Their support will be instrumental in increasing our brand profile.”

Lucy Baird, PR account director at Brass, added: “It’s been a fantastic year for the Brass PR team and we’re delighted to be working with a law firm who isn’t scared of trying new things.

“We’re lucky to have a really talented and driven team who are full of great ideas, and we’re really looking forward to implementing some of these for Blacks in the coming months.”

Blacks Solicitors is a 19 partner firm which specialises in corporate, commercial, sport, property and private client matters.

Pesto Restaurants hires Rule 5

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Rule 5 has been appointed by independent Italian restaurant group Pesto Restaurants to handle its PR and marketing comms strategy.

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Pesto Restaurants



The retained brief, which includes social media, CRM, events and comms activity, will see Rule 5 provide support for all eight restaurants, located in the North West and Midlands.

It will also be responsible for the marketing of all future developments, including Pesto at Davenport Arms, the business’ latest £600,000 development due to launch in Marton, East Cheshire, next month.

Work is already underway with the agency working with the team to raise the profile of Pesto Restaurants, developing group and regional specific programmes.

Sara Edwards, co-owner of Pesto Restaurants, said: “This is the first time we have looked to employ an agency and it was important for us to find a partner that fully understood our business as well as the sector.

“Rule 5 has a very good reputation in the industry. Its professionalism and knowledge of the sector was evident from the off and we’re confident they will contribute significantly to the future success of Pesto Restaurants. We are excited to start the new year with a new opening and a new partnership.”

Rule 5’s founding director Julie Wilson added: “Pesto Restaurants is an incredibly interesting business. The scope of work and openness of the founders to explore new strategic approaches as they look to the next phase of expansion makes this a particularly exciting brief; it’s great to be on board.”

Refresh PR launches Skinny Lager

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SkinnyBrands has appointed Refresh PR and social media agency Shoot the Moon to launch its new range of low calorie alcohol drinks, including Skinny Lager.

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Skinny Lager

Skinny Lager, which is SkinnyBrands’ first product,  is a “full strength” lager that contains 89 calories per 330ml and it launches into Morrisons this month.

SkinnyBrands will continue to create a portfolio of lower calorie alternative products throughout the rest of the year, including ready-to-drink cocktails, Skinny Wines – including Sauvignon, Merlot and Frizzante – as well as ciders, speciality beers and spirits.

Refresh PR has initially been briefed to launch the new Skinny Lager brand to consumers through targeted media relations throughout the key January period, with further creative campaigns to support its growing portfolio following in 2017.

Shoot the Moon will be responsible for creating a social media strategy that will align with how SkinnyBrands’ consumers behave and the spaces they congregate online.

To initially launch Skinny Lager it will build online brand presence, develop a brand voice on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Both agencies won the brief following a three-way pitch.

Tom Bell, SkinnyBrands’ creator and co-founder, said: “More people than ever are choosing to adopt a healthy lifestyle, from exercising to watching what they eat, but before SkinnyBrands there wasn’t a full-strength alcohol that fitted into this way of life, making our offer really compelling.

“During the pitch process, we were impressed by Refresh PR and Shoot the Moon’s combination of individual expertise and a joined-up approach to marketing.”

Gorkana Meets… Shares Magazine

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Daniel Coatsworth, editor at Shares, talks to Gorkana about the magazine’s recent move to digital-only publishing and how PR professionals can help with content.  

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Daniel Coatsworth

What characterises Shares Magazine?
Our USP is the provision of forward-looking investment ideas for retail investors. We also pride ourselves in explaining complicated information in plain English and providing strong opinions on stocks, funds and big issues in the investment world.

We aren’t a journal of record, so you won’t find our digital magazine and website full of stories summarising historical financial results like other magazines and websites. What you will find is actionable ideas, insightful comment, practical tips on managing your investments and valuable nuggets of data that can help you on your investment journey.

We try to keep the digital magazine and website lively and fun to read. Investing can be a dry subject at the best of times, but there is no reason to offer a dry publication. We have bright designs, punchy articles and an energetic small team of journalists who strive to give readers something they won’t find in the business pages of every national newspaper or rival investment magazine/website.

What are the big topics/themes of the moment?
Politics, economics and foreign exchange rates have dominated the agenda for the past year and I see this trend being repeated in 2017. We’re on the cusp of some major changes in the world, so investors need all the help they can get either to understand the ever-changing information or how to stay clam in periods of uncertainty.

We’ve always been big on educating our audience and that remains the same today. Investors need help trying to comprehend the most important bits of news relevant to their portfolio, and they also need help understanding what not to do in the current environment.

We still have to find lots of interesting investment ideas against the backdrop of uncertainty; and I have to say we’re doing a pretty good job as always.

How do you get feedback from your readers?
Social media, in particular Twitter, has opened the doors to a new audience for Shares. We’ve been able to engage with investors who may not necessarily buy investment magazines or subscribe to investment websites. We’re seeing a lot of these people start to become subscribers. This engagement also helps to understand what they want from a magazine which we can then feed into the development of Shares’ website and digital magazine.

We conduct surveys with our readers and we are fortunate enough to have a parent company (AJ Bell) with a large customer base of investors – and it also surveys its customers in terms of what information they want, including feedback on the content of Shares as most of them now get the weekly digital magazine for free.

Furthermore, we run a lot of investor evenings which gives us the opportunity to talk directly to readers about what they like and do not like about the magazine and website.

When are PRs most useful?
When they a) understand what Shares does, b) aren’t calling to ask if we’ve received their press release (yes, sadly this still happens – stop it now, please. We have eyes and can read emails) c) I would rate this the most important of all: when they understand what their client does and why their latest news is relevant to the types of articles we write.

In my opinion, a PR shouldn’t be allowed to contact a journalist unless they truly know what their client does. It amazes me how many people call us with no idea about the relevance of the news they are trying to promote.

Can you name a particular time when a PR helped you to put together a strong or successful story? What did they do right?
I’ve got a lot of time for PRs who are helpful. Despite most journalists moaning about the PR community, there are plenty of PRs who do a great job.

Without boring you with specific tales of helpfulness, some of the ways in which PRs have recently made our lives easier and our articles stronger include: giving us heads-up on news so we have time to do interviews and write stories ahead of embargoes being lifted, regularly being in contact with lists of clients and examples of subjects where they can provide comment, being fast to arrange interviews and knowing the best person for us to interview when we ask for help from a company with multiple spokespeople. The list goes on.

What are your plans for Shares Magazine in 2017?
We stopped printing and went digital in October 2016 so our immediate plans include talking to readers and finding out if they like our new-look product now that it has been going for three months – and then feeding that information back into our development plan.

We’ve got a series of initiatives planned for the coming months to enhance our coverage of the funds, investment trusts and ETF space. We’re also making some enhancements to our website so that readers have even more tools at their disposal to manage their investments and better use our rich archive of stories to help their investment journey.