Financial services firm MRM promotes Amy Rowe to senior digital consultant

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MRM has promoted Amy Rowe to the role of senior digital consultant after joining the consultancy in June last year. 

Rowe joined MRM in June as a consultant, having previously worked for Speed Communications and Citywire, where she managed the New Model Adviser website.

She reports into Michael Taggart, MRM’s head of digital and social, who said: “Amy’s progress over the last six months has been superb.

“She is natural when it comes to online technologies and our clients have valued the innovations and ideas she has brought to their communications. She’s even got me using SnapChat!”

Former Secretary of State for Energy Ed Davey joins MHP Communications as senior adviser

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MHP has hired ex-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and former Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey to provide senior counsel to the firm’s UK and international client base. 

Davey (pictured left) joins MHP’s senior advisory team which includes former Home Secretary Charles Clarke, former Health Minister Paul Burstow and Sir Brian Bender, ex-Permanent Secretary at the Department for Business, DEFRA, and the Cabinet Office.

He will primarily work with the MHP team to give advice to the agency’s clients on energy, infrastructure and logistics and to develop MHP’s thought-leadership output.

Davey served as Secretary of State for Energy for three years during the Coalition Government and was a Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton from 1997 to 2015.

He said: “I am delighted to be working with MHP Communications and to be joining its hugely experienced panel of senior advisers. The company already has a strong reputation for client counsel and I hope to build positively on this in my new role.”

Gavin Devine (pictured right), MHP chief exec, added: “I am proud to welcome Ed to our sector-leading team of senior advisers. This appointment underlines our commitment to bringing in great people able to deliver fantastic outcomes for our clients. We are proud that someone with such a vast wealth of top-level government experience has chosen to join MHP.

“Ed’s unique insight into the energy sector will be particularly valuable to the companies we work with in that industry. His knowledge of the top-level workings of Britain’s political system will also prove immensely useful to a range of our clients and to MHP itself.”

THE WEEKLY GORKANA BRIEF

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Pitch Wins

Sky Store has chosen Telegraph Hill to position it as the “home of pre-order” for upcoming film releases, following a competitive pitch. The agency is set to provide a campaign across social platforms to drive awareness of the availability of films, such as the latest James Bond movie Spectre, via subscription, on download, streaming and DVD.

M&C Saatchi PR was selected by video game developer and publisher Capcom to help launch Street Fighter V, ahead of its release on 16 February.

Tech PR agency CCgroup was appointed by mobile tech firm InterDigital as its international PR partner. The agency is set to promote InterDigital’s global reputation as a leading technology innovator and developer of advanced mobile, IoT and video solutions.

The Hyatt group hired Palm PR to promote its five star hotel, the Andaz London in Liverpool Street, following a four-way pitch.

Electric truck company Tevva Motors selected Nobull Communications for PR, social and digital work as it looked to raise its profile.

LEWIS added Dutch lifestyle brand HEMA to its consumer portfolio. The agency’s consumer team has been briefed to support the launch of its fifth UK store at Stansted Airport.

PR People News

Ryanair poached Uber’s Cristian Samoilovich as its first head of public affairs as the airline continues “to work with the EU to increase the competitiveness of the European air transport industry”.

MHP has promoted ex-News of the World editor, Ian Kirby to a managing director role in its corporate affairs practice. It also made Christian Pickel and Simon Hockridge directors within its financial practice.

Good Relations hired Red Consultancy’s Jessica Schon as senior associate director. Schon will provide day-to-day team leadership and senior advice to clients including Airbus.

Ketchum chairman Ray Kotcher is moving to a non-executive chairman role where he will counsel both Ketchum and Omnicom’s Diversified Agency Services unit as of 16 January.

Independent financial and corporate comms agency Headland has hired Del Jones as an associate director. Jones previously led the financial practice at Fishburn.

Journalist News

Alex Salmond, former Scottish First Minister, is set to host his own weekly show on LBC. It launches on 13 January, and will go out live every Wednesday afternoon during the Iain Dale Show.

There were a number of moves at the Financial Times with Jonathan Eley becoming deputy head of Lex, Jonathan Derbyshire being appointed as executive comment editor and Jeevan Vasagar taking the role of Singapore & Malaysia correspondent.

Martin Ashplant started as digital director at Metro UK, having previously been at City AM.

Newsweek Europe hired Prospect‘s Serena Kutchinsky as digital editor as it expanded its European editorial team.

Ali Plumb joined BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra as a Film Critic, taking over from Rihanna Dhillon.

Gorkana features this week

News Analysis: How brands can adapt a successful food and drink PR strategy in the wake of the Government’s latest healthy eating push

Food and drink brands, particularly those aimed at children, are in the spotlight for what they put in their products and how they market them to the public. With the government raising awareness of health issues related to food high in sugar and fat, comms experts agree that food brands have to evolve their messaging and PR campaigns in line with the current political and consumer climate.

60 seconds with Christina Sandkühler, LaSalle Investment Management

Christina Sandkühler, EMEA, head of corporate communications at LaSalle Investment Management, on the value of creativity in PR, why there should be appreciation of the power of comms at board level and why she once had to organise the ‘world’s greatest dice roll’, up a mountain, in Greenland.

Case Study: Positive Living Around the World

Find out how Threepipe launched a social media campaign to raise the profile of Standard Chartered Bank’s Positive Living HIV/AIDS education programme with the help of professional footballers Emre Can, Philippe Coutinho and Jordon Ibe from Liverpool FC.

Behind the Headlines with CubanEight’s Sian Gaskell

Sian Gaskell, MD of CubanEight, on cutting her teeth at Channel 4, the mark of campaign success and her first challenging photoshoot.

Stand Agency win brief to raise awareness for Solicitors for the Elderly

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Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), a national network of lawyers who specialise in helping older people, has appointed Stand Agency to draw attention to the importance of seeking expert legal advice when planning for later life.

Stand will support SFE with a proactive press office and integrated social and traditional media campaigns. It will work with SFE to establish the organisation as a leading voice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers.

The agency has kicked off SFE’s first national media campaign with the release of a white paper focused on the importance of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) – a way of giving someone you trust the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf – and explaining other ways of protecting decisions around individuals’ health and financial affairs.

Laura Oliphant, managing director at Stand Agency, said: “Stand has developed a specialism in helping position and protect the voices and rights of older people, an issue that goes unnoticed far too often. SFE is the gold standard for solicitors and chartered legal executives advising on older client law, and we believe their knowledge and expertise should be better known.”

Lakshmi Turner, chief executive at SFE, said: “We were confident Stand would help us deliver a successful campaign to start the conversation around the importance of seeking proper, professional legal advice to protect our choices and decisions.”

Stand Agency works with a range of clients that work with the elderly including Anchor and Contact the Elderly.

Electric truck company Tevva Motors selects Nobull Communications for PR, social and digital work

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Nobull Communications has been appointed by electric truck business Tevva Motors as its PR, social and digital agency to drive the company’s next round of investment.

Nobull will raise the profile of Tevva Motors ahead of its next round of investment, which it plans to use to bring new tech and products to the market in the next three years.

Tevva is developing the “next generation” of electric urban delivery trucks. Its tech can be retrofitted to older vehicles or incorporated into new builds on the production line.

Asher Bennett, CEO of Tevva Motors, said: “Nobull has come highly recommended as delivering high profile media campaigns in the EV space as well as supporting companies like Tevva in bringing new technologies to market.”

Steve Carman, Nobull director, said: “Tevva may only be a few years old, but it has a fascinating story to share. We are very excited at being able to bring Tevva and its new technologies to life across a range of PR, social media and digital channels.”

Capital Access Group wins accounts for aircraft leasing company Avation and animal pharma brand Eco Animal Health Group

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Investor relations specialist Capital Access Group has won briefs to work with commercial passenger aircraft leasing company Avation and animal pharmaceuticals developer Eco Animal Health Group.

Richard Feigen

Richard Feigen

Capital Access Group will help Avation, which leases aircraft to Thomas Cook and Air France and others, to target investors including under-serviced institutions, regional pension funds and private client fund managers. Nicola Stewart, director of client management at Capital Access, leads the account.

Eco Animal Health Group, a member of the FTSE AIM 100 Index, has similarly called in the advisory firm to support its investor outreach. Elliot Berstock, associate director of client management heads up the team.

Richard Feigen (pictured), chief executive of Capital Access Group, said: “I am delighted to announce these new client wins and we look forward to working with these first class companies. We are working with many companies to help them make the most of the time they have available to reach potential investors who are directly relevant for them.”

Last year, Porta-backed Capital Access Group purchased Broker Profile with a view to broadening its investor relations support to clients.

Ryanair recruits Uber’s Cristian Samoilovich to newly-created public affairs lead role

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Ryanair has hired Uber’s Cristian Samoilovich as its first head of public affairs as the airline continues “to work with the EU to increase the competitiveness of the European air transport industry”.

Samoilovich will lead Ryanair’s public affairs engagements with EU institutions and European governments. He most recently managed European public policy at Uber. Previously, he was with Boeing and Airbus.

Juliusz Komorek, Ryanair’s chief legal & regulatory officer, said: “We are pleased to appoint Cristian Samoilovich as our first head of public affairs. His extensive experience and knowledge will be a key asset to Ryanair, as we continue to work with the EU to increase the competitiveness of the European air transport industry, to the benefit of consumers.”

Samoilovich added: “I am delighted to be appointed Head of Public Affairs for Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline. These are exciting times for Ryanair with plans for extensive growth and I look forward to working closely with the EU and European governments to deliver even more choice and low fares to consumers.”

Iranian bank Turquoise Partners appoints Tancredi as corporate adviser to provide international PR support

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Iranian investment bank Turquoise Partners has appointed financial comms agency Tancredi as its corporate communications adviser.

tancredi-main-568e3553d8573

Giovanni Sanfelice di Monteforte

Tancredi will provide all corporate and financial communications advice to support the growth and development of Turquoise Partners in London and internationally.

Salamander Davoudi, managing partner and co-founder of Tancredi, will lead the team.

Rouzbeh Pirouz, executive chairman, said: “Tancredi impressed with its expertise, strength of relationships across Europe and deep knowledge of our sector. It was clear the fit was right from the start.”

Tancredi is headquartered in London with offices across Europe and the Middle East. The agency offers communications and institutional relations counsel to corporate, government and institutional entities from EMEA and emerging markets looking to develop a strong presence in the UK and elsewhere.

The agency was co-founded in January 2015 by Giovanni Sanfelice di Monteforte, former chief executive of Barabino & Partners and ex-head of corporate communications at Telecom Italia, Salamander Davoudi, a former Financial Times journalist.

Turquoise Partners is a financial services company offering investment management, brokerage and advisory services to domestic and foreign investors. Turquoise manages more than 90 per cent of all financial market funds on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE).

Rostrum wins pitch to advise maritime security specialist MAST on international PR strategy

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Corporate PR and comms agency Rostrum has been appointed to advise global security provider Maritime Asset and Security Training (MAST) on its international PR strategy. 

Rostrum will deliver international, national and industry media coverage for MAST. It will also develop creative content campaigns and provide guidance on social media strategy.

The agency’s team will be led by CEO Mark Houlding and Dan Williams, an account manager in Rostrum’s professional services division.

Houlding said: “MAST is an interesting brand for Rostrum to be working with and we’re confident of making a significant difference to the company’s brand and profile in the marketplace.”

Phil Cable, CEO at Rostrum, added: “The Rostrum team showed an excellent comprehension of our business and understood our ambition to expand MAST’s brand internationally. Rostrum will be supporting us across traditional and broadcast media, as well as assisting with our integrated digital and social media strategy.”

Rostrum’s portfolio includes companies such as independent consultancy Crossbridge and Intelligent Reach, as well as financial services groups such as HSBC and Legal & General.

MAST has provided armed protection for over 4000 ships across the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and coastguard training in the Middle East. It has offices in the UK, US, Malta, Oman, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Singapore and China.

How brands can adapt a successful food and drink PR strategy in the wake of the Government’s latest healthy eating push

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Food and drink brands, particularly those aimed at children, are in the spotlight for what they put in their products and how they market them to the public. With the government raising awareness of health issues related to food high in sugar and fat, comms experts agree that food brands have to evolve their messaging and PR campaigns in line with the current political and consumer climate.

Earlier this week (January 4 2016), The Campaign4life ‘sugar smart’ campaign launched as the latest of many government initiatives to inform the public to make healthier food choices. The core focus, sugar, is firmly on the agenda and it has caused many brands concern when it comes to creating campaigns for an audience that is becoming increasingly health conscious. Many brands, particularly those aimed at children, are starting to rethink the volume and type of ingredients they use.

Here are three ways brands can get the right message out to consumer in this environment:

1. Monitor and adapt – move with the news agenda

Liam Keogh, the director of Palm PR which specialises in the food, drink and hospitality sector and has worked with juice brands Presscription and Juice Club as well as tea brand Bubbleology, said: “We have to be flexible, dynamic and changing all of the time. Government policy is just one of the things we respond to on a daily basis.

“We spend an awful lot of time monitoring the situation and looking at government guidelines and policy and public mood. The zeitgeist at the moment is the commentary around sugar intake and its potential negative effect, so obviously this has to have a bearing on food and drink brands and the worst thing you could do is ignore the context in your media campaign. A successful media campaign will take this into account.”

Sam Holl, client service director at Kindred – the agency behind the Fern Britton-fronted ‘Just Add Mushrooms’ campaign, adds that the stakes cannot be higher with public health campaigns: “When the issues can quite literally affect life and death, you can’t get it wrong. So we always spend time talking with, listening to and learning from our audiences before creating strategies or tactics.

“Once activity is agreed, the next step is to formulate a tailored approach that works through the line. So in the case of social media, for example, content needs to be tailored specifically for Instagram, Twitter or Facebook whilst supporting a traditional editorial campaign.”

Elinor Tyler, head of consumer at Storm Communications – an agency that has worked with Yeo Valley, Burts Chips and Nakd bars, urges caution. “On the back of a government health campaign like Campaign4Life, you’ll inevitably see more news articles and features on the subject and lots of brands will look to jump on board a trending topic like this. Brands and organisations really should only be commenting if they have something worthwhile and relevant to add to the debate.”

2. Develop the detail through your comms and campaigns

Detail is particularly important in this context, Holl added: “Once an issue is out in the open it’s then about developing an extra level of detail in communications over time and reviewing the broader landscape and then adapting comms not just on a macro, but also a micro level.”

This detail helps PRs fill in the gaps in government policies and how they are explained. Keogh thinks this creates opportunities: “Sometimes policies are not always as nuanced as should be and it can be a bit black and white. They don’t differentiate between things like refined and non-refined sugar or with fat between a burger and an avocado for example.

“This is a huge opportunity for PR pros to educate consumers on the nuances. Saying that the [government] campaign is also in its infancy and we will see how it progresses,” he adds.

3. Focus on the positive

Research is important and can give PRs the information to help them accentuate the positive aspects of a brand. “Comms professionals should not always see these things as a negative, what they can do is reveal something that is positive about the product, maybe an ingredient, so you can really benefit from the attention. Just make sure you do the research around the topic,” said Keogh.

Holl added: “The key is to approach any products that could be scrutinised with caution and, ideally, test tactics and messaging with your audience. We are lucky enough to have the Kindred100 at our disposal, a nationally representative sample of consumers from across the UK. This is an invaluable way to understand if our messages are likely to strike a chord and create a shift in consumer opinion.”