STRATEGIC corporate communications agency the Freer Consultancy has added to its client roster in 2023, with Switzerland-headquartered tech and engineering group Zühlke, and property firm Rettie & Co. among client wins during the year.
The firm, run by Nick Freer, handled media relations for a number of M&A transactions during the year, including LGT’s £140 million acquisition of abrdn’s discretionary fund business in the UK, The Paint Shed’s acquisition by Brewers, and Chemify’s £33 million Series A investment round.
Freer has also appointed a new Associate, with former Press and Journal Business Editor Erikka Askeland joining the team.
Erikka Askeland has spent almost two decades as one of Scotland’s foremost financial reporters, with Insider, The Scotsman, and the Press and Journal, where she spent two stints as Business Editor. Erikka, who is based in Aberdeen, also brings corporate communications experience to her role with Freer.
Nick Freer, Founding Director, Freer Consultancy said: “Erikka’s reputation precedes her, and I’m excited about what she can bring to our clients. It also gives us boots on the ground in Aberdeen and the North-East, which we thinks is going to pay dividends. Alongside Ness Collingridge, we also see opportunities to develop new initiatives and business streams, from research and publishing to events.”
Former BBC broadcaster Collingridge joined Freer as an Associate last year, and works with some of Freer’s clients in Scotland and North America. Nick Freer said: “Ness has been nothing short of transformative for a number of our client CEOs, essentially around impact coaching at which she is at the very top of her field.”
Other assignments for Freer Consultancy this year included media support and conference hosting for global tech advisory bank GP Bullhound’s Northern Tech Awards in April, and media relations and event management provided to entrepreneur Ana Stewart around the Pathways: A New Approach to Women in Entrepreneurship review, co-authored by Mark Logan, chief entrepreneurial adviser to The Scottish Government.
The agency’s client base includes tech incubator and startup support group CodeBase, private bank Hampden & Co, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), CCL Logistics & Technology, BetDEX, the world’s first sports betting exchange on the blockchain, impact investment firm Eos, Scotland’s first internet of things (IoT) accelerator, STAC, ultrasound startup Novosound, and international tech ecosystem specialist Foras.
Nick Freer added: “We have spent the last decade working with so many amazing companies from Scotland and further afield, and we’re enthused about what the next ten years will hold.”
Freer’s advisory board includes Trustpilot’s Chief Trust Officer and experienced Non-executive Director Carolyn Jameson, and Scottish entrepreneur George Mackintosh.
