PR News May 2026

Suzanne Howe Communications becomes a Certified B Corporation™

Kent-based B2B PR specialists Suzanne Howe Communications (SHC) has announced its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp™), joining a growing movement of companies that are reinventing business for the benefit of all people and our shared planet. 

Verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, the achievement demonstrates that SHC meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value.

The news comes as the ongoing climate crisis and widening social inequality continue to pose urgent challenges to our economy. B Corp Certification assesses the entirety of a business’ operations and covers impact areas related to practices around governance, workers, community, the environment and customers. 

SHC is now part of a growing community of over 10,000 businesses globally that have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK is the largest and fastest-growing in the world, with over 2,600 companies spanning a range of different industries and sizes. Names include The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Tony’s Chocolonely, The Big Issue, and Sipsmith Gin.

Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said: “Welcoming SHC to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”

“Certification means that we meet B Lab’s integrated social, environmental, and governance standards. This embeds our purpose and plans for positive impact in our company’s DNA, so that we’re aware of our impact on people and the planet," added founder and managing director Suzanne Howe.

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TopLine agency founder launches lead generation consultancy for the AI search era

Heather Baker, former agency founder and CEO at TopLine, has launched The AI Edit, a lead generation strategy consultancy, with its flagship B2B Lead Accelerator open for applications to its first cohort.

The AI Edit combines two decades of B2B lead generation experience with AI fluency at its foundation. Baker sold her previous agency in 2021, before becoming CEO of its acquirer and leading it through a period of rapid growth. She has spent two decades focused on B2B lead generation, has trained 1,400+ leaders in AI, and is a CPD-certified provider for AI Fluency for Leaders.

"Most B2B businesses are throwing AI at broken lead generation systems and wondering why nothing works," says Baker. "The AI Edit is built for businesses that want to fix the system first. AI fluency is the foundation. Lead generation is the outcome."

At the heart of the consultancy is the AI Edit Method, a proprietary eight-stage framework covering inbound, outbound and brand-building channels. The B2B Lead Accelerator translates that framework into an ongoing programme for a small group of businesses, combining strategy, training and one-to-one consulting.

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Ever Wondered launches – a journalist-led advisory firm built for the AI search era

Two veteran technology journalists have launched Ever Wondered, a strategic communications advisory firm with a brief to help startups, scaleups, VCs and corporates cut through in both traditional newsrooms and AI search.

The firm is co-founded by Sam Shead, formerly Tech & Innovation Editor at LinkedIn News and previously a tech journalist at the BBC, CNBC and Business Insider; and Jim Norton, formerly Technology Editor at the Daily Mail and writer across UK national titles.

With more than 30 years of combined experience at top-tier publications, the duo are bringing a "newsroom mindset" to communications – built on the conviction that, in a crowded and increasingly automated marketplace, original storytelling is what separates companies that get heard from those that don't.

"For years, our job was sifting through a constant stream of pitches every day, deciding what to use, and turning that information into stories people wanted to read," says Norton, who serves as Editorial Director. "It's that editorial instinct – what's worth telling, and how – that we bring to clients at Ever Wondered."

The company offers three services – strategic press, editorial content, and LinkedIn mastery – spanning earned media, owned media, and social. Together they are built to help clients cut through in AI search, which surfaces companies with a clear, consistent message across every channel.

Managing Director, Shead adds: "The companies winning attention now are the ones investing in landing their message across every communication channel – because that's how you surface strongly in AI search. That's what we're built for – helping our clients build the reach, influence and trust that drive commercial growth."

Mischa Kuepper, Head of Communications at VC firm Redalpine, says the founders' backgrounds as tech journalists gives them an edge. "They think like journalists first. Their media connections are exceptional, but it's the editorial instinct behind them that makes the difference. By putting the story back in focus, Ever Wondered is filling a real gap in the industry."

Ever Wondered is already working with a roster of venture capital funds, early-stage and growth-stage technology companies across AI, deep tech and enterprise software. The firm is also currently hiring for its first full-time roles.

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Cherish PR wins competitive pitch to become retained agency for CASETiFY

Cherish PR, part of The Wilful Group, has been appointed as the UK retained PR agency for global tech and lifestyle accessories brand CASETiFY, following a competitive multi-agency pitch.

The six-figure brief will see Cherish PR lead UK communications strategy and execution, supporting CASETiFY’s continued growth and brand presence in the market. The remit includes press office, campaign creative and execution, as well as seeding and gifting, with opinion leaders across lifestyle, fashion and tech media.

CASETiFY, known for its customisable phone cases and high-profile collaborations, has built a global following through culturally-led campaigns and partnerships with leading entertainment and lifestyle brands. The appointment comes at a key moment as CASETiFY continues to expand its footprint in the UK, having recently opened a stylish retail space at Selfridges in London.

Rebecca Oatley, founder of Cherish PR and co-CEO of The Wilful Group, said: “CASETiFY is a brand that truly sits at the intersection of tech, fashion and culture and is a perfect fit for Cherish. We’re thrilled to have been selected as their UK PR partner and we look forward to building on their momentum with bold, creative and impactful communications.”

Nick Bailey, Global PR & Communications Manager at CASETiFY, added: “Cherish PR stood out for their strategic thinking, creativity and clear understanding of our brand and audience. We’re excited to be working together as we continue to grow our presence in the UK.”

The appointment further strengthens Cherish PR’s portfolio across consumer, lifestyle and tech, and follows a series of recent client wins.

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The PR News Review: Starmer's local election troubles, while Nigel, predicably, loves it!

Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham on PRmoment's PR News Review. 

We discuss the UK local elections results and the predictable huge gains for Reform and the huge losses for Labour. Our guests analyse the likely comms strategies now  - for Farage & Reform and Starmer & Labour.

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All your PR insight for this week:

Good and Bad PR: German sun loungers in court, things get worse for TG Jones and Amazon's drones

Stunt Watch: Madge & Grindr, the unbearable blazer, K-Supermarket on TripAdvisor and Independent Age's water on tap

Podcast: The burgeoning consumer PR market of the last 20 years

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This week's Creative Top 5 Campaigns

@prmomentuk Ben Smith delves into Creative Moment’s top five campaigns of the week including Vaseline’s accidental London Marathon nipple sponsorship Spike Lee’s video with Arsenal and Airwallex Bowel Cancer’s campaign Bebeto’s Shrinkflation campaign New kits for pets for the Workd Cup from adidas. #campaigns #pr #advertising ♬ original sound - PRmoment

This week’s creative campaigns show how brands are blending humour, purpose and cultural moments to cut through. From pet kits to purpose-led stunts, another week showing that creativity works best when it connects with real life.

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PACK'D with potential: Hatch appointed to lead PR & sampling strategy for organic frozen food brand

Leeds-headquartered creative communications agency, Hatch, has been appointed by PACK’D, the organic frozen food producer, to support its ambitious growth targets.

Hatch will be supporting the growing frozen food producer with its PR strategy, execution and consumer sampling activations, as PACK'D seeks to grow brand and product awareness amongst key audiences.

Since its launch in 2014 PACK’D has grown rapidly, expanding its range to include a full suite of high-quality frozen products with a focus on organic.

Amongst the brand’s portfolio of frozen fruits, vegetables and smoothie kits are recent innovative launches such as frozen, organic loose-leaf spinach, açai smoothie bowls, frozen organic pomegranate seeds, frozen chopped onion and frozen chopped garlic.

Hatch has been brought on board to support the brand’s growth following a number of national listings in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado, and the food service channel, as well as their own £1m revenue direct-to-consumer channel.

Now, with further listings and product launches in the pipeline, the brand has ambitious targets for further growth, aiming to increase turnover to £10m in 2026.

Emily Clapperton, Account Director at Hatch, commented: “Food & Drink PR is quite literally Hatch’s bread and butter, and we are always thrilled to work with genuinely innovative brands like PACK’D, helping them elevate and expand their reach through PR."

Katy Hamblin, Marketing Director at PACK’D, added: “This is a pivotal moment for the brand as we continue to grow and launch new and exciting NPD this year and grow the brand’s awareness, which is why we’ve brought Hatch onboard to amplify the brand’s messaging, and help drive trial of our products amongst our target audiences. We’re excited for consumers just to learn more about us and what we have to offer.”

Food and drink PR is a key offering at Hatch since it was founded 17 years ago, working with household brands including KitKat, Wensleydale Creamery, John West, and Global Brands.

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Whitworths launches 116-site nutrition billboard campaign

Whitworths has launched a new nationwide billboard campaign, “Eat Nuts, Live Longer”, as part of its mission to improve the UK’s nutrition strategy, and encourage nuts to be included within the country’s 5-a-day guidance.

The two-week out-of-home (OOH) campaign spans more than 116 sites across the UK, featuring large-format placements near hospitals, government buildings and major newspaper offices to maximise visibility and spark conversation around the nation’s growing health crisis.

The campaign aims to highlight the role nutrient-dense foods can play in improving long-term health outcomes. Poor diet is now the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the UK, while projections suggest 71% of adults could be overweight or obese by 2040.

Whitworths is calling for a greater focus on “closing the nutrition gap” by encouraging consumers to add healthier foods into their diets, rather than focusing solely on restriction-based messaging.

The campaign follows the successful launch of Whitworths’ “Gaps to Gains” paper at a parliamentary event earlier this year, which urged government to change food policy to help reduce preventable diet-related illnesses in the UK.

Research cited by the brand suggests that eating a small daily portion of nuts (25g) can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, while 63% of consumers said they would be more likely to eat nuts if they counted towards 5-a-day guidance.

Phil Gowland, Commercial Director and Director of Health at Whitworths, said: “If we are serious about improving the nation’s health, we must close the nutrition gap – not just fight the excess. Our latest marketing activity brings us one step closer to achieving our mission of nuts being included in the UK’s 5-a-day guidance.”

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Nivey Nocher joins The PHA Group to lead health

The PHA Group has appointed Nivey Nocher to lead the Group’s health offer which spans consumer health & wellness, medical communications and medical education.

Nocher joins as executive vice president, health. She sits on the PHA’s Executive Committee.

She joins the agency with deep expertise advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, alongside charities, non-profits, and academic institutions operating at the forefront of global health. Her previous roles include senior positions at Interpublic Group agencies Current Global and dna Communications.

Commenting on her appointment, Nocher said: “I’m excited to join the agency at such a transformational time for the business and the wider health communications sector. The team’s reputation for delivering thoughtful, impactful work really stood out to me and I’m looking forward to building on that exceptional momentum - so many exciting things ahead to look forward to!”

George Coleman, CEO at The PHA Group, said: “Nivey is an incredibly talented and inspirational leader. She has a compelling vision for the future of health, and the role communications has to play. I have no doubt health will be a core driver of growth for the agency over the coming years which is why we’ve heavily invested in people and building out a full-service offering.”

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Lucy Aitken appointed Pumpkin’s Content Director

Pumpkin has announced the appointment of Lucy Aitken, former head of content for LIONS Intelligence at Cannes Lions.

Aitken will lead Pumpkin’s expanded commercial content offering, joining the newly-appointed chief strategy and transformation officer, Joe Stubbs, in Pumpkin’s senior leadership team. 

With an editorial presence in the industry, built over two decades, in senior positions at LIONS, WARC, Contagious and Campaign, Aitken will lead the agency’s content offering.

On her appointment, she said: “This is a challenging time for agencies, and Pumpkin is expanding and innovating to support its clients to reflect that. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Sarah and Joe on growing the business, having long admired the work and the strong client relationships built by Sarah and the team.” 

Operating across EMEA, North America, and Asia, Pumpkin works with many of the world’s leading marketing and brand organisations, including Joint, Beano Brain, Interbrand, Fuse, RAPP, Teads and Coley Porter Bell.

Owen said: “As AI reshapes how content is created and consumed, the role of high-quality editorial has never been more commercially important. It’s now about more than visibility, it’s helping our clients build influence, differentiate and drive growth. Lucy brings a rare combination of editorial expertise and industry credibility, and her role will be central to how we evolve our content offering to deliver that impact." 

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Royal British Veterans Enterprise aims to shift public perception in VE Day portrait campaign with Rankin

Pagefield Content Studio has launched a new campaign for veterans’ charity Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) to mark the 81st anniversary of VE Day, using a portrait series to connect a national symbol of service with the lived experiences of veterans today

The campaign launches alongside new research from Opinium, which highlights a generational gap in how military service is understood. Only 40% of the public correctly identify the ‘Tommy’ silhouette as representing all who serve or have served – falling to just 16% among Gen Z.

The work uses VE Day as a cultural moment to bridge that gap, reconnecting the legacy of the Second World War with the experiences of veterans across generations, and broadening perceptions of service beyond a narrow focus on WWII to reflect the diversity of veterans’ stories today.

Created in partnership with internationally renowned photographer Rankin, Still Serving reimagines the iconic ‘Tommy’ through a series of portraits of veterans aged 18 to 100. All veterans are supported by RBVE – a national charity that supports thousands of UK armed forces veterans with accommodation, jobs, and skills development.

Rankin said: “By bringing contemporary veterans into that frame, we’re able to show that service doesn’t end with history it continues today, in very real and personal ways. These are portraits about identity, resilience, and the reality of modern service.”

Each portrait uses a distinctive visual device to transform the subject’s shadow into the ‘Tommy’ silhouette, the symbol representing everyone who has served or is still serving across the British Armed Forces. The campaign features nine veterans, from 18-year-old Holly Stroud to 100-year-old Percy Bowpitt, who was still serving in Burma with the ‘Forgotten Army’ when VE Day was declared. Each portrait is accompanied by a personal story, offering insight into life during and after service.

Shot at RBVE’s Village in Aylesford, Kent, the campaign captures the original ‘Tommy’ shadow before integrating it into each portrait in post-production. Alongside a national PR and social campaign, the work will appear on digital billboards across town and city centre locations in the North East over the VE Day weekend.  

Oliver Wilson, creative director at Pagefield, said: “VE Day offered a powerful opportunity to build recognition of RBVE’s new brand, connect it to a moment of national relevance and the people RBVE supports every day – linking the ‘Tommy’ symbol with what service looks like today.

He added: “From there, we developed a simple creative idea: use the silhouette itself to reconnect the symbol with the people behind it. By transforming each veteran’s shadow into ‘Tommy’, we created a visual link between generations of service that could work across both media and public spaces."

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PHA hires SVP to leas its corporate work

The PHA Group has appointed Alice Lamb to lead its Corporate team and client portfolio, which includes Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I, So Energy, Numan, and Virgin Experience Days.

With 20 years’ PR experience across both the public and private sectors, Lamb has counselled FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies as well as emerging brands and purpose-led organisations. A specialist in corporate reputation and issues-led communications, she helps clients anticipate risk, counter misinformation, and make confident, reputation-enhancing decisions that deliver tangible business impact.

Lamb has deep expertise in the FMCG and retails sectors, and in sustainability having qualified in Sustainable Business Management through the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

“I’m delighted to be joining PHA at such a pivotal moment for both the agency and its clients. With trust, transparency and scrutiny firmly in focus, the need for clear, strategically grounded communications has never been greater," said Lamb. "I’m looking forward to working with an exceptional team to deliver high-impact counsel that drives meaningful growth.” 

Prior to PHA Lamb held senior corporate roles at Weber Shandwick and Zeno Group where she advised on a broad portfolio of clients including Coca-Cola, P&G, Kerry Dairy, Unilever, NSF International, Nespresso, Iceland Foods and Moto Hospitality.

“Corporate communications and strategic advisory services are in high demand,” said George Coleman, CEO of The PHA Group. “C-suite executives are grappling with the ongoing fall out from geopolitical instability, conflict and economic turmoil, on top of everything else. Clarity of communications and message in this operating environment has never been more crucial. So it’s great to add someone of Alice’s calibre to our consultancy team who help clients navigate exactly this.”

Lamb reports into Neil McLeod, EVP, who leads PHA’s Corporate & Enterprise practice.

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