LONDON — Microsoft has moved its six-figure UK consumer PR account from 3 Monkeys Zeno after 10 years working with the agency, in favour of sister Edelman shop Assembly.

Assembly was created in 2014 as a dedicated Microsoft agency within Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, initially to handle US-based PR, digital, social, measurement and creative across properties from Xbox to Microsoft Stores and central marketing.

At the same time, James Tutt has been promoted to head of communications across Microsoft UK, replacing Tom Pilla, who has moved into a new role as senior director of content and strategy.

Tutt was previously head of corporate communications, having joined Microsoft in 2007 as head of consumer PR. Before going in-house, he had worked at Text100, August One and Inferno.

He said: “We feel it is now the right time to consolidate our consumer and commercial communications work in the UK in to one agency partner.

“We’d like to thank 3 Monkeys Zeno for their outstanding work and partnership over the past 10 years. And we look forward to working with Assembly on our consumer business moving forwards.”

Assembly group client director Gavin Spicer added: “As long term partners we are excited to now be working with Microsoft on all of its consumer PR and comms in the UK.”

At 3 Monkeys Zeno, which stopped working with the consumer part of Microsoft's business in February, managing director Christine Jewell said: "The Microsoft account win was one of the defining moments in the 3 Monkeys story. We have put our all into the work and feel privileged to have been the consumer PR partner through a decade of tremendous change, both for the organisation and the tech sector itself.

“Ten years is a good innings by any agency standard and we are very proud of the work we have done together over that time, and especially of the many award wins. It makes sense to consolidate the consumer work into Assembly, our sister agency.”