The World of Hi-Tech PR

Goodbye

2006-04-14T17:01:00.000Z

The end is nigh for The World of Hi-Tech PR.

Over recent months, work and personal lives have got busier. The result is that I have less time than before to keep this site updated.

Writing it started as a joy. Now, because of other commitments, it has now become a chore. Rather than posting intermittantly, it seems more honest to just stop.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to read The World of Hi-Tech PR. Perhaps I will venture back someday. Perhaps not.

Goodbye.

Vodafone hires Shine for new live music project

2006-03-05T11:40:00.000Z

Vodafone has hired Shine Communications to support a new live music venture.

Shine has been tasked with building up excitement around a new set of "secret location" gigs as well a new music awards ceremony that Vodafone is organising.

Shine beat off competition in a three-way pitch to win the account.

Borkowski, Vodafone's currrent consumer agency, is unaffected.

From PR Week

Dell looks for new EMEA comms director

2006-03-05T11:37:00.000Z

Dell is looking for a new EMEA communications director to replace Roger Wilson who is set to retire. Wilson will leave the company when a replacement is found.

PR Week reports that Spencer Stuart has been hired to fill search for potential successors.

Wheeler joins Firefly

2006-03-05T11:36:00.000Z

Adrian Wheeler has joined Firefly as an non-executive director.

Previously, Wheeler was chairman of GCI Europe.

From PR Week

PR Week gets it wrong about Bite again

2006-03-05T11:07:00.000Z

What is it with PR Week and Bite?

It's already had to correct last week's story about James Warren.

And then, on the very same page, it gets it wrong again. David Hargreaves, who is now MD of Bite UK, didn't leave Firefly earlier this year. He left in 2002.

It's disapointing that PR Week didn't know this.

After all, it was only two months ago that it ran the story about Hargreaves' appointment as UK MD following Bite's acquisition of Credo (January 6, 2006).

Go back further to 2002, and it was PR Week that broke the story of Hargeaves' departure from Firefly. It appeared online on August 28, 2002 and made the front page in the print edition on September 6, 2002.

Bite appoints new head of consumer

2006-03-05T10:56:00.000Z

Robin Wilson has been hired by Bite as head of consumer.

He was previously an associate director at Firefly.

Sherly Seitz, the former head of consumer, left Bite last year to join Apple. Rachel Bachman, Bite's head of strategic services, had been overseeing the team since.

From PR Week

O2 hires new lobbyist

2006-03-05T10:51:00.000Z

O2 is believed to have hired a new group director of public affairs.

Roger Sharp, who is currently special advisor to culture secretary Tessa Jowell, is expected to join the firm after the local elections in May.

Reading today's headlines, you have to wonder which of the two will be leaving government first.

From PR Week

PR Week rival to launch

2006-02-25T12:06:00.000Z

A challenger to PR Week is being launched in the UK.

Called PR Business, it is the brainchild of Geoff Lace, who founded PR Week. He is editor in chief. The editor is Eirwen Oxley Green, a former Radio Times sub.

Lord Chadlington, founder of Shandwick and more recently Huntsworth, is also involved.

PR Business will launch in mid-March.

From Media Guardian (free registration required) via Antony Mayfield's Open

Tech boss becomes CEO of H&K UK

2006-02-25T11:53:00.000Z

Sally Costerton has been appointed as UK chief executive at Hill & Knowlton.

She was previously head of technology in EMEA.

From PR Week

Tiscali puts PR up for grabs

2006-02-25T11:48:00.000Z

Tiscali's UK PR account is for for pitch.

Judy Haskayne, PR and comms director, said to PR Week that: "We will reviewing everything: our consumer, trade, corporate and public affairs support."

Borkowski, responsible for the corporate and consumer briefs, is now working on a project basis. Firefly and LD Communications have both also worked for Tiscali over the past year, respectively handling B2B press relations and music projects.

Bite loses creative chief

2006-02-25T11:40:00.000Z

James Warren, ~~creative director at Bite PR and head of its interactive business,~~ is ~~leaving~~ to join Weber Shandwick.

He will be leading a new web-relations division.

From PR Week (24 February 2006)

CORRECTION:

James Warren stopped working full-time for Bite in October 2005. Since then he has been working as a freelance for Bite UK in a number of different roles.

Greg Rooney is head of Bite' interactive business.

Again from PR Week (3 March 2006)

Sony Ericsson in hunt for new agency

2006-02-25T11:38:00.000Z

Sony Ericsson is searching for an agency to promote its sponsorship of the Women's Tennis Association tour.

From PR Week

Sony Ericsson consolidates global PR

2006-02-25T11:30:00.000Z

Brando has picked up more work from Sony Ericcson.

The agency will be strengthening the firm's global brand message and implementing more proactive media relations.

From PR Week

Pleon to be dumped by Infosys?

2006-02-25T11:27:00.000Z

India's second largest software company, Infosys, is reviewing its UK PR account.

Incumbent Pleon has been in place for three years. Emma Richards, EMEA PR manager for Infosys, wouldn't say whether Pleon had been asked to re-pitch however she did confirm that it will continue to represent the company in France and Germany.

From PR Week

Live Nation hires agency for O2 festivals

2006-02-25T11:22:00.000Z

Amazing Media has won a contract to promote this year's O2 Wireless Festivals in London and Leeds.

Event organiser Live Nation ran a three way pitch for the print and online PR contract. The losers were The Outside Organisation and LD Publicity

Scream Promotions handles broadcast PR. Cohn & Wolfe is looking after brand PR for O2.

From PR Week

Nokia loses community relations specialist

2006-02-25T11:18:00.000Z

Veronica Scheubel has left Nokia to join APCO.

Scheubel is an associate manager in the European CSR strategy team.

At Nokia, she was senior management of community involvement.

From PR Week

PR Week feature on Wikipedia

2006-02-25T11:12:00.000Z

PR runs a feature this week titled "Wikipedia: friend or foe on the net?"

In it, Adam Hill asks how PROs can use the online encyclopedia to their advantage.

Intel shakes up UK PR

2006-02-18T15:51:00.000Z

As part of a global re-shuffle, Intel has handed its European PR to two WPP agencies, Burston-Marsteller and Hill & Knowlton.

B-M affiliate Mmd may also pick up some business in central and Eastern Europe.

The big losers appear to be incumbents Weber Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, Catalysis and Red.

From PR Week.

PR Week on press freebies

2006-02-18T15:44:00.000Z

Another article in this week's issue sees PR Week asking if "PROs knowingly compromise editorial integrity"?

Among those quoted from the world of hi-tech PR are Ian O'Leary, corporate comms director of Seagate Technology; Stephanie McLeod, associate director at Samsung UK; and Grant Currie of Inferno.

PR Week feature on Google

2006-02-18T15:39:00.000Z

Google is the subject of a feature in PR Week this issue. The magazine asks how Google can recapture its cool.

It features opinions from four organisations. H&K and B-M are the chosen PR agencies with The Times and Computing providing the media's perspective.

Portugal Telecom hires UK help

2006-02-18T15:37:00.000Z

Portugal Telecom has hired Financial Dynamics to help defend it against a bid from Sonae.

From PR Week.

Northgate hands financial PR over

2006-02-18T15:34:00.000Z

Maitland has won the financial PR for Northgate Information Solutions. It won the business after a four-way pitch against incumbent Brunswick as well as Financial Dynamics and Bell Pottinger.

PR Week reports that the account is worth £150,000.

Pleon win Commodore PR

2006-02-18T15:31:00.000Z

Pleon has won a global PR contract for Commodore after a competitive pitch.

Commodore is best known for its iconic 1980s home computer, the Commodore 64.

From PR Week

Orange merges internal comms team

2006-02-18T15:27:00.000Z

Orange has merged its two internal communications departments into a new group called Employee Communications and Engagement. Overall responsibility for this lies with Steve Aumayer, UK vice-president of business support.

The move happened a couple of months, about the same time that Orange's head of internal comms, Kate Haddon, resigned to go to Vodafone.

From PR Week

Vodafone hires new internal comms chief

2006-02-18T15:22:00.000Z

Kate Haddon has joined Vodafone UK to head up its internal communications. She was previously at Orange.

Haddon replaces Annette Ware, who was promoted to head of UK brand entertainment and communications about 12 months ago. In the interim period, Vodafone had been using freelancer Sarah Hale.

From PR Week

Acquisition fever coming to the tech sector?

2006-02-11T14:03:00.000Z

PR Week has some gems in its feature "The Valentine's Matchmaker" this week.

Aparently neither Chime (owner of Bell-Pottinger, Harvard and Insight) nor Huntsworth (owner of Citigate and Red) "will ignore a good opportunity in the increasingly attractive areas of public affairs, healthcare and technology." Lorna Tilbian of Numis Securities, house broker to both firms, is quoted as saying "If you can offer them a well-run agency with growth potential in these practices, they'll buy it."

Don Elgie, CEO of Creston (the owner of Nelson Bostock) is also "looking for consumer and tech practices to help him out of Nelson Bostock's conflicts."

And Hotwire was up for sale last year but is now off the market. It failed to find a buyer "partly, it is said, because co-founders Kristin Syltevik and Anthony Wilson, wanted to leave upon completion of a deal."

Lewis blog put in shade by traditional media

2006-02-11T13:26:00.000Z

Hundreds of thousands of people watched the tragic adventure of the London whale on Sky News. The BBC news site had over a million page views that Friday.

Yet - with Lewis PR's whale watch blog pulling in 'just' 30,000 page views - Jon Silk, a senior creative manager there, feels able to claim in a letter to PR Week that "we showed how blogging can replace traditional media channels in events like these."

Nonsense. While 30,000 page views is a very very impressive readership (we'd settle for a tenth of that) it hardly justifies Silk's claim.

From Media Guardian:

"(The whale saga) was the top story on the BBC News website on Friday, attracting 1 million page impressions."

"On Friday, when Sky News went live to coverage of the drama from its SkyCopter from around 12.30pm, the channel had a peak audience of 174,000 viewers at 5pm, with 158,000 an hour earlier."

"The audience for Sky News' coverage of the whale's plight peaked at 365,000 viewers at 2.45pm on Saturday."

"(BBC) News 24's biggest audience on Saturday came at around 4pm, when 313,000 viewers were watching."

"Users (of the BBC News Player) made just over 315,000 requests for the BBC's whale round-up package and a further 207,000 requests for live coverage."

Bignell takes over at Motorola

2006-02-11T13:22:00.000Z

Motorola has hired Chris Bignell as communications and public affairs manager for the UK and Ireland.

Bignell was previously UK PR and advertising manager at Toshiba Mobile. He replaces Patrick Hamilton who moved to Kodak last year.

From PR Week

New MD at Whiteoaks as founders step aside

2006-02-11T13:17:00.000Z

James Kelliher has been appointed MD at Whiteoaks. He was previously client services director.

Founders Gill Craig and Bill Nichols have become joint chairs.

From PR Week.

Three agencies win at Google

2006-02-11T13:10:00.000Z

Google has hired three PR agencies.

Cow gets some consumer work, Portland's been hired to handle corporate PR, and Octopus has won the B2B account.

PR Week also reports that more 'project-driven' appointments may be made in the future.

The appointments follow Rachel Whetsone's arrival as director of European communications and public affairs.

Firefly previously handled PR for Google but its work ended in November last year.

HP ditches H&K in European review

2006-02-03T20:15:00.000Z

HP has taken two major pieces of pan-European business away from Hill & Knowlton.

B-M has picked up the PR for HP's Technology Solutions Group while Porter Novelli has won the Imaging and Printing Group account.

PR Week is reporting that together the two accounts were worth up to £2 million to H&K.

Marconi loses public affairs chief

2006-02-03T20:09:00.000Z

Elizabeth Kanter, Marconi's VP of government affairs, is leaving the company following the sale of the bulk of its assets and its name to Ericsson.

From PR Week

Symantec PR bitten by The Sunday Times

2006-01-29T20:14:00.000Z

We're predicting much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Maidenhead tomorrow morning following The Sunday Times today.

Symantec's PR team came in for a battering in Prufrock over a recent survey its been publicising.

"The most ridiculous survey of the week comes from Symantec ....... Here at The Sunday Times, our inboxes are clogged with stupid surveys dreamt up by by PRs desperate for some publicity."

Still, all publicity is good publicity. Right?

(Read the story here).

Jobs on the go

2006-01-28T10:22:00.000Z

AOL Europe is hiring an internal communications manager.

Ask Jeeves is after a European PR and communications manager.

Microsoft is looking for a UK Technology Audience PR Manager.

Russian telco swops agencies

2006-01-28T10:15:00.000Z

Russian telco Altimo has dumped APCO and hired Cubitt Consulting. The account is thought to be worth £1 million.

From PR Week

AOL hires new UK PR manager

2006-01-28T10:13:00.000Z

Phil Hales has been hired by AOL UK as senior communications manager. He was previously with the RAC.

From PR Week

The return of the bunny

2006-01-22T15:40:00.000Z

Spin Bunny is back.

Getronics hires Firefly

2006-01-22T15:06:00.000Z

Firefly has beaten out Worth Communications and two other agencies to win Getronics' PR business.

Incumbent Kinross & Render was not involved in the pitch. It had held the account for six years.

From PR Week

Vodafone appoints director of external relationships

2006-01-22T15:05:00.000Z

Matthew Kirk has been appointed as group director of external relationships by Vodafone group. He is currently British ambassador to Finland.

All change for Blackberry

2006-01-22T15:03:00.000Z

RIM has rejigged its European communications following the departure last week of Sarah West, head of corporate marketing and EMEA comms head. She is moving to Brunswick.

No permanent replacement has yet been found for West.

Her PR responsibilities are being covered temporarily by Hannah Jackson, EMEA corporate PR manager, Meigan Terry, EMEA head of PR, and Nerissa Townend, UK PR manager.

From PR Week

Fraser Butters joins Pleon

2006-01-22T15:02:00.000Z

Pleon has hired Fraser Butters as its European business development director.

In the past, Butters has been MD of Spreckley Partners, head of Burson-Marsteller's tech practice, and a director of Harvard PR.

3 loses comms head to Reuters

2006-01-22T15:00:00.000Z

Ed Williams, director of corporate communications at 3, is leaving the company to join Reuters.

Williams only joined 3 last year.

From PR Week

PR Week profiles Bite

2006-01-15T00:22:00.000Z

PR Week is running a full page feature on Bite this week. This follows the acquisition of Credo and the subsequent appoint of Credo founder David Hargreaves as UK MD.

The piece is titled "Bite tries to solve UK power problem."

Bailey quits Edelman

2006-01-15T00:15:00.000Z

Imogen Bailey, European technology director at Edelman, is leaving the firm to take some time out.

This comes just months after Edelman appointed Jonathan Hargreaves as European technology MD. Hargreaves was previously head of technology with Weber Shandwick.

From PR Week

McAfee goes with Octopus

2006-01-15T00:11:00.000Z

Octopus has been hired by McAfee to run its UK PR.

It beat incumbent Red as well as Nelson Bostock and Catalysis. Red remains McAfee's global consumer agency.

The pitch followed Bite's decision last October to resign the account in order to work for rival Symantec.

From PR Week

Firefly retains Avaya's UK business

2006-01-15T00:09:00.000Z

Avaya has re-appointed Firefly to handle its UK PR. It has held the account for five years.

No decision has been announced on the pan-European PR contract nor the other in-country briefs.

From PR Week

Marconi comms director to leave

2006-01-15T00:08:00.000Z

David Beck, group communications director at Marconi, is to leave the company once Ericsson has completed its purchase of the firm's telecommunications equipment and international services businesses.

He is currently recruiting a head of IR and comms for Telent, the new name being adopted by Marconi.

From PR Week

Vodafone shortlists agencies for music PR

2006-01-15T00:00:00.000Z

Vodafone has asked Shine Communications, Cow PR, Borkowski and another agency to pitch for a series of music-related events.

This doesn't affect Borkowski's current consumer brief.

From PR Week

Brands2Life wins T-Mobile

2006-01-14T23:56:00.000Z

T-Mobile has awarded its consumer PR contract work to Brands2Life. The firm already handles T-Mobile's B2B work and has previously handled consumer projects.

Brazen, Firefly and one other agency also pitched for the work.

Brazen will still handle some consumer projects while Amazing will continue to promote T-Mobile's 'street gigs'.

From PR Week

Orange hires Golin Harris

2006-01-14T23:52:00.000Z

Golin Harris has beaten Nelson Bostock and Jackie Cooper to win Orange's consumer brief. Its contract also includes some corporate work.

GH is being briefed to target groups such as students, high-flyers and first-jobbers. Some press office work will also be outsourced as well. GH will also be responsible for promoting Orange's presence at various European trade shows.

From PR Week

Threepipe picks up ISP

2006-01-10T19:03:00.000Z

Griffin Internet, a B2B ISP, has appointed Threepipe to handle its PR.

Memorex appoints Pleon in Europe

2006-01-06T20:54:00.000Z

Pleon has been hired by Memorex to promote its range of data storage products in Europe.

The contract, which was previously held by Spreckley Partners, is thought to be worth at least £100,000.

Pleon's sister company Brodeur represents Memorex in North America.

From PR Week

Band & Brown wins Wanadoo project

2006-01-06T20:42:00.000Z

Wanadoo has appointed Brando, the events division of Band & Brown, to handle a three month consumer PR project. Brando beat Companycare to win the business.

From PR Week

Is Check Point's account up for review?

2006-01-06T20:23:00.000Z

Following Bite's acquisition of Credo, there's a question mark over the future of the Check Point account.

Bite already handles PR for larger rival Symantec.

Check Point EMEA PR manager Margreet van Kinschot said: "This is all open for discussion. It really depends on how the accounts are organised."

From PR Week

Bite appoints Hargreaves as UK MD

2006-01-06T13:45:00.000Z

Bite has bought Credo Communications and appointed its founder, David Hargreaves, as UK MD.

Hargreaves set up Credo in 2003 after leaving Firefly where he was deputy MD.

Barry Leggetter, the incumbent MD, will continue as chairman of the Bite group.

From PR Week

Virgin brings in support over NTL bid

2006-01-06T13:37:00.000Z

Virgin Group has brought in M: Communications to advise it over NTL's bid for Virgin Mobile.

Virgin Mobile is advised by Finsbury.

From PR Week

We're sorry for the break. Normal service has now been resumed.

2006-01-05T19:28:00.000Z

Happy new year to everyone.

Finsbury wins telecoms float

2005-09-25T12:52:00.000Z

Belgium's Telenet has appointed Finsbury to handle its upcoming stock market float.

Sparx joins up in Europe

2005-09-25T12:49:00.000Z

Sparx Communications has joined forces with eight other PR firms across Europe in the GlobalCom PR-Network.

Paratus to attract more web award entries

2005-09-25T12:43:00.000Z

Paratus Communications has been hired to promote the Webby Awards in the UK. The organisers of the Webby Awards, The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is looking for more entries from the UK.

Korean mobile phone company hires agency

2005-09-25T12:40:00.000Z

V K Mobile has hired Van Communications to raise brand awareness of its fashio-oriented handsets among British women.

Check Point and Firefly break-up

2005-09-25T12:28:00.000Z

PR Week reports that Check Point is having yet more problems with its PR agencies.

It has split up with Firefly, who won the account earlier this year ( Axicom and Check Point), and has shortlisted five agencies for the latest review.

Firefly MD Mark Mellor says "We had to terminate the relationship because the professional side was lacking and we weren't being paid." He also says that a settlement has now been reached with Check Point.

Margaret van Kinschot, EMEA PR manager at Check Point, commented "Because of issues beyond our control, there was a financial disagreement which has been resolved by headquarters."

(Full story on Page 3, PR Week, 23 September 2005)

Kodak hires new PR director from Motorola

2005-09-25T12:25:00.000Z

Patrick Hamilton has joined Kodak as PR director for its digital and film imaging systems division in EMEA.

Hamilton was previously with Motorola as head of corporate communications for the UK and Ireland.

No announcement has been made by Motorola as to his replacement.

More changes at 3

2005-09-18T18:01:00.000Z

3 has hired Media Strategy as its public affairs agency, ending its relationship with Lexington Communications which had held the account for four years (http://hi-techpr.blogspot.com/2005/06/3-reviews-public-affairs.html).

As well as beating Lexington, PR Week reports that Media Strategy won the pitch against H&K, AS Biss and Four Communications.

Four in bid for Symantec work

2005-09-18T17:57:00.000Z

Symantec is reviewing its UK PR following its acquisition of Vertias.

Six Degrees, Bite, Buffalo and Catalysis are reported by PR Week to be in the running.

The two biggest losers are potentially Six Degrees and Bite, which represent Symantec and Vertias respectively.

New tech head at H&K

2005-09-18T17:54:00.000Z

Mark Jackson has joined H&K to head up its technology business.

Jackson has been freelancing for H&K since resigning from Inferno earlier this year.

More agency changes at Phones 4 U

2005-09-18T17:50:00.000Z

Phones 4 U is hunting for a new consumer PR agency.

Incumbent Brazen has resigned the account after winning business from T-Mobile earlier in the year, citing conflict of interest.

Caudwell hires financial PR agency

2005-09-13T07:11:00.000Z

PR Week is reporting that Smithfield has been appointed by The Caudwell Group (owner of Phones4U) to provide financial PR support.

In August, NM Rothschild was appointed to advise the group on its strategic options. Founder John Caudwell is widely believed to be looking for an exit strategy either through an IPO or a trade-sale.

Hong Kong telecoms firm hires new adviser

2005-09-13T07:07:00.000Z

PCCW has hired Duncan Burke to advise its UK subsidiary UK Broadband as its launches a wireless service called Now. Burke was previously at GlaxoSmithKline as VP of corporate image and reputation.

JCPR goes Orange

2005-09-13T06:54:00.000Z

In a continued effort to re-vitalise its brand, Orange has called in Jackie Cooper PR. The appointment comes only a few weeks after Scott Jacobson joined the mobile operator as UK PR director (http://hi-techpr.blogspot.com/2005/08/lots-of-new-appointments.html).

JCPR used to handle PR for O2 until losing the account earlier in the year (http://hi-techpr.blogspot.com/2005/02/o2-sticks-with-who-it-knows.html).

Takeover frenzy - Skype and Oracle

2005-09-12T12:57:00.000Z

So, two rumours have been confirmed today.

One is fairly recent - Skype has sold out to eBay for just $2.6 billion
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4237338.stm)

The other deal has long been predicted - Oracle's takeover of Siebel for $5.85 billion
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4237810.stm)

Another interesting (intriguing?) day in the development of the IT market.

It's all black and white for Lewis

2005-09-05T16:03:00.000Z

Lewis has won Zebra Technologies' PR account, thought to be worth £150,000.

The barcode and labelling company also considered Golin Harris and Nick Spencer PR.

Fox Parrack Hirsch was the incumbent.

Banner account up for review

2005-09-05T15:55:00.000Z

Inclarity is reviewing its PR just six months after hiring Banner. A new sales and marketing director - Peter Beaumont - is behind the move. The company is in talks with Banner and two other agencies.

MessageLabs goes with Weber Shandwick

2005-09-05T15:51:00.000Z

Weber Shandwick has been appointed by MessageLabs to look after PR across Europe. Weber Shandwick replaces HBL Media, who held the account for five years.

Iike Kaufmann, EMEA PR manager, has also left the company. She ran the re-pitch but left after a falling out with corporate communications director Shelley Driscoll reports PR Week.

Yahoo! hires new European comms chief

2005-09-05T15:47:00.000Z

David Sawday has joined Yahoo! as European director of corporate communications.

He was previously at Big Food Group which he left in March when it was taken over.

Sawday replaces Sue Jackson who moved to Discovery Networks Europe earlier this year.

Tom Murphy joins Microsoft

2005-08-27T11:23:00.000Z

Tom Murphy is joining Microsoft in Ireland to look after its PR. Tom runs the PR Opinions blog which is well worth checking out if you don’t know it - http://www.natterjackpr.com/archives/2005/08/a_personal_news.html

Text wins global Philips brief

2005-08-21T17:28:00.000Z

Text 100 has won a global brief from Philips to promote its semiconductor business.

Incumbent Hoffman declined to re-pitch.

Rainier hired to promote iPod rebrand

2005-08-21T17:13:00.000Z

Custard PR, the consumer arm of Rainier, has been hired to help promote the rebranding of iPod:Essentials, a supplier of iPod accessories.

Custard will be helping promote the new brand - mp3Essentials - as well as raising awareness of the legal action taken by Apple which has led to this change.

Axicom wins Chinese business

2005-08-21T17:05:00.000Z

Axicom has been hired by ZTE Corporation, China's largest telecoms equipment manufacturer, to provide strategic advice at a corporate level as well as to its network of businesses across the globe.

New appointments at Fuse

2005-08-21T16:55:00.000Z

Fuse has hired two new associate directors, Sarah Sherman and Neil Foster.

Foster used work at Bite as an account director while Sherman has previously worked with Centrica, i2 and Weber.

Siemens extends work with Weber Shandwick

2005-08-21T16:41:00.000Z

According to PR Week, Siemens has awarded its agency Weber Shandwick an additional contract to promote its new range of 3G phones.

Running into six figures, the new contract was won in a pitch against Oliver Schrott Kommunikation of Germany which works for other divisions of Siemens.

3Com chooses Porter Novelli

2005-08-21T16:37:00.000Z

Porter Novelli has emerged as the winner of the 3Com re-pitch, reported here in July
(http://hi-techpr.blogspot.com/2005/07/3com-consolidates-pr-in-emea.html).

It will have responsibility for PR across Europe in a contract estimated to be worth more than £500,000.

Five companies were originally asked to pitch, including incumbent Spark.

Brunswick extends Hutchison account

2005-08-13T11:10:00.000Z

Brunswick has been hired by Hutchison Whampoa to handle its corporate PR across Europe. This is in addition to the company's existing account with UK subsidiary, 3.

Lots of new appointments

2005-08-13T11:04:00.000Z

MSN UK's new head of PR and corporate affairs is Chris McCafferty. He worked as a divisional director at Red, MSN's PR agency.

Orange has hired Scott Jacobson as UK PR director. He has previously worked for Ketchum and Coca-Cola.

T-Mobile's new head of corporate comms is Robin O'Kelly, a former head of comms at BG Group.

At Cable & Wireless, there are two new hires. Joanne Wilkinson, previously with Rainier, is becoming UK media relations manager. Meanwhile Paul James is to become head of public affairs. He joins from T-Mobile.

Packard Bell selects icas

2005-08-08T17:31:00.000Z

icas has picked up a 12 month contract from Packard Bell, replacing Banc & Otis.

Former tech head gets MD at Porter Novelli

2005-08-08T17:29:00.000Z

Porter Novelli has confirmed Jean Wylie as its new managing director. She was previously head of its technology practice and has been acting MD since April.

New board appointment for Band & Brown

2005-08-08T17:28:00.000Z

Valerie Weisenreder, deputy technology head at Band & Brown, has been appointed to the board.

HP to reshuffle EMEA agencies?

2005-08-08T17:19:00.000Z

Robert Sherbin, newly appointed VP of external communications at HP, could be planning to review the company's PR agency roster.

At the moment, HP has three global PR agencies - Burson-Marsteller, H&K and Porter Novelli.

Whether this remains the case in the future is in the balance. PR Week has Sherbin quoted as saying "we are in the midst of reviewing this very subject."

Next Fifteen acquires 25% of Lexis

2005-08-08T08:16:00.000Z

Next Fifteen has announced the acquisition of a 25% stake in Lexis Public Relations for an initial consideration of £1.27 million.

It intends to acquire the whole company by 2010.

http://investor.nextfifteen.com/news/20050805-170402.cfm

Thanks to Morgan McLintic for spotting this.

http://www.morganmclintic.com/pr/2005/08/next_fifteen_ta.html

Brands2Life beats out Lewis

2005-07-30T10:24:00.000Z

Borland has dropped Lewis and hired Brands2Life.

RealNetworks chooses Axicom

2005-07-30T10:22:00.000Z

RealNetworks has hired Axicom to handle its consumer, trade and corporate PR in Europe.

ISP gets Frank about PR

2005-07-30T10:20:00.000Z

Frank PR has beaten Harvard and Weber Shandwick to win the PR for ISP Eclipse Internet.

Spreckley picks up chip maker

2005-07-30T10:19:00.000Z

QLogic, the network storage chip maker, has appointed Spreckley Partners to run a communications campaign aimed at IT directors.

Brands2Life loses out to Text

2005-07-30T10:15:00.000Z

Peter Jacob, business development director at Brands2Life, has moved to Text 100, becoming EMEA sales and marketing director. He replaces Paul deLara who is now a senior consultant at Text.

Jacob, who has been with Brands2Life for two years, was previously business development director for Lewis.

Apple becomes style-conscious - shock horror

2005-07-21T17:13:00.000Z

I'm sure Steve Jobs - the man who has always tried to ensure his companies' products would be style icons - is over the moon that PR Week has completely missed his efforts.

In a story this week on Apple's hiring of Bite's Sheryl Seitz, the magazine reports how Apple's move of European HQ "to the heart of the UK capital’s shopping district is another indication of Apple’s shift towards being a style-conscious purveyor of consumer electronics."

Er, what about the Mac, the iMac, the Powerbook, the iBook etc etc. All of them great looking, stylish products.

Good to see 20 plus years of heritage just thrown away.

Bite MD joins Apple

2005-07-21T17:07:00.000Z

Apple has hired Sheryl Seitz from Bite where she was consumer managing director.

PR Week reports that she's effectively going to be deputy to Alan Hely, Apple's European corporate communications director.

Bite has Apple as a UK client.

Rachel Bachmann, a Bite board director, has taken on Sietz's responsibilities.

Fishburn Hedges retained for tech float

2005-07-16T09:23:00.000Z

Israeli software firm Formula Telecom Solutions (FTS), a billing and sales software company, has appointed Fishburn Hedges ahead of a planned £50m flotation on AIM.

3 gets new corporate comms director

2005-07-16T09:18:00.000Z

Ed Williams of Brunswick has been appointed as 3's new director of corporate communications.

Accenture hires new chief lobbyist

2005-07-16T09:15:00.000Z

Matt Bell is joining Accenture as senior manager, UK government relations making him the firm's top lobbyist in the UK.

Bell joins from the General Medical Council.

Accenture is also looking to hire a PA agency in the UK for the first time.

3Com consolidates PR in EMEA

2005-07-16T09:11:00.000Z

3Com is consolidating its EMEA PR. It currently uses 16 separate agencies. Spark has held the UK account for five years.

PR Week is reporting that the brief for the UK-based lead agency will be worth around £120,000 with the total EMEA PR B2B agency budget totalling approxmately £360,000.

Two agencies are understood to have been shortlisted for the lead role.