LONDON — The Romans has created a specialist sports and entertainment offer after a number of account wins. The new division will be led by Charlie Brown, who joins the agency from Pitch Marketing Group, and Joe Burdon, a senior account director, who become joint heads of sport and entertainment, reporting to director Lucy McGettigan.

LONDON — Insurance and financial services company Aviva has hired Hope&Glory PR after a competitive pitch. The agency will develop a consumer PR campaign to run alongside the ‘It takes Aviva’ advertising and marketing campaign, the company's biggest brand campaign in five years, including 100% recyclable outdoor posters (pictured). 

LONDON – Etika, an innovator in ethical finance, with offices in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, has appointed Made By Giants as its UK PR and digital agency of record. The relationship covers PR and lead generation. Backed by global fintech entrepreneurs, Etika it offers “affordable and fair finance” to consumers.

LONDON — Airbus-owned air travel industry fintech firm Skytra has appointed Boldspace as its retained PR and communications agency. The team’s brief covers strategy, creative and execution around new offers being launched over the coming year.

LONDON — UK fashion retailer White Stuff has appointed fashion and consumer PR agency Instinct after a competitive pitch. The brief covers media strategy and media relations. The incumbent creative agency Unwritten resigned the account.

LONDON — Hybrid campus events platform Ayda has selected Words + Pixels to handle its communications. Previously known as the Digital Welcome, Ayda is an always-on digital experience giving new and existing students an official welcome to university life. As universities return to campus, Words + Pixels will be raising Ayda’s profile and communicating the benefits of hybrid events in higher education.

DUBLIN — Digital agency Mediaworks has opened its first international office in Ireland called MWi. The agency, which has more than 150 staff across offices in England and Scotland, aims to grow the business there to 30 people in the next 18 months. MWi is being led by Declan Kelly, who left advertising and marketing agency Zenith this summer. Mediaworks, whose clients include Puma,  Cath Kidston and Metro Bank, offers SEO, PPC, social, web and app development and creative brand communications.

LONDON — The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has launched a Crisis Communications Network: an open forum where PR professionals from around the world can come together to learn about and share best practice in crisis communications, via crisis case studies, academic and real-world thinking and reputation risk management. The network is chaired by Chris Tucker, with Rod Cartwright as special advisor. The inaugural event - 'Crisis Preparedness: Building Reputational Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World' - is free to attend and will be held on 18 November.

LONDON — Monta, the electric vehicle (EV) charging app, has enlisted specialist B2B technology PR consultancy, ITPR, as its UK PR partner. The Danish start-up, which has so far raised €5 million from investors including Tesla, aims to help accelerate UK’s electric vehicle charge point infrastructure.

MANCHESTER — Consumer PR agency Brazen has been appointed by Grainger, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord and a leader in the UK private rental and build to rent sectors, to develop and manage regional and national campaigns both for Grainger’s growing portfolio of 9,000 rental homes. Grainger plans to invest £2.1 billion to double its portfolio over the next five years.

LONDON — The European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) is holding its annual summit on October 14 as a virtual event. The summit will explore the drivers of change to the profession, including the impact of technology, the increasingly polarised and politicised public debate and the need for businesses to have a higher purpose.