LONDON — Alfred, which works with brands including Etsy, Warner Bros. and Oatly, has appointed Lucy Newson (pictured) to its senior management team as director. Newson joins from Karmarama (previously Kaper) where she led the agency's Ikea and Vauxhall accounts. She previously spent five years at Frank.

LONDON — Frank has been appointed as agency of record for premium household appliance manufacturer Vorwerk. Its brief is to drive brand awareness in the UK for the German heritage brand’s two core products: vacuum cleaner Kobold and food mixer Thermomix. The agency is also representing the winner of The Apprentice 2018, Sian Gabbidon, as part of its ongoing work with Lord Sugar. Frank will handle all PR and marketing for Gabbidon’s swimwear label Sian Marie.

LONDON — Beattie Communications is investing £500,000 in a UK sales and marketing drive to counteract the impact of Brexit, including advertising, PR, events and social. CEO Laurna Woods said: “The uncertainty of Brexit is having a disastrous impact on the UK economy, with consumer and business confidence at a ten-year low. Brands are taking longer to make investment decisions and marketing budgets are the first to be cut. We’re not prepared to sit back and let the indecision of our politicians damage our agency.” Beattie has appointed Ellie Arnoldi as its first director of business development from Vice and Joe Media.

LONDON — Motorsport blockchain startup RaceCoin has appointed B2B technology specialist Jargon PR to coordinate an international media relations campaign targeting the technology, business and blockchain press. RaceCoin is aiming to transform motorsport by allowing racing enthusiasts, business owners, investors and stakeholders to connect through its technology, on areas from betting to funding drivers.

LONDON — FleishmanHillard Fishburn has appointed Claudia Bate as its new head of technology. Bate joined FHF in October 2017 to lead its financial services and fintech offer within the corporate practice. Returning from parental leave, she has been promoted to partner and will now lead the tech team.

LONDON — FHF has also published its 2019 Tech Trends Report, with analysis of 1 billion consumer conversations on Twitter and insights from technology thought leaders from around the world including Samsung, SAP and Philips. Predictions include the rise of mid-range smart cars; robots and AI creating more jobs rather than taking jobs; the end of games consoles in favour of mobile gaming; the rise of technology to improve sleep; new opportunities for blockchain in smart cities, government and digital transformation; and more focus on data protection.

LONDON — FTI Consulting has made 12 promotions to the role of senior managing director across EMEA: Iain Graham (Corporate Finance & Restructuring); Juliette Fortin and Steve Harris (Economic Consulting); Almira Cemmell, Alastair Farr and Jose Piñeiro (Forensic & Litigation Consulting); Edward Berry (Financial Services); Ben Brewerton (Energy & Natural Resources); Matt Dixon (Telecom, Media & Technology); Victoria Graefin Strachwitz (People & Change); Pablo López-Alvarez (Public Affairs); and Brett Pollard (Healthcare & Life Sciences).

LONDON — WE Communications senior marketing manager Jessica Ozdemir has been elected as the vice-chair of the PRCA’s PR and Communications Council for 2019. Former vice-chair Amanda Coleman, head of corporate communication at Greater Manchester Police, becomes chairman of the council, replacing outgoing chair Jonathan Chandler. Ozdemir will replace Coleman as chair in January 2020.

LONDON — Octopus Group is working with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchisor, with more than 9,000 hotels and 20 hotel brands, to refresh its midmarket Ramada Encore brand, including a redesigned logo and brand identity. Ramada Encore has 54 hotels in 20 countries and targets business and leisure travellers.

LONDON — Upfront Business Development, the business development consultancy for the media and marketing sectors, has signed an exclusive partnership deal with US-based sales intelligence platform Winmo, which provides data and insights on areas including brand/agency relationships, media spend, campaign reviews and agency profiles. The agreement will enable Upfront to offer its UK clients access to Winmo’s database. Propeller Group acquired a majority stake in Upfront at the end of last year.