LONDON — Global talent assessment specialist Thomas International has appointed Octopus Group as its PR agency after a competitive pitch.

The 40-year old company, which operates in 60 countries, helps companies to make recruitment, retention and development decisions with its psychometric testing and talent assessment tools, covering behavioural science, personality, aptitude and emotional intelligence.

Octopus will support UK-based Thomas with media and influencer relations, including developing messaging, thought leadership and content that will be implemented in the UK and rolled out globally. The firm’s aim is to reach more HR and hiring managers in mid-market businesses.

The account is led by client director Toby Brown and account director Jack Ferris, with oversight from Octopus Group managing director, Pete Hendrick.

Hendrick told PRovoke Media: “Thomas’ new CEO, Sabby Gill [the former UK&I managing director of Sage] has ambitions to make the firm the best in the market and really change the way businesses hire and manage talent. It’s a trusted brand, and they’ve asked us to give them a different voice in the market that blends their heritage with boldness. And demand generation is a big deal for them, so they liked our brand-to-sales proposition across paid, earned, shared and owned channels.”

Thomas competes with management consultancies such as McKinsey, as well as talent and HR specialist software companies including SHL, HireVue, Assess First and Hogan Assessments. Global CMO John Webster said: “Given the current environment there’s no lack of candidates for organisations, but this also makes it incredibly difficult to choose and predict who will perform best in a role. Talent assessment tools need to be front and centre in hiring managers’ toolkit so they can make the right hires, first time."

He added: "At this critical time for businesses, we’re excited to start working with Octopus Group to support us in telling our story and ensuring talent professionals appreciate the importance of understanding candidates and what science can tell them about their future potential.”