Former journalist and PR agency veteran Chris Walker has launched a new communications agency in Manchester pledging to create better results and outcomes for both business clients and agency staff.

Be The Best Communications is using a new model to bring PR, public affairs, business development and marketing closer together to empower clients to better harness market intelligence to drive sales.

Walker, 39, an industry veteran of northern PR agencies for almost a decade, is also pledging to create a market-leading offer for agency team members which includes regular well-being support and giving team members an individual training budget.

He said: “Sales are the lifeblood of any business. However, communications agencies and most clients treat PR, public affairs, and new business development as different disciplines, sat siloed in different departments.

“Britain spends £13.8billion on PR and communications each year. “Having a siloed approach means many organisations are not intelligently spending money on activity which drives sales.

“We are doing things differently in terms of how we engage with Government, how we engage with the marketplace and mobilise our intelligence to drive sales.

“Information is power –
it’s time to make communications work smarter to deliver better results, more quickly.”

While officially launched this week, Be The Best Communications, has already secured briefs to work with clients in the tech, housing and development sectors across the Northern Powerhouse region.

Highly experienced marketeer Angela May, has joined Be The Best Communications as head of strategy.

Over the past 20 years Angela has worked on behalf of some of the world’s largest and best-known tech companies including: Sony, IBM, Intel, Hitachi, Cisco, BT, Oracle, and Accenture.

Walker, who was named Yorkshire News Reporter of the Year in 2007, has worked at agencies across the north including stints at Weber Shandwick and IPB in Manchester, and The BIG Partnership in Liverpool.

At Social he worked on behalf of clients including Mace, Viewpoint, United Living, Places for People and Your Housing Group.

He played a big part in driving the growth of the Manchester agency by leading it to its largest client wins in the three years between 2016 and 2018: Brio Retirement and the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.

Be The Best Communications will specialise in tech, housing, property, construction and infrastructure.

As well as delivering better results for clients Walker is promising to create better outcomes for staff.

Walker said: “People are the greatest asset of any business. Yet, earlier this year a PRCA study of more than 500 PR professionals found 60% had suffered or been diagnosed with mental ill health.

“As someone whose worked in the industry for the best part of a decade I’m dedicated to making Be The Best Communications a genuinely caring employer which empowers our staff with industry leading training and well-being support in order to help them be the best they can be.

“There are some enlightened communications agencies, but very few have powerful employer brands and too many agencies make a big deal about providing the bare minimum.

“We have thought through or business model and name very carefully and are taking a long-term perspective to building Be The Best.

“Our strategy is to create an industry leading place to work in order to attract the best staff and to nurture that talent to help them grow and advance their careers.”

Be The Best Communications is based in Hardman Boulevard in Spinningfields in Manchester city centre.