Choat (pictured) has been interim MD at food and drink PR specialist Nexus since June.
He now becomes permanent managing director following the completition of the merger of his business, called Brick, and its contracts into Nexus. The clients he brought with him include brewer and pub operator Wadworth and Woods Foodservice.
Choat becomes the first full-time MD at the independent comms consultancy since the departure of Frankie Oliver in 2017.
Choat said: "Nexus is a company with a rich heritage that thrives on new thinking. We’ve developed a clear proposition based on ‘Nexus Moments’, using data and creative bravery to make stories, not just tell them. Our purpose isn’t to help brands make noise but to inspire positive changes in how its customers feel – PR is about sustainable growth and ideas ignite growth."
Touch PR, the specialist drinks agency founded by Amanda Baiden, has also been merged into Nexus in recent months. Baiden, who has worked at Nexus since summer 2017, heads up the company’s consumer, insight and influencer teams, as well as looking after people and culture across the agency.
In July, Ian York, former graphic designer at creative marketing agency Soapbox, joined Nexus as head of visual content. Nexus said his brief is to "radically transform and lead the agencies branding, visual and digital content capabilities".
