LONDON — Sky has handed Edelman its UK corporate communications account, after a three-way second-round competitive pitch.

The corporate brief replaces the financial communications brief held by Finsbury, which declined to pitch for the new account. Five agencies were initially invited to the closed pitch in the summer, with the final three being Edelman, Weber Shandwick and MHP.

Part of the team’s brief is to look at Sky’s corporate narrative, aligning with the work the broadcaster is already doing on brand purpose and what it stands for, internally and externally. The brief covers the UK only for the time being, although it may expand to Europe.

Sky group chief marketing and corporate affairs officer Debbie Klein (pictured) said: “We wanted an agency to challenge the way we think and in a very competitive pitch process Edelman’s team stood out, demonstrating the knowledge, capability and restless enthusiasm that we look for in a partner.”

Edelman’s general manager of corporate affairs Hugh Taggart added: “We’re extremely proud to be working with Sky as they embark on their next chapter. It’s a great brief that will draw on our full range of capabilities from analytics to creative and the team can’t wait to get going.”

None of Sky’s other PR agencies – including include Now TV agency Fever, publicists Premier PR and social media specialists 33 Seconds – are affected by the appointment, and no other comms remits are currently up for pitch at the broadcaster.

Sky recently appointed ad agency Mother to its marketing roster, with an integrated brief for flagship brand Sky TV.