EMEA People News In Brief (May 19, 2025)

(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - PrettyGreen has appointed Sereena Abbassi (pictured) as director of people experience and social impact. The agency said the hire underlined its commitment to“building a culture of equity, belonging, and accountability across every part of the business”. Abbassi steps into the role after working with the agency for five years as a consultant and one year as a non-executive director. She will continue to lead PrettyGreen's A is For All Advisory Council, a paid, external board of DE&I experts that also includes Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of People Like Us and Braver.

LONDON - Former Burson head of ESG Wendy Mitchell has joined Teneo as a managing director. She will provide counsel, oversee strategic communications, and lead campaigns for Teneo's global businesses and organisations. Before managing Burson's sustainability and ESG initiatives for clients and leading its sustainability arm, Material Difference, Mitchell was an SVP at Weber Shandwick, where she worked for eight years across integrated campaigns, corporate communications and public affairs, focusing on sustainability and purpose. She was also an adviser to the Labour Party in 2022/2023.

LONDON - Also at Teneo, Dr Steve Van Riel has rejoined the consultancy as a senior MD and UK head of insight and innovation, with a focus on using data-driven insights to measure and enhance corporate reputation. Van Riel first joined Teneo in 2014, working with the firm's strategy and research team through the acquisition of Blue Rubicon in 2015. He then joined Edelman in 2022 as senior strategy director and EMEA head of trust development. Previously, Van Riel was the Labour Party's director of policy and research.

LONDON - Adele Breen has joined MHP Group as a senior director within its technology team, formed after the agency acquired technology specialist Tuva Partners last year. Breen joins the agency from Hotwire, where she was interim managing director and executive vice-president of reputation and communication. Before Hotwire, she held senior roles at Axicom and Red Consultancy.

LONDON - Matt Cavanagh has joined H/Advisors Cicero as senior counsel to support clients across the company's financial services and defence client portfolio. Cavanagh spent seven years as a special adviser in the last Labour government, including three years in Downing Street, before spending more than a decade at Prudential, where he was group director of government relations. He has also been head of public affairs at the John Lewis Partnership.

LONDON - Grayling UK has appointed James Clothier as head of crisis and reputation. Clothier joins from Weber Shandwick, where he was head of media and a director in the corporate and crisis practice. Before joining Weber Shandwick, he spent more than two decades in senior editorial roles at the Sun and Daily Mail newspapers. In his new role, he will lead the crisis and reputation practice and will support Grayling Media, the agency's media advisory unit.

DUBAI - Four Agency Worldwide has announced new senior roles, including three promotions to its ExecCo. Mohaned Lafi has been promoted to chief executive MENA, where he will spearhead growth across the region, from Four's offices in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Lafi has been a key driver of Four's increasing portfolio of Saudi clients, after years of building the agency's corporate and business offer in the UAE and across the region. In addition, Kelly Smith and Sam Khachikyan will lead Four's media planning & buying service, which represents around a third of the agency's fee income across more than 90 countries. ExecCo member Kelly takes on this new role in addition to her sector leadership in health. She will be supported by Sam in his position as chief marketing performance officer for the group. And Louay Houri has been promoted to a newly-created role of chief content officer for the group, focusing on expanding Four's content capabilities globally, after building Four's Middle East creative and digital services into a multi-million pound business.

MADRID - Marco, the Madrid-based international brand building and reputation management agency with 18 offices across four continents, has appointed Kim Piquet as its new chief digital officer. Piquet spent more than 10 years leading projects at Publicis Groupe, first at MSL Italy and later at Publics One Touch in Germany. Throughout his career, he has developed campaigns for clients including Netflix, P&G, Ferrero, Huawei, Spotify, Coca-Cola, Diesel, Tinder and Nivea, winning multiple awards including Cannes Lions, Clio, and D&AD.

LONDON - Simon Harris has joined law firm Schillings, which set up its own communications division last year, as senior associate, strategic communication. Harris spent several years managing European corporate comms at Visa, and before that worked for strategic communications firms Hanbury Strategy and Hawthorn Advisors.

LONDON - M+C Saatchi Group UK has appointed Amaya Alvarez as managing director of M+C Saatchi Talk. Alvarez joins from Burson, where she was a senior director and P&G Brand and Culture Lead, overseeing beauty and haircare brands and responsible for strategic, creative, and operational leadership. Before that, she held roles at Hill&Knowlton, Grayling, FleishmanHillard, Smarts and Cirkle PR. She has worked with brands including Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Nestlé, and Bosch on global and local market activations, integrated and pure-play PR, social and digital, as well as social purpose and behaviour change campaigns. In her new role, Alvarez will lead M+C Saatchi Talk's 33-strong team, overseeing the agency's strategic direction, growth, and client impact. She will report to Laura Coller, UK CEO, M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and M+C Saatchi Talk.

LONDON - Finn Partners has expanded its London consumer team with the additional of beauty communications expert Danielle Horgan as a vice president, to develop its health, wellness and beauty offer. Horgan previously worked in-house at Dyson, L'Occitane and Elizabeth Arden.

LONDON - Ewan White has joined Boldspace as a director from Grayling, where he spent seven years in the corporate team. In his new role, White will work with Boldspace head of corporate Jack Storry to develop the division, while supporting clients across the financial services, technology and energy sectors.

LONDON - Former Real Chemistry head of EMEA business development Bronwen Andrews has joined comms agency Page & Page Health as head of business development and marketing. Before joining Real Chemistry four years ago, Andrews led new business development at Grayling, Edelman and MSL.

LONDON - W Communications has hired Elliot Gooch as head of corporate and enterprise. Gooch was most recently vice president of B2B and corporate at Allison, where he was the strategic lead for clients from social media platforms and media organisations to global confectionery, cybersecurity and AI companies. At W, he will lead the specialist corporate and enterprise team in London, while working with the agency's teams in New York and Singapore to advise business leaders on their executive profiles.

LONDON - Frank PR has launched a new division, Frank, to offer social and influencer-led communications. The new division is led by former Ketchum social and influence MD Sarah Pinch, who left Ketchum last year and went on sabbatical before joining Frank in March. Pinch will lead a 10-strong team working for clients such as Weetabix, Jammie Dodgers, Breville and Crockpot.

LONDON - 72Point Group has appointed Chris Prior as chief commercial officer, succeeding Chris White-Smith, who left last year to start his own business. Prior previously spend more than 20 years at Getty Images, where he held senior global commercial strategy, partnerships and business development roles. At 72Point, Prior will focus on the group's growth and client relationships in the UK and internationally, as well as overseeing commercial strategy for its content, creative, media and insight services.

BIRMINGHAM, UK - PLMR has appointed Rebecca Langton as head of planning and built environment to strengthen its planning practice and Labour party expertise. Langton will support the firm's planning and built environment clients, including Barratt David Wilson Homes, Warwick University, Muse Developments and British Solar Renewables. She has more than a decade of experience in local government and the European Parliament in advisory and elected roles. Langton succeeds Lauren Whipp, who is leaving the agency after five years.

LONDON - Tali Kramer and Michelle Morris have launched Emerald PR, with a mission“to use storytelling as a tool for positive change” by“blending strategic communications with a passion for social causes, creating narratives that resonate, inspire and drive impact.” Together, the duo have experience spanning PR, corporate affairs, media relations, branding, journalism, community-driven advocacy and crisis strategy. Kramer has over two decades of experience in PR agencies including Instinctif, Weber Shandwick and Fight or Flight, working with brands such as Boden, MediaTek, Capgemini, Clinigen, Inmarsat and Intel, while Morris, a former journalist, has been shaping and telling the stories of entrepreneurs and charities for over a decade.

LONDON - The Romans' creative and corporate PR duo of Beth Arnold and Jack Colman has won the UK Young Lions Competition for 2025 - the fifth time the agency has produced UK winners. The pair clinched the title with their disruptive campaign for Cats Protection, aimed at raising awareness for poor breeding practices and the importance of adoption. They will now go on to represent the UK PR industry in the Global Young Lions completion in Cannes next month.

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