LONDON--Mark Pinsent is to leave Weber Shandwick, less than a year after taking on a senior digital role at the agency.

Pinsent, who will leave the firm at the end of this year, joined Weber Shandwick in February 2012 as head of content and consumer social media across EMEA.

Reporting to CEO Colin Byrne and chief digital creative officer James Warren, he was charged with building out the firm's content proposition, and leading digital and social communications for its European consumer businesses. 

Weber Shandwick has won multi-market digital assigments this year from Aldi and Nespresso. However, Pinsent told the Holmes Report that, after almost 20 years in the PR industry, "it is time to take stock."

"PR agencies are having to walk a fine tightrope," said Pinsent. "There's the double whammy of tough economic conditions, and the critical need to transform agency skills, capabilities and resources, the scale of which is still underestimated by many in my view.

"Unfortunately the former can result in an aversion to risk which results in a tentative approach to the latter."

Warren noted that Pinsent's decision was a "shame."

"Mark is one of my best friends and working with him these past few months has been great, personally and professionally," said Warren. "I respect him and his decision, and I wish him every success in the future."

Pinsent arrived at Weber Shandwick after spending nearly two years as director and head of digital at UK consumer firm Shine Communications. Prior to that he worked for several years at Edelman and Text 100.