LONDON — European technology and VC communications agency, Ballou PR, has named Fiona Houston as its new UK managing director, as well as opening a fourth office in Spain.

Houston rejoined the 10-strong London office as an account director in 2019; she previous worked for the agency for three years until 2018, when she moved to Taylor Herring for a year. Houston succeeds Phil Dwyer, who was promoted to MD in 2022 and has left the agency after five years to pursue other opportunities.

Toby Andrews, who joined Ballou in 2021, has also been promoted to senior account director in London.

Houston (pictured) told PRovoke Media: “I’m impressed daily by the talent of our team in London and feel privileged to be able to lead them. It’s a very exciting time for Ballou and I look forward to seeing what we achieve together this year.”

The UK leadership changes follow several client wins this year, including global identity verification platform Sumsub, Italian venture capital firm Rialto Ventures, and the Sui Foundation, an organisation dedicated to onboarding users to web3 by advancing the adoption of the Sui blockchain.

Ballou is also opening its fourth European office, in Barcelona, this month, which will be led by Jörn Dunker, the firm’s former Germany managing director. The agency now has a team of 40 across its offices in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Agency founder and president Colette Ballou said: “We’ve been monitoring the Spanish ecosystem for years now, watching formidable local VCs like JME Ventures, All Iron Ventures, Nauta Capital and Axon Partners come into their own, high-growth companies like TravelPerk, Factorial and Typeform mature, and outstanding conferences like South Summit and 4YFN become must-attend European events.

"The effervescence of the Spanish tech ecosystem is evident for anyone who is watching, so it’s time for Ballou to get in and do our part.”