LONDON — Independent brand communications agency Manifest has appointed Lauren Preece (pictured) as brand services director; the agency is also doubling the size of its design team in response to growth in its brand services work over the past year. Preece, who has been at the agency since 2021, will join chief design officer Martin Farrar-Smith in leading the global branding team, which covers brand tracking, brand strategy and brand design. Based in Manifest’s London studio, she will work with the agency’s regional directors in the UK, US, Sweden and Australia to coordinate a team of global designers, strategists and researchers.

ABU DHABI — Edelman has appointed a new head of its Abu Dhabi office. Nidaa Lone was formerly global head of external communications at consumer healthcare firm Haleon. Her appointment comes as Mazar Masud, managing director of Edelman UAE, leaves the agency to join Middle East healthcare tech company M42.

LONDON — UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s former political director, Luke Sullivan, is joining Headland’s senior team after a 16-year career in Westminster. He had managed the Labour leader’s relationships since 2021 and played a significant role in Labour’s parliamentary and legislative strategy, and the renewal of the Labour Party that resulted in a landslide win at the general election in July. As a director at Headland, he will help clients to better understand and engage with the new government and connect with new MPs.

LONDON — MikeWorldWide London has hired Conrad Arnavutian as a director, working alongside managing director Tom Berry. Arnavutian was previously a director at Ruder Finn and before that was at Harvard for more than six years. He will work with B2B technology clients across the cyber security, networking, data storage, telecoms, adtech/martech, climate tech and ecommerce sectors.

FRANKFURT — Brunswick Group has hired two new partners in Germany: Andrea Maibaum will join the consultancy in Frankfurt in October and Robert Bischof will join the Munich team in November. Maibaum joins from FGS Global, where she was a managing director and led the firm’s European ESG team. Previously, she worked at Portland in Brussels and London, advising international companies with a focus on European energy, climate, competition and transport policy. At Brunswick, Andrea will advise German and European clients on their climate strategies, strengthen Brunswick’s ESG & Sustainable Business team in Germany and join Brunswick’s global Climate Hub, a team of climate experts in London, Washington DC, New York and Hong Kong. Bischof was previously a senior partner and European practice group leader at PwC Strategy&, where he advised clients on strategy, growth and ESG. At Brunswick, he will counsel German and international clients on financial and corporate matters.

LONDON — James Warnette has moved from his role as head of communications at global staffing and recruitment brand Randstad to join global data platform Vast Data as head of international communications. Warnette previously held roles at Cisco, data storage company Veeam and AI-insights business Cohesity, as well as Golin and Publicis. In his new role at the data unicorn, Warnette is tasked with building out an International communications and PR infrastructure and build Vast Data’s reputation in line with global expansion plans.

LONDON — Drinks company Pernod Ricard, whose brands include Absolut, Beefeater and Perrier-Jouët, has appointed Liam Murphy as its marketing director in the UK, with a remit that includes brand PR, consumer marketing, social and experiential. Murphy, who was previously the firm’s brand director, replaces Leanne Banks, who is now marketing director, business acceleration, at Pernod Ricard-owned whisky brand Chivas Brothers. He will work alongside communications and corporate affairs director Aurelie Kane.

LONDON – FTI Consulting has appointed Stephanie Glover as a managing director in the crisis communications practice within its strategic communications segment. Glover has worked with clients across the financial services, technology, including artificial intelligence, logistics, maritime, insurance, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, entertainment, and non-profit sectors. She joins FTI from Edelman, where she was a director in the issues and crisis team and leader of the UK litigation and legal communications practice. She is also an Australian-qualified lawyer and practiced as a solicitor at global law firm DLA Piper.

AMSTERDAM — Hotwire has launched a pan-European digital creative team and hired Frank van de Koppel as strategy creative director to lead the team in Europe, working with the agency’s teams in the US, UK and APAC. Van de Koppel has led and developed digital marketing, social media and influencer campaigns for brands including Netflix, Vodafone, BMW, Volkswagen and Porsche. Van de Koppel is based in Amsterdam, expanding Hotwire’s presence into the Netherlands, alongside its European teams in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

LONDON — PR and marketing agency Harvard has appointed Jo Chappel as executive creative director to lead the creative services team, spanning design, creative, content and editorial. Chappel was one of the industry’s first female creative directors at Fever, and has led earned creative across several agencies within the Unlimited Group, including Fever, Nelson Bostock, Health, TMW Business and TMW Unlimited, before becoming executive creative director across the group’s communications division and studio in 2020.

LONDON — Strategic comms firm WA Communications has WA has strengthened its health practice with two appointments. Catrin Hughes joins from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare as an associate director, having worked in health policy and public affairs, with a focus on public health issues including asthma, cancer and sexual and reproductive health. In addition, Anna Keeley joins from Aurora Healthcare Communications as an account director, bringing experience in managing global, European and UK communications programmes across neurology, rare disease, diabetes and oncology.

MILAN — The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has appointed Massimo Moriconi as its global vice president. Moriconi, who is general manager and CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Group Italy, has served ICCO since 2020 as regional president for Europe. He will succeed Grzegorz Szczepanski as ICCO president in October 2025.