Ex-Elmwood creative directors announce first major win for consultancy Project
Project, the new design consultancy launched by a trio of senior Elmwood staff, has revealed its first major new win.
The consultancy, formed by the former joint creative directors of Elmwood's Edinburgh office Paul Sudron and Graham Sturzaker, alongside Maryanne Murray, has been appointed by World First, a London-based global financial firm.
World First is the UK's fastest growing foreign exchange broker.
Ranked at number 53 in The Sunday Times' Fast Track 100, World First has worked with over 20,000 private clients and 4,700 companies to date and its foreign exchange transaction volume was over £1 billion last year.
World First also counts the former deputy governor of the Bank of England as one of its chief advisors.
Project is now collaborating with the finance firm, which also has offices in Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking of the win Sturzaker said: "World First spoke to a number of big London agencies, however through the recommendation of a former client, they spoke to a number of Scottish agencies, including us.
"World First represents a new breed of client, one that is hugely marketing savvy and brand aware," continued Sturzaker. "As such, they have bought into an experienced and hungry team. They know from the start that they will deal only with the most senior team, the team that they bought into."
Project formed as a result of changes at Elmwood's Edinburgh office, which dramatically downsized at the end of last year. The team were offered the chance to relocate to one of Elmwood's other offices, but decided to stay in Edinburgh.
As such, Project launched with a small raft of Elmwood clients, including Creative and Cultural Skills and Glasgow Grows Audiences.
Sturzaker and Sudron have worked together for many years having joined Elmwood to launch its Edinburgh office from Graphic Partners. Murray has worked for a number of London's top agencies, including Rufus Leonard and The Partners, and has also worked in the US, before joining Elmwood Edinburgh last year.
Project's founding directors claim that the market has been "crying out for a new model of agency". The resulting structure is "small, nimble and perfectly formed," claim the team.
"We can pull on our global brand experience, and we can help smaller clients step up to the next level.
""We don't just pull the A-Team out for the pitch. Clients, quite rightly, expect to work with the same team that they invest their trust in, at the pitch stage. Our promise is that when we take on a project, we'll each be hands-on and available to our clients, our choice of location with a shop front is part of that offer. Our clients can walk in off the street if they choose and we'll be right there, visible and available."
"Our experience allows us to get to the right solution quicker."
Project has also been implementing a different charging structure, as it aims to change the way the industry operates. "We don't want to restrict the client/agency relationship. The relationship we hope to foster with clients is grown up, honest, transparent and fair. We negotiate a fee in advance and stick to it -that's what clients have asked for and something we can deliver because of our structure."