Beattie, the creative communications group, has vowed to speed up its international expansion to compensate for Britain’s climate of uncertainty following the general election.
The firm announced it was opening in Canada after the UK voted in favour of Brexit. Today the agency said it would redouble its international ambitions by further strengthening operations in North America.
“We will not stand by and watch reckless politicians continue to sabotage the British economy and further damage our growth prospects,” said Laurna Woods, CEO of Beattie Group.
“How can a wounded Prime Minister, who no longer seems have the support of the majority of Conservative Party members, hope to extract a good deal from Europe for the people and businesses of Britain?
“Britain is facing an uncertain future and as a business we have no option but to take control of our own destiny and accelerate our expansion overseas.”
She announced that Beattie Group will make a significant investment in Canada and open an office in the US by the end of the summer. They will also seek further opportunities in English-speaking countries around the world.
“I am flying to Canada at the end of the month to begin serious negotiations with a small but important agency there. We have been speaking for a few weeks but I’m keen to conclude negotiations quickly.”
Woods declined to name the agency but said it would expand Beattie’s nationwide footprint beyond Toronto and result in a team of 12 in Canada.
Beattie Canada director Jessica McAndrew said: “Canadian businesses like the idea of working with a London-headquartered agency with integrated digital, PR, social and creative capabilities.”
Beattie, whose clients include Discovery Channel, Merck and Toronto-headquartered Norbord, is projecting fee income in Canada approaching $1m by the end of the year.
Formed 31 years ago, Beattie Group has 130 people spread across 12 UK offices including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. It operates three headline brands Beattie, Only Marketing and 11ten Group and has billings in Britain of £15m.
