LONDON — WE Communications has hired a new UK and EMEA corporate communications director, to lead on an expanding area of work for the agency.

Patrick Tooher joins from Citypress, where he was a director for nearly six years. He previously held senior in-house communications at KPMG and the Co-op. Before going into public relations, Tooher was a financial journalist, latterly as the Mail on Sunday’s business editor.

In his newly-created role, Tooher will be responsible for servicing existing client remits such as Capgemini and HSBC, as well as building new business opportunities, reporting into UK managing director Ruth Allchurch.

He will also be tasked with broadening WE’s communications offering in the UK and EMEA, building out the corporate offer alongside the agency’s established strengths in the technology and healthcare sectors.

Tooher told PRovoke Media: “Working in a global PR agency was very much an attraction for me; joining WE feels like a new horizon and a new challenge. It’s a new, strategic role in an area where I have plenty of experience, as clients are increasingly seeking a one-stop shop of trusted advisors who they can consult across consumer and corporate – and make sure comms are joined up.”

WE’s deputy UK managing director Catherine Devaney said: “We’re thrilled to have Patrick join the leadership team in London. His deep knowledge and experience of the corporate landscape and financial markets will be crucial to helping our clients meet their communications objectives, offering services from corporate positioning and storytelling to reputation and issues management and wider stakeholder engagement.”

Over the past year, WE has achieved 15% growth in the UK, through wins such as HSBC and Bittrex.