LONDON — Independent African PR agency Irvine Partners has opened an office in London to support its clients with representation in the UK and Europe.

The agency, which has 50 employees across wholly-owned offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Lagos, has a mix of multinational and regional clients across technology, real estate, tourism, cannabis and financial services.

CEO Rachel Irvine, who has relocated to oversee recruitment and business development, will lead the new office.

She said the firm had been working in the UK for about 18 months on an informal basis and client demand had now reached a level where it made sense to open a fully-staffed office.

“Even with the uncertainties around Covid-19, we’ve seen a particular surge in demand from venture capital-backed tech companies, real estate and of course tourism, which the continent is so well known for,” said Irvine.

She added: “We’ve realised that the traffic is going to be two-way. As much as we are representing African clients expanding in the UK, there are a number of companies and brands here who want a credible and knowledgeable partner to take them to consumers across the African continent.”