LONDON — Former Labour MEP Claude Moraes (pictured, right) has joined 89up as director of European affairs as the agency grows its public affairs arm in Westminster and Brussels. Moraes was deputy leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and chair of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, where he played a key role in shaping GDPR legislation. He also led the European Parliament inquiry into Facebook in 2018. Alongside Moraes, campaigner and policy expert Angelo Da Costa (left) also joins the agency. He co-founded Vocal Communities, an initiative supporting people from marginalised communities to enter politics, and will support 89up’s work on mobilising young people and strategic campaigning. Both will work alongside 89up CEO and founder Mike Harris and director of campaigns Tom Mauchline to lead public affairs and advocacy campaigns for civil society clients.

BRUSSELS — Corporate purpose advisory firm Rise has hired Nick Jackson as a director in Brussels. Jackson joins Rise from the sustainability strategy and disclosure team at ERM, a global sustainability consulting firm. Most recently, he was on secondment to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, leading its CFO Network and sustainable finance policy projects. He has also worked at consultancies SustainAbility (acquired by ERM) and Corporate Citizenship, as well as in-house at KPMG.

LONDON — Reputation and communications advisory firm Nepean has appointed Symon Elliott to its advisory board. Elliott spent 18 years at management consultancy Russell Reynolds Associates in multiple roles including leading its operations in Europe, South Asia and the US, as well as running the board and CEO advisory group. He is currently the founder and CEO of Leaders Futures, a management consulting enterprise offering mentoring to senior executives globally, in business and civil society.

LONDON — The PR Office (PRO) has hired Phil Rosenberg as associate director. Joining the agency from The Board of Deputies of British Jews, where he played a leading role in the UK Jewish community’s response to several issues including antisemitism in the Labour Party, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, Rosenberg will focus on the development of PRO’s community, public affairs, and advocacy work. The agency has also recruited Nuala Gallagher as account director and Gavriel Cohn as account executive.

LONDON — Digital marketing agency Mediaworks has appointed a new group people director, Samantha Link, who joins having held senior level HR positions at tech and digital businesses, including global software giant Sage. Mediaworks has doubled its headcount to just short of 200 staff over the past two years and its client roster includes Gap, Continental Tyres and Puma.

BRISTOL, UK — The Wealth Club, an investment service for high-net-worth investors, has hired Jo Thorne as head of public relations. Thorne previously led communications at private investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown and was the associate director of Coutts’ press office. She has also worked in the PR functions of First Direct, Deloitte and HSBC.