Bolton integrated agency Absolute has launched a dedicated PR and communications arm and hired Suzi Burns from N Brown Group to head it up.
Burns, who becomes Head of Communication, headed up the PR team at Manchester’s N Brown and looked after online fashion brands JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo. Prior to that, she spent eight years working for PR agency Havas.
Burns will report into Managing Director Chris Hodgen and be responsible for promoting the agency, as well as adding PR to Absolute’s existing services of brand, campaign and digital.
She said: “I’m really excited about joining Absolute. They’re a fantastic agency producing bold and original work. The chance to add PR to the mix so we can start to offer a truly integrated service is very exciting.”
MD Chris Hodgen added: “Our performance in 2019 gave us the perfect platform to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and we are firmly looking to the future.
“The addition of our core services across PR, comms and digital, combined with our physical expansion will allow us to realise our ambition of building one of the best creative hubs in the north of England.
“After an impressive 2019, packed full of client wins, existing client projects, and the addition of some incredible new talented team members, we’ve used the last few months to reset, finesse our plans for the future, and are slowly but surely getting stuck right into the second half of 2020 with brave, creative and innovative new approaches to briefs.”
Absolute, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, saw a 61% increase in turnover in 2019, with a 25% increase in staff numbers to support the additional business.
New client wins have included Redrow, 11 Degrees, St Dalfour, The Pexion Group, York St John University and Leeds Trinity University.
