Coles, who quit Bell Pottinger’s financial PR operation last month after more than ten years with the firm (PRWeek, 8 October), will join WS Square Mile on 4 January as director.
Coles spent more than ten years at Bell Pottinger before leaving the firm ‘by mutual agreement’ with CEO Tim Ryan.
During his time at Bell Pottinger he worked on high-profile accounts including Abbey National’s planned merger in 2000 with Bank of Scotland. He also led an institutional shareholder campaign against the government’s decision to put Railtrack into administration in 2001.
Prior to Bell Pottinger, Coles ran his own consultancy and was Sun Life Assurance’s first group press officer.
Coles will report to WS Square Mile MD Mike Kirk and chairman Susan Ellis, who set up the original Square Mile with Tim Jackaman in 1989. Jackaman left WS Square Mile in April (PRWeek, 14 April) following the end of his earnout arrangement.
Ellis said Coles’s role would be focused mainly on bringing in more clients from the financial services sector.
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