Sarah Pinch joins Filament PR

Sarah Pinch and Anne-Marie Lacey

Anne-Marie Lacey, managing director of Filament PR, has announced the appointment of Sarah Pinch as non-executive director.

Sarah has been a director of communications in a number of organisations before she started her own agency, Pinch Point Communications in Bristol. She was also CIPR President in 2015 and is a non-executive for the Health and Safety Executive.

Sarah has a reputation for ethical practices and championing diversity in public relations; she is ranked in the FT and HERoes’ top 50 women in business for diversity and, in October 2017, was made chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation.

Anne-Marie first met Sarah in 2015 at a CIPR event in Newcastle, when Sarah was President of the Institute.  Anne-Marie approached Sarah to set up a nation-wide network for young communicators and together they founded the CIPR’s Young Communicators’ Forum.

Anne-Marie explained that Sarah was the first person she called when she originally set up Filament PR, and described Sarah as her ‘professional mentor, number-one-cheerleader and at times a challenging critic’. Launched in October 2016, Filament PR is based in the North East of England and specialises in lifestyle, leisure and entertainment. The agency works with clients – including Enesco, which sees the team work with Pusheen, Beatrix Potter and Disney – across the UK.

The non-executive director role is a formalisation of a relationship that has been in place for many years. Sarah’s importance to Filament PR’s success is highlighted by Anne-Marie, who said: ‘I’m certain Filament PR’s success story to-date has been – in part – down to the strategic guidance and direction given by Sarah.’

Sarah will continue to run Pinch Point Communications along with her other professional commitments. Her new role at Filament PR will see her provide strategic direction and insight to the Board, and she will help to grow the business that is continuing to go from strength to strength.

Sarah said: ‘I am delighted to be joining Filament PR as the Non-Executive Director.  I have had the privilege of mentoring Anne-Marie for the last three years, watching her develop as a highly professional PR practitioner and successful business woman.

‘By formalising our working relationship in this way, I look forward to helping Filament PR deliver ever more successful work for our clients and build a strong reputation for excellence.  It is a very exciting time indeed.’

Anne-Marie said: ‘For me personally, having become a Chartered PR Practitioner and winning the national title of Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year at the CIPR’s Excellence Awards last summer, it’s given me a great platform to raise the profile of Filament PR and bring in a raft of new business, especially over the final two quarters of the financial year.

‘Having recently hired an Office Manager to oversee the administrative side of the business and with Sarah on board too, we’re looking to expand our team over the course of the year with a number of other key associate appointments across design, digital, content creation and marketing communications. It really is a very exciting time for us all and I’m delighted Sarah is at the helm, supporting me and my team through her strategic direction to help make our aspirations for 2018 and beyond a reality.’