LONDON — Impact & Influence, which was set up by former Instinctif managing partner Rishi Bhattacharya in 2020 to offer communications counsel to the next generation of CEOs and fast-growth businesses, has made four senior hires.

Mark Hadley joins the consultancy as a director after six years at HSBC, most recently as the bank’s director of communications for digital banking and technology, and Matthew McGuinness becomes Impact & Influence’s first brand director, having previously worked at Instinctif Partners, Ogilvy, Grey/G2 and Young & Rubicam.

In addition, Kate Harvey joins the virtual agency as head of operations after a 25-year career in politics and communications for the charity sector, and Nicholas Moore joins as account director, having previously worked for strategic communications firm Acuitas.

Impact & Influence now has a team of 16 and is working with a growing number of clients across the sustainability, energy, technology and financial services sectors.

The agency has a particular focus on impact investing, with clients including Bamboo Capital Partners in Geneva, which finances businesses in emerging markets, and BBoxx, which provides technology and financing to people and communities across Africa, in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Bhattacharya (pictured) told PRovoke Media: “Three years ago I had an idea of what I wanted I&I to be and where I thought there was a gap in the market, and it’s clear that there is a sweet spot for us, which means we’ve been able to hire at director level.

“I used to work with Mark at Edelman many years ago, having someone like him join us as a director with his background at HSBC is fantastic – I believe the intersection between climate, sustainability and finance is going to be a significant opportunity, so having someone of his pedigree at our size is brilliant.”

On the appointment of McGuinness, Bhattacharya said: “We’ve taken on a brand director at an early juncture, but I think it’s fundamental to what we do – I worked with Matt at Instinctif and he brings creative flair and a completely different way of thinking in terms of brand and visual strategy, including working on the rebrand of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance.”

He added: “Our belief is that you can intentionally do good by working with companies that are on the right side of history, and building a commercial enterprise at the same time. Communications plays a fundamental role in the acceleration of these organisations and their missions, and that’s very fulfilling for me and the team.

"We’re getting more and more into the challenges around climate, the ocean and pollution, and playing our role in hopefully trying to find solutions to some of the thorny challenges the world faces.”