Porter Novelli recruits Honor to run consumer arm

Sarah Robertson, PR Week UK, Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 5:39pm,

Former Communique PR managing director Neil Honor has resurfaced at Porter Novelli with a remit to strengthen its UK consumer offering.

Reporting directly to UK MD Jean Wyllie, Honor has taken the role of director of consumer marketing.

Lucy Melling, who held the same title at PN, went on maternity leave at the beginning of February. ‘I am babysitting the team and looking after Lucy's portfolio. She will continue to focus on her clients and my role focuses on business growth,' said Honor.

Overseeing a team of ten across PN's London and Banbury offices, Honor will lead accounts including British Airways, Gillette and Bang & Olufsen.

Honor's hire is significant for PN's consumer offering, which has suffered several high-profile departures in recent years.

Practice head Steve Marinker defected to Citigate Dewe Rogerson in 2004 and was shortly followed by director Mark Schmid (PRWeek, 5 March 2005).

Other exits have included Richard Medley, who joined GCI in 2004 as head of consumer, and Nick Woods, now at Weber Shandwick.

Honor left Communique in January (PRWeek, 19 Jan). Before joining the Burson-Marsteller-owned agency in 2005, he worked at agencies including Ketchum.

ALSO... Porter Novelli this week announced that it has extended its presence in northern Europe through a partnership with Akvamariini in Finland, CC Public Relations in Denmark and Sweden's Prat PR.