The Week in the City

Gresham Private Equity has backed a management buyout of digital corporate comms specialist Investis.

Investis has also acquired Morningstar Investor Relations Services, formerly known as Hemscott IR. As part of the Gresham buyout, Helen James, currently Investis MD, will take over from Justin Walters as CEO.

The Federation of Small Businesses has hired ex-BBC broadcast journalist Liesl Smith as head of media. Smith previously worked as a news editor across TV, radio and online for the BBC.

One Marketing Communications has been appointed by the UK credit insurer, Euler Hermes UK, to lead a b2b comms campaign. The company, part of the Allianz Group, specialises in protecting customers against the risk of customer payment default. Manchester-based One picked up the business via a three-way pitch.

Lansons' Katherine Hobby and Chris Bose have become equity partners in the agency, taking the total number of partners to 34. Hobby joined Lansons as trainee executive from Skandia in 2006 and was promoted to account director in 2010. Bose joined in 2008 as a research assistant from think-tank Centre Forum and was made deputy head of public affairs in 2011.