Text 100 appoints Kirsty Leighton as Managing Director for UK and Ireland

Appointment completes comprehensive refresh of UK’s senior leadership

London, UK, 04/01/2010 — Text 100 has appointed Kirsty Leighton as its new Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. Kirsty was previously Global Head of Client Development at Waggener Edstrom, based in London. This appointment completes a comprehensive revamp of Text 100’s senior leadership. Since January it has hired three seasoned executives and promoted a fourth.

• Kirsty Leighton – new Managing Director for the UK and Ireland
• Jonathan Brayshaw – new Director for Text 100’s Enterprise IT business unit
• Maria Potter (nee Heavey) – maternity cover Director for Text 100’s Digital Lifestyle and Corporate business units
• Dan Baxter – promoted to Deputy Managing Director, also responsible for the agency’s Semiconductor & Industrial business units.

The creation of this new senior management team furthers Text 100’s ambition to reshape itself as a truly international brand, while gearing it for strong growth as economic recovery continues. Each member of the new team has extensive experience supporting regional or global mandates for a broad mix technology and non-technology organisations. The agency currently provide multiple market support for 78% of clients in London, with more than one-third of its revenue derived beyond the technology industry. Text 100’s clients in London include Skype, SanDisk, IBM and NXP.

Leighton brings a proven track record of successful business development to the team. At Waggener Edstrom she helped the agency grow its technology roster, as well as pioneering its diversification into the consumer, corporate, healthcare and social innovation sectors worldwide. Kirsty has more than 16 years of public relations experience, including appointments at Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and the former Weber Group Europe. She joins Text 100 on April 19, 2010; reporting initially to Andrew McGregor, Text 100’s Global Chief Operating Officer, based in London.

Brayshaw brings 13 years of public relations and journalism experience. He was previously an Associate Director for Weber Shandwick’s Technology division in London and has also held senior positions at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Hoffman Europe. He joins on March 29, 2010.

Potter (nee Heavey) brings 20 years of experience, including senior in-house roles at Sony and Coca-Cola; plus an impressive tenure as a Board Director at consumer specialist agency, Lexis Public Relations. Maria began working at Text 100 in January 2010.

Baxter joined Text 100 in 2006 as Regional Client Advocate. His appointment to Deputy Managing Director was effective as of February 1, 2010.

Spokespeople quotes:

• Text 100 Global Chief Operating Officer, Andrew McGregor: "Kirsty’s heritage is an ideal reflection of Text 100’s international proposition. We were determined to make a hire for our UK business that broke with the past. We‘ve intentionally sought a leader with broad global credentials and a proven ability to diversify the mandate of a technology-centric agency. Kirsty‘s appointment is a watershed moment for an office about to enter its 30th year of consulting.
  
  "We’ve set the new senior team a challenge. We’d like them to double the size of our UK business within two years; while furthering our international propostion, harnessing our heritage for the benefit of brands beyond the technology industry and maturing our social media offering. Expect to hear a lot more from us on all three fronts in the months ahead."



• Text 100 Managing Director for UK & Ireland, Kirsty Leighton: "Text 100 has transformed itself in recent years. It’s a truly international brand with a surprisingly diverse client base – both locally and overseas. I’ll be focused on getting this message out there, supported by an impressive new senior team. Collectively, we’ve been given a rare opportunity to reinvigorate and refresh one of the public relations’ industry’s most enduring players."

About Text 100

Text 100 is a global public relations consultancy with a staff of 500 people and a direct presence in 28 cities worldwide. We work with many of the world’s leading technology, internet and digital lifestyle brands with a client roster that includes IBM, Cisco, Fujifilm, Lenovo, SanDisk, Skype and PayPal. We are recognized as an innovator in the field of public relations – particularly in the emerging area of social media - and for leading the PR industry in staff development. Our strong culture has been praised around the world over the past two years during which time we have been recognized as the Best Midsize Agency in Asia, the Best Midsize Agency to Work For in the US, and one of the UK’s Best Small Companies. For more information about Text 100, please visit www.text100.com.

Media Contact

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