The Big Partnership opens Manchester office

Scottish PR agency The BIG Partnership has expanded its offering in the North West of England with the launch of a new Manchester office, and brought in Sarah Lawless from marketing agency One to head it up.

The move follows a string of client wins for The Big Partnership worth in excess of £250k in the last year, some of which include APS Group, Transport for London, First Travel Solutions, dairy technology firm, Fabdec, new road safety app, BikeSpotter, and Merseytravel.

Lawless, who has spent the past four years as head of PR and social media at Manchester-based agency One, will lead the new offer, and is joined by Josh Turner, who has been brought in as an account director.

Turner was previously comms manager at global shipping and maritime company Maersk Line.

Lawless said: “Joining BIG at such a crucial point in its expansion is a unique and exciting opportunity. BIG is a well-known agency, with a great reputation in Scotland – one of my main focusses will be to build on this in England.”

The BIG Partnership, which first launched in 2000, has four offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Fife, as well as Liverpool, which was set up in 2012.

Lawless added: “Both of our appointments clearly demonstrate the company’s commitment to development in the North West. Josh and I will work to implement a region-wide strategy and place a strong focus on business development. The team in Liverpool has already made a positive impact in the region, and I am thrilled to continue this success and shape our position in the Manchester market.”

Sharon Mars, director at The BIG Partnership, explained: “The recent office opening and the appointments of Sarah and Josh highlight an important time for the business. We are realising our vision to expand further into the North West, and with two locations now set in place, we can widen our service offering to one of the UK’s largest economies.

“Manchester and Liverpool are bursting with opportunity and both have a prominent presence in the professional, legal and financial service sectors – all areas in which BIG is particularly strong.”