(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - Taylor Herring founders James Herring and Cath Taylor are stepping down from the creative PR agency they launched in 2001, four-and-a-half years after the firm was acquired by French holding company Publicis Groupe.

Sam Corry – who has been with the agency since 2013 and was appointed as its first managing director in January this year – has been named as Taylor Herring's new CEO.

Over the past 25 years, Wife and husband team Taylor (COO) and Herring (CEO) have built their eponymous firm into one of the UK's best-known creative PR agencies, evolving from an entertainment-focused start-up into a consumer agency with clients including Greggs, Samsung, EasyJet, Sky and the BBC.

The firm became known for headline-grabbing campaigns and a newsroom-style approach to creativity, earning multiple industry awards from PRovoke Media, PRWeek and Campaign, among others. They also established a collaborative culture that emphasised agility and ideas, helping the agency to adapt through industry changes and the economic challenges of Covid before its sale to Publicis Groupe in 2021 .

Herring said:“Building Taylor Herring has been the journey of a lifetime. What began as a scrappy start-up grew into an agency trusted by some of the UK's biggest brands. After nearly 25 years, now feels the right moment to step aside and hand over to the next generation of leadership. It's so rewarding to see the agency in such strong hands with Sam and the wider leadership team. I'll still be around in a consultative capacity.”

Taylor added:“Our vision was always to build an agency that fused creativity, craft and culture with a stellar team that brought those values to life, time and again. Along the way, we've hired and nurtured lots of brilliant people, across several ever-evolving disciplines, many of which have become industry superstars. Stepping away is bittersweet, but the agency is in brilliant hands. I'm truly grateful for this incredible adventure and the opportunity to work with so many talented people.”

Managing partner and chief creative officer Peter Mountstevens (pictured, right), a leading figure in the agency for more than two decades, and one of the industry's most-awarded creatives, will continue to lead strategic and creative output.

Corry (pictured, left) has led campaigns for brands including easyJet, Aldi and Sky, and earlier this year launched the agency's dedicated Newsroom to enhance news distribution across social platforms.

In his new role, Corry will lead the agency's strategic direction, as well as champion innovation and creativity. He also becomes CEO of brand experience arm St Marks Studios, which was spun out as a standalone business last year to work on creative out of home and experiential activations for the likes of L'Oreal, Meta, Spotify and Porsche.

Corry said:“It's a huge honour to take on the role of CEO at a moment of both change and opportunity. James and Cath have created something extraordinary – an agency that has shaped modern brand PR and inspired so many in the industry. My job now is to take that restless creativity and keep breaking new ground for our clients and our people.”

He will report to Rebecca Grant, UK CEO and EMEA chief client officer for the influence practice at Publicis Groupe UK (pictured, centre), who joined the firm from BCW (now Burson) in 2024 and said:“Sam is a natural leader with sharp creative instincts and a clear vision for what's next. Supported by the wider senior leadership team, the agency is in excellent hands.

“Cath and James have built, evolved and scaled one of the most successful and decorated PR agencies of this century. I want to thank them for everything they have accomplished and their ongoing support.”

As well as Corry, Taylor Herring's senior leadership team is now made up of managing partner and chief creative officer Pete Mounstevens; newly-appointed managing partner Grace Jackson; business director Claire Howes; Liam Simpson, managing partner St Marks Studios; Lora Martyr, executive creative director; Jack Peat, head of newsroom; Lucinda Gepp, head of business affairs; Jemima Dalton, business director; and directors Lydia Turner and Leslie Quaynor.

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