Jim Dunn, chairman and chief executive of travel and leisure specialist
TPS Group is leaving the agency. At the same time, parent Shandwick UK,
has announced it is to rebrand the group to Shandwick Public Relations.
Shandwick PR brings together three existing TPS brands: TPS PR, Prime
Communications and Fleet PR. The new 51-strong agency has three
divisions, covering consumer, travel/leisure and corporate/business to
business.
Richard Houghton, previously managing director of Prime Communications,
has been named as managing director-in-waiting for the new company. He
will take up his new role when Dunn leaves next March. Meanwhile,
Blanaid Colley moves from being TPS Group managing director to become
Shandwick PR’s chairman designate.
Dunn, who founded TPS in 1969, insisted it was his decision to leave the
group, which was bought by Shandwick six years ago. He said he intended
to act as a consultant to Shandwick PR for several months after his
departure and to spend more time lecturing and with Hawksmere, his
training and publishing company.
The newly-formed Shandwick PR has fees of more than pounds 2.5 million
pounds and a client base which includes Cathay Pacific, Universal
Studios Hollywood and TNT Express Worldwide.
* Shandwick PR has been hired by Consort Hotels, the UK’s largest hotel
consortium.
