60-second summary: last week's PR news (4 March)

Account reviews

Huawei, the Chinese telecoms brand, is seeking comms help as it aims to crack the UK market.

National Grid restarted its £9m-a-year stakeholder roster review after an agency complaint.

People moves

Andrew Baiden, group MD of The Red Consultancy, left the agency to take a career break.

Nick Miles and Hugh Morrison, the founders of M:Communications, resigned from their own agency, following five senior staff.

Jane Wilson is to step down as chief executive of the CIPR in September.

Tali Kramer was lured from Weber Shandwick to become a partner in College Hill's corporate practice.

Matt Tee was hired by the NHS Confederation to lead its comms and member engagement operation.

Julian Eccles was hired to lead Luxembourg-based mobile telecoms firm Millicom's comms function.

Giles Read rejoined Hill+Knowlton Strategies UK as a director in its issues and crisis management team.

Gerry McFall, the UK head of external affairs at AgustaWestland, was elevated to manage global public affairs.

Client wins

The Government selected six agencies for a major PR roster.

Blue Rubicon was called in by the Home Office for what PRWeek understands is early-stage planning around a major cyber-security campaign.

The Red Consultancy won a brief from the Federation of Bakers and the Flour Advisory Bureau to promote the health benefits of bread.

Lexis was awarded a pan-European CSR brief by Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Harvard PR was drafted in by Data City Exchange (DCE).

Citigate was appointed by the Cornwall Development Company to help drive inward investment.

Quantum PR was appointed to spearhead a campaign for a proposed £30m Herne Bay Court Retirement Village.

Threepipe won a pitch for major UK toy company Mookie Toys.

Three Sixty Degrees PR was appointed by Greek food company Gaea.

The London Communications Agency was reappointed to handle how the Metropolitan Police communicates the sell-off of police stations.

Agency investments and restructures

Headline profits in WPP's public relations and public affairs sector dropped 4.5% in 2012.

The strategic communications business of FTI Consulting saw a 2.2% increase in fourth quarter revenues.

TurnerTrippick PR, an agency focusing on the aerospace and defence sector, was launched by Chris Trippick and Celia Turner.

Nick Band, ex-Band & Brown Group CEO, relaunched his agency Berlin after being forced to close it amid legal wrangles last year.

Other news

The CIPR is to battle a lack of understanding among young people of what a career in PR involves by sending its members to explain their jobs to schoolchildren.

The APPC, CIPR and PRCA sent a joint definition of 'professional lobbying' to the government minister overseeing plans to legislate for a statutory lobbying register.

Recently published documents shed light on the BBC's aborted hiring of Brunswick at the height of the Jimmy Savile crisis.

The Football Association (FA) has 'clear plans in place' for the 'landmark moment' if a high-profile player comes out as gay, its group director of comms told PRWeek.

Stephen Hardwick is planning an internal comms drive at HMRC after being handed the top comms role on a permanent basis.

The CIPR announced dates for its upcoming elections following the process being scrapped last year.

And breathe ...

This article was first published on prweek.com