(l-r) Betty Adams, Sarah Kroon and Shona England-Lees
Trio of appointments at Approach
Public relations consultancy, Approach, is expanding its award-winning team with three new appointments to strengthen its digital, b2b and retail offering.
The Ilkley-based agency has appointed Sarah Kroon as business development director, Shona England-Lees as senior account executive and Betty Adams as junior account executive.
Sarah has over 14 years of retail, brand and planning experience, most recently working at ASDA. With a background in management and campaign delivery, Sarah will be focusing on team development, service delivery and new business.
Speaking about her appointment, Sarah said: “My retail background is a perfect fit for the Approach team as we further develop our specialism in this sector. It’s incredibly exciting times as the team and the business as a whole expands with new client wins and more awards - I’m genuinely excited to be a part of the ongoing Approach success story.”
Joining the team from a Leeds digital agency, Bradford-born PR graduate Shona, has worked across national brands and not-for-profits and has a background in earned media.
She said: “The Approach ethos, client-base and rapidly developing digital offering were all a real draw for me – we have the perfect mix of national b2b, manufacturing, interiors and retail clients alongside the “passion projects” which really motivate and drive the team to make a difference to the lives of the people we’re working with. It’s the perfect mix.”
Betty has been appointed as junior account executive after recently graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a first in Business and Management. During her final year of studies, Betty worked at Approach one day a week to gain experience.
She commented: “Securing a graduate job at Approach has been fantastic. After interning here during my final year, I know the clients and I’m looking forward to continuing to work on some great campaigns over the coming months.”
Managing director, Suzanne Watson, added: “Our three new starters offer a varied skill set that really enhances our offering across all sectors but particularly in manufacturing and retail. The passion that Sarah, Shona and Betty show for this business and our clients’ business is exactly what continues to set us apart as a consultancy – our love for what we do genuinely impacts on the campaigns we deliver for our clients and the award-winning results we continue to secure.”
Approach is also celebrating being shortlisted in the CIPR PRide industry awards for Best Use of Social Media, Outstanding Small PR Consultancy of the Year and Corporate Business Communications Campaign.
Approach specialises in media relations, social media, event and campaign management and internal communications. With more than 40 years of experience in the public and media relations industry, Approach’s client list includes United Carpets and Beds, Airedale Chemical, Whitakers, OnePay and the Business Enterprise Fund.