Grayling Group Names Tanya Joseph UK CEO
(MENAFN- PRovoke)
LONDON - Grayling Group has named Tanya Joseph as UK chief executive and Jonny Curtis as CEO for Europe and the Middle East, as the business prepares to replace agency-specific profit and loss structures with regional accountability.
The appointments form part of a new management board led by group CEO Sarah Scholefield, which will take effect on 2 November when Accordience formally becomes Grayling Group. The international communications business has more than 650 people across 38 offices.
Joseph (pictured, top left) will oversee Grayling UK, financial communications specialist Citigate Dewe Rogerson (CDR) UK and Cirkle. Claire Lewis will remain CDR UK chief executive, reporting to Joseph, while head of public affairs Alan Boyd-Hall becomes deputy CEO, UK, Grayling Group.
Curtis (pictured, top right), most recently Grayling's global deputy CEO, will lead Europe and the Middle East. Jasmine Yap (pictured, bottom right), who has led CDR in Asia Pacific for 21 years, will serve as APAC CEO and Esty Pujadas (pictured, bottom left) as North America CEO, with all four regional leaders reporting to Scholefield.
The appointments follow the previously announced departures of Grayling UK chief executive Heather Blundell and global CEO Richard Jukes. Blundell joined from Ketchum in 2023 and had her remit expanded to include Cirkle in August. The group said she had decided to step down to pursue a new opportunity. Jukes agreed to step down after 16 years with Grayling to support the transition.
Responding to questions from PRovoke Media, the group confirmed there would be no separate global CEO of Grayling role under the new structure. CDR businesses outside the UK will report to Curtis or Yap in their respective regions.
The management board also includes Red Consultancy CEO Mike Morgan; chief financial and operating officer Will Thompson; head of people Alexa Stewart; head of growth Tom Symondson; and head of innovation and intelligence Nathan Kemp.
The group said the restructure extended beyond retiring the Accordience name, with changes to financial accountability and reporting lines intended to make collaboration across its agencies more consistent.
“We are moving from agency-specific P&Ls towards regional P&Ls and clearer geographic leadership, with regional CEOs reporting to Sarah as Group CEO,” the group told PRovoke Media.
However, it confirmed that CDR, Red Consultancy and Cirkle would remain distinct agency brands, with“no current plans” to change that. Clients will continue to contract with the individual agencies, which will retain their own market identities. Red will retain its distinct leadership under Morgan, who sits on the group management board.
“Each has established expertise, relationships and brand equity that we want to retain,” the group said.“What changes is the infrastructure around them. We want it to be much easier for those specialist capabilities to work together without internal structures getting in the way.”
Scholefield said the management board would support a business built around the proposition“specialist where it matters, integrated where clients need it”.
“Each member combines deep market or functional expertise with a strong track record of building teams, trusted client relationships and successful businesses,” she said.“Together, they give us the local leadership and international connectivity we need to move faster, invest with greater focus and bring the combined strengths of Grayling, CDR, Red Consultancy and Cirkle to every client challenge.”
Joseph's appointment brings together experience across government, consultancy and in-house communications. She began her career as a journalist before becoming a government press secretary, including serving prime minister Tony Blair, and has held senior roles at organisations including Sport England, Nationwide Building Society, Tesco and H&K.
She returned to Grayling in a senior advisory role in 2024. Joseph, who is also president of the PRCA, is known for her work as the architect of Sport England's This Girl Can behaviour-change campaign.
Scholefield described her as a leader who understood“the full breadth of modern communications, from public and corporate affairs to consumer engagement and behaviour change”.
Joseph said:“The new structure gives our UK teams a clearer and simpler way to bring together the breadth of expertise across Grayling, CDR and Cirkle, while retaining the specialisms, cultures and relationships that make each brand successful.
“For clients, it means easier access to the right people and capabilities, whatever the challenge. For our colleagues, it will create more opportunities to work across disciplines, learn from one another and build their careers within a genuinely connected Group.
Curtis has more than 20 years' experience in corporate affairs and strategic advisory, having previously led Grayling's 200-strong UK business and its public affairs practice before becoming global deputy CEO.
His client experience includes Fujitsu, Lloyds Banking Group, Bain & Company, Capita and ABB, as well as Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism.
“Across Europe and the Middle East, politics, reputation and commercial success are increasingly inseparable,” Curtis said.“Clients need advisers who really understand individual markets, but can also bring that thinking together across borders.”
The group said the changes reflected a shift in client demand, with communications challenges increasingly spanning corporate reputation, public affairs, policy, financial communications, employees and consumers, while AI automated more routine work.
“We think that moves the value of our industry further towards judgement, trusted counsel, specialist expertise, relationships, creativity and campaigning,” it said.“We already have those capabilities across the Group, so this is about making it much easier to connect them around client challenges.”
Over the next six months, the business plans to strengthen its growth function, invest in senior talent, build shared AI, data and intelligence capabilities, and develop integrated group products and services.
Investment will focus on corporate and public affairs, crisis and reputation, policy and regulation, strategic communications, campaigning and creativity. Kemp's position on the board gives innovation and intelligence dedicated representation alongside growth.
The group said shared AI infrastructure and tools would automate some of the more time-consuming aspects of communications work, allowing employees to spend more time on advisory work, ideas and relationships. It is also exploring new and enhanced client products and services, although it is not yet announcing specific tools.
As examples of existing collaboration, the group cited work for My Pension Expert spanning corporate, financial, consumer and public affairs, as well as assignments for Currys and Greene King that brought together capabilities from across its agencies.
“This isn't about starting collaboration from scratch,” it said.“The new structure is about making it easier and more consistent by removing some of the organisational silos that can get in the way.”
The appointments form part of a new management board led by group CEO Sarah Scholefield, which will take effect on 2 November when Accordience formally becomes Grayling Group. The international communications business has more than 650 people across 38 offices.
Joseph (pictured, top left) will oversee Grayling UK, financial communications specialist Citigate Dewe Rogerson (CDR) UK and Cirkle. Claire Lewis will remain CDR UK chief executive, reporting to Joseph, while head of public affairs Alan Boyd-Hall becomes deputy CEO, UK, Grayling Group.
Curtis (pictured, top right), most recently Grayling's global deputy CEO, will lead Europe and the Middle East. Jasmine Yap (pictured, bottom right), who has led CDR in Asia Pacific for 21 years, will serve as APAC CEO and Esty Pujadas (pictured, bottom left) as North America CEO, with all four regional leaders reporting to Scholefield.
The appointments follow the previously announced departures of Grayling UK chief executive Heather Blundell and global CEO Richard Jukes. Blundell joined from Ketchum in 2023 and had her remit expanded to include Cirkle in August. The group said she had decided to step down to pursue a new opportunity. Jukes agreed to step down after 16 years with Grayling to support the transition.
Responding to questions from PRovoke Media, the group confirmed there would be no separate global CEO of Grayling role under the new structure. CDR businesses outside the UK will report to Curtis or Yap in their respective regions.
The management board also includes Red Consultancy CEO Mike Morgan; chief financial and operating officer Will Thompson; head of people Alexa Stewart; head of growth Tom Symondson; and head of innovation and intelligence Nathan Kemp.
The group said the restructure extended beyond retiring the Accordience name, with changes to financial accountability and reporting lines intended to make collaboration across its agencies more consistent.
“We are moving from agency-specific P&Ls towards regional P&Ls and clearer geographic leadership, with regional CEOs reporting to Sarah as Group CEO,” the group told PRovoke Media.
However, it confirmed that CDR, Red Consultancy and Cirkle would remain distinct agency brands, with“no current plans” to change that. Clients will continue to contract with the individual agencies, which will retain their own market identities. Red will retain its distinct leadership under Morgan, who sits on the group management board.
“Each has established expertise, relationships and brand equity that we want to retain,” the group said.“What changes is the infrastructure around them. We want it to be much easier for those specialist capabilities to work together without internal structures getting in the way.”
Scholefield said the management board would support a business built around the proposition“specialist where it matters, integrated where clients need it”.
“Each member combines deep market or functional expertise with a strong track record of building teams, trusted client relationships and successful businesses,” she said.“Together, they give us the local leadership and international connectivity we need to move faster, invest with greater focus and bring the combined strengths of Grayling, CDR, Red Consultancy and Cirkle to every client challenge.”
Joseph's appointment brings together experience across government, consultancy and in-house communications. She began her career as a journalist before becoming a government press secretary, including serving prime minister Tony Blair, and has held senior roles at organisations including Sport England, Nationwide Building Society, Tesco and H&K.
She returned to Grayling in a senior advisory role in 2024. Joseph, who is also president of the PRCA, is known for her work as the architect of Sport England's This Girl Can behaviour-change campaign.
Scholefield described her as a leader who understood“the full breadth of modern communications, from public and corporate affairs to consumer engagement and behaviour change”.
Joseph said:“The new structure gives our UK teams a clearer and simpler way to bring together the breadth of expertise across Grayling, CDR and Cirkle, while retaining the specialisms, cultures and relationships that make each brand successful.
“For clients, it means easier access to the right people and capabilities, whatever the challenge. For our colleagues, it will create more opportunities to work across disciplines, learn from one another and build their careers within a genuinely connected Group.
Curtis has more than 20 years' experience in corporate affairs and strategic advisory, having previously led Grayling's 200-strong UK business and its public affairs practice before becoming global deputy CEO.
His client experience includes Fujitsu, Lloyds Banking Group, Bain & Company, Capita and ABB, as well as Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism.
“Across Europe and the Middle East, politics, reputation and commercial success are increasingly inseparable,” Curtis said.“Clients need advisers who really understand individual markets, but can also bring that thinking together across borders.”
The group said the changes reflected a shift in client demand, with communications challenges increasingly spanning corporate reputation, public affairs, policy, financial communications, employees and consumers, while AI automated more routine work.
“We think that moves the value of our industry further towards judgement, trusted counsel, specialist expertise, relationships, creativity and campaigning,” it said.“We already have those capabilities across the Group, so this is about making it much easier to connect them around client challenges.”
Over the next six months, the business plans to strengthen its growth function, invest in senior talent, build shared AI, data and intelligence capabilities, and develop integrated group products and services.
Investment will focus on corporate and public affairs, crisis and reputation, policy and regulation, strategic communications, campaigning and creativity. Kemp's position on the board gives innovation and intelligence dedicated representation alongside growth.
The group said shared AI infrastructure and tools would automate some of the more time-consuming aspects of communications work, allowing employees to spend more time on advisory work, ideas and relationships. It is also exploring new and enhanced client products and services, although it is not yet announcing specific tools.
As examples of existing collaboration, the group cited work for My Pension Expert spanning corporate, financial, consumer and public affairs, as well as assignments for Currys and Greene King that brought together capabilities from across its agencies.
“This isn't about starting collaboration from scratch,” it said.“The new structure is about making it easier and more consistent by removing some of the organisational silos that can get in the way.”
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