LONDON — British astronaut Tim Peake has hired Pagefield to advise him on strategic communications as he assumes a new ambassadorial role at the European Space Agency (ESA) and pursues new opportunities in education and publishing. Pagefield is supporting Peake, the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station, on media opportunities to encourage STEM learning and inspire the next generation of space professionals, as the UK ramps up its ambitions to compete on a global stage.

LONDON — Finn Partners has been appointed by Little Caesars, the world’s third-largest pizza chain, to deliver communications and digital marketing for its launch this year in the UK. The agency’s consumer team in Chicago is the global hub for the agency’s integrated marketing activity, with teams in the US and UK. In addition to PR support, Finn supports franchisee development needs and digital, social, and paid media activation in select markets. The UK brief will focus on building brand awareness, supporting Little Caesars with country-wide venue openings, and bringing Little Caesars’ product USPs to life through PR, digital strategy, social media, content creation and SEO. The agency’s partnership with Little Caesars includes market entries in Spain, Colombia, South America and Portugal.

LONDON — Social impact communications agency Shape History has launched the History Shaper Fund for young people who are using creativity to tackle social issues in the UK and/or around the world. Applications are open to any young person in the UK aged 18 to 25 who has a new and innovative concept to address anything from human rights to climate justice, health equity or social mobility. One winner, judged to be the most creative, effective and inclusive, will be chosen to receive £10,000. Applications are open to 18-25 year olds in the UK, and close on 1 March 2023. The fund is being launched to provide support for young people and their ideas at a time when inflation is reducing opportunities. It also acts as a celebration of Shape History becoming a certified B Corp. The fund is supported by People Like Us and B Labs UK.

LONDON — Global independent marketing and communications agency MMGY Hills Balfour has been appointed by The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort (pictured) for public relations representation in the UK market. The agency will advise on PR campaigns that focus on press and influencer engagement strategies to showcase the luxury resort, as part of a broader remit that includes press office support, news amplification and the promotion of destination specific campaigns. The account is led by MD Caroline Moultrie, associate director Natalia Dowling-Kennedy and senior account director Alexandra Stone.

LONDON — Divido, a UK-based fintech platform for lenders, retailers and partners to deliver and scale their retail finance programme, has selected technology specialist Missive to drive brand and product awareness across the UK.

LONDON — Beyond Encryption, the industry standard for secure digital communications, has appointed performance-driven marketing and communications agency Hard Numbers, as its lead PR agency in the UK. Beyond Encryption, which protects consumers and providers throughout the financial services and allied industries with its email encryption software, Mailock, has briefed the agency to raise awareness of the business and help drive marketing qualified leads.

LONDON — Communications agency Folk has formed a partnership with inclusive theatre company Hijinx Theatre to bring more diversity to the marketing and comms industry. Folk’s sponsorship will go towards supporting the operational running of Hijinx which provides professional performance training for actors with learning disabilities and/or autism and supports them to access jobs in theatre and film.

LONDON — Boldspace has been appointed as lead global strategic communications agency for global payments leader CellPoint Digital, after a seven-way competitive pitch. CellPoint, whose clients include Virgin Atlantic, Southwest Airlines and Emirates, is embarking on a period of significant growth across new industries, geographies and services. Boldspace’s brief covers strategy, content and thought leadership, media relations, digital, social, influencer, media buying and crisis communications, as well as using the agency’s data analytics platform, BoldLens.

DÜSSELDORF — Cognito, the independent global communications agency specialising in large and high-growth clients in finance, financial technology and the climate transition, has bought an equity stake in Westend Medien, a specialist German agency. Westend Medien will now trade as Cognito DACH, working across German-speaking Europe. The two companies have been working together on shared clients since 2020. It is the latest move in Cognito’s international expansion, following the launch of a Sydney office last year. Cognito DACH will be led by Michael Siemer, who founded Westend Medien over two decades ago. It specialises in providing strategic communication and content for clients in the finance, tech, automotive, energy and HR industries, with a focus on financial and business media.

LONDON — Mixology Communications has been appointed as PR, content marketing and communications advisor to Cambridge Cleantech and Oxfordshire Greentech networks as they look to expand membership services and increase focus on Cleantech Venture Day events, which connect innovative starts ups with responsible investors and corporates. The two organisations have a combined membership of more than 350 organisations covering the energy, transportation, construction, climate risk management, carbon accounting and circular economy sectors. Since 2006, more than 250 companies have pitched at a CleanTech Venture Day, securing £600 million in funding.

TEL AVIV — Unik Public Image has been elected by PROI Worldwide, a global consortium of entrepreneurial communications agencies with 85 partners in 60 countries, as its sole representative in Israel. The agency specialises in public affairs, lobbying, crisis, social media and PR counsel for clients in a range of sectors from professional services, manufacturing, and real estate to tourism and entertainment.

LONDON — Independent coffee brand CafePod has chosen Wild Card as its retained PR partner. The brand, available at Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado and Amazon, was co-founded in 2010 and was one of the first to make Nespresso-compatible coffee pods. Wild Card’s remit is to support the brand’s growth in 2023 by driving brand awareness with consumers and promoting new products, including driving traffic to its direct business.

LONDON — The Flywheelers, the integrated comms agency for high growth start-ups and scale-ups, has been selected as UK communications agency partner for conversational AI provider Artificial Solutions. The agency’s media relations and thought leadership programme aims to build brand awareness in the UK, particularly around its voice proposition.

LONDON — Brand PR agency Launch has been appointed by independent florist and flower subscription service Freddie’s Flowers. The agency will work with the business’s creative teams on brand campaigns and events, and running its press office. Launch will support the team to drive brand awareness and work on announcements, including a new gifting service.

LONDON — Fittest PR, founded in 2020 by Kate Burton-Barlow to represent brands and people focused on human and performance optimisation, is now the global PR agency of record for British backpack, luggage and accessory manufacturer Built for Athletes, covering traditional PR and media office, partnerships, influencers and strategic communications.

LONDON — Newly-licensed UK digital bank, Kroo, has appointed Stand Agency for its UK launch. Kroo aims to change the way banking is run by putting customers first with a competitive interest rate, cheaper overdrafts, and in-app tools to make money management easier. Stand will lead Kroo’s communications throughout the year to encourage customers to switch to the bank.