Former Brass PR team set up new agency led by Phil Reed
A trio of former senior figures at Leeds agency Brass have started their own PR agency.
Aberfield Communications has been set up in Leeds by Phil Reed, a former managing partner at Brass PR, who has been on gardening leave for the past 12 months having resigned from the agency's board.
The five-strong launch team includes the former head of Brass PR, Tim Downs, and their ex-Brass colleague Nina Hands.
Downs joins as a director of the business and Hands as a senior consultant.
The line-up is completed by recent Leeds Metropolitan University PR graduate Hannah Shanks and finance director Sandra Reed.
“I think this must be one of the region’s most significant PR start-ups for many years, given the seniority and calibre of the team," said Phil Reed.
“There’s definitely room in the region for a PR agency that does things a little differently, one that focuses on how you positively influence an audience rather than simply communicating at it.”
Reed added that the agency would be looking to work closely with some of the region’s other marketing specialists, particularly in the design, digital and research sectors.
“We don’t want to be all things to all clients,” he said. “By working in partnership with a small group of creative agencies and freelancers, we will be able to provide clients with much more effective solutions.”
Former regional newspaper journalist Reed has worked in PR for more than 20 years and, before Brass, held senior positions at Asda and Porter Novelli, as well as in the financial services sector.
Downs, who has worked for Cavendish Press and Communique PR during 14 years in journalism and communications, left Brass last month.
Hands' 10-year PR career has included spells at Golley Slater and the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service.