Leeds’ Principles, which claims to be the city’s longest-running brand communications agency, is celebrating the strongest start to a financial year under current ownership with a recruitment drive.
Jorden Sweet has rejoined Principles as account director after 18 months away including a spell with FPP, bolstering the agency’s client services team. Sweet brings with her almost 10 years of industry experience, having previously worked with brands including Warburton’s, Arla and Mr Kipling.
A further senior hire, this time in the creative team, sees Shelly Coyle join as creative lead from Flutter Entertainment, having also worked at leading London agencies like OgilvyOne, VCCP and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Joining Coyle, and widening the skillset in the creative team, is Emily Haigh-Jacobs, a designer experienced in brand creation and development.
Recent business performance figures have revealed that the agency has more than doubled its Q1 YOY turnover, generating a total of £701k, with gross profit in the same period also up by 70% to £368k.
Principles has also recently secure new clients, which include winning a global brand creation and launch project for a newly formed engineering group, Ropsley limited and a trade loyalty project for Best Heating.
Thie results comes as the agency celebrates two years since the move to a four-day working week with five days’ pay for the entire company, with MD Mike Hackett reporting a noticeable improvement in stability and a healthier work/life balance for his team.
He said: “I’m really pleased to be reporting such strong growth figures. As a team, we’ve taken some risks and put lots of effort into innovating within the business; completely reinventing our brand proposition and business operations model through the four-day working week.
“We’re delighted to see these choices beginning to pay off, not just in terms of business figures, but also through our client retention/win levels and, importantly, a happier, healthier workforce. We hope that this is the start of a very positive trajectory for the future of the agency.”
