Congleton-based creative and marketing agency Thrive has appointed Kirsty Rushton to launch and lead a new PR department, expanding its strategic communications offering.
Rushton joins as head of PR and content, bringing experience as a trained journalist and a CIPR Chartered practitioner, alongside work in strategic PR and marketing agencies across B2B and B2C sectors.
The department will officially launch this autumn, adding dedicated PR expertise to Thrive’s existing strategy, creative, digital and content capabilities.
“PR has changed massively,” said Rushton. “It’s not just about firing out press releases and crossing your fingers that a journalist might pick them up. It’s about finding the stories that genuinely deserve attention, understanding what people care about and creating the right conversations in the right places.”
The offering will span media relations, thought leadership, strategic campaigns, launches, reactive opportunities and creative storytelling. It will also help clients develop relationships with relevant media and influencers and bring their expertise to target audiences.
Rushton added: “Thrive already has brilliant creative and strategic thinking at its heart, so bringing PR into that mix feels like a natural progression for the agency. I’m looking forward to building something that helps clients turn good ideas, interesting businesses and clever campaigns into stories people want to read, share and talk about.”
She will work with Thrive’s existing client portfolio, which includes Iceland, Nolte Kuchen, Earthborn Paints, Engie, Air Products, Glenigan, Manchester Metropolitan University and Keele University, while also bringing in new PR and content marketing clients.
The agency plans to integrate PR with its wider services, giving clients access to communications support alongside their creative and marketing activity.
Dave Powell, managing and creative director at Thrive, said: “We’ve always believed that great work starts with understanding what matters to people and finding a powerful way to communicate it. PR is a brilliant addition to that. Kirsty brings a different perspective, a healthy obsession with a good story and, importantly, the ability to spot an opportunity.
“We are delighted to have her on board and even more excited about what this means for our clients.”
