Young takes on MD role at Speakeasy
Media production company Speakeasy has promoted its sales and marketing director Jonathan Young to the role of managing director.
Young takes over in the role from founder Jim Adamson who began the company in 1993, building its client base to work with clients including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, BAE Systems, Tesco, Pernod Ricard, Co-operative Financial Services and Bank of New York.
Adamson is set to remain on the board as executive chairman and will continue to oversee the company's strategy of continued expansion.
Young has worked at Speakeasy as sales and marketing manager for five years and managed the opening of the company’s production offices in Covent Garden and has overseen the running of competitor Orchard Communications in Woking, which the company acquired last year.
"The last twenty years have been the best of my life,” said Adamson.
“Seeing Speakeasy grow from a one-man outfit in a village in rural Perthshire to the major player it is today has been fantastic, and something that I will always find immensely satisfying." As to why he has chosen to make the move now: "Speakeasy's operational reach may be extensive, but unfortunately does not as yet cover too many of the sub-tropical climes - which is where I look forward to spending more time – especially in winter! But to be serious, the time is absolutely right to hand over the reigns. Jonathan and the board have done a fantastic job over the last few years on expanding the company and broadening its horizons, and I'm fully confident that they have what it takes to continue the Speakeasy tradition of friendly service and astute communications know-how. "
Young added: "I'm thrilled to be at the helm of what has got to be one of the UK's most characterful and rapidly growing corporate production companies. Building on the success of our Covent Garden production base I'm looking forward to leading the company through continued expansion and further diversification into new and emerging communication channels. The last couple of years have been tough, but for those companies that have weathered the storm and are prepared to embrace new trends and technologies, the opportunities in the corporate communications sector are enormous. I believe that Speakeasy is now perfectly positioned to exploit these opportunities."