Grayling has appointed Maury Postal as Executive Vice President of Creative Strategy and Innovation Services for North America.In the role, Postal will oversee creative strategy and innovation services across the region, including digital storytelling and communications strategy. Based in New York, he will report to North America CEO Esty Pujadas.Postal joins Grayling from his consultancy, The Office of Maury Postal, where he served as principal. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Ketchum, leading the agency’s global creative team.He brings more than 18 years of experience across creative strategy, documentary storytelling, digital innovation and communications. His work has included the development of AI visibility and GEO/AEO frameworks for brands in the consumer goods, financial services and technology sectors.The appointment comes as Grayling continues to expand its North American operations, following the appointment of Pujadas as CEO in December.

Lazada has appointed Grayling to handle its public relations mandate in Singapore.The appointment is for an initial one year term, with an option to extend for an additional year, according to Grayling.Under the mandate, Grayling will support Lazada in strengthening its position among shoppers and sellers in Singapore, with a focus on promoting the platform as a destination for authentic and high quality products.Over the next 12 months, the agency will work on reinforcing Lazada’s brand presence in Singapore, increasing awareness around its marketplace offerings and driving engagement with consumers and sellers through integrated communications initiatives.Grayling will also support Lazada’s upcoming 6.6 mega sales campaign as part of the partnership.Danny Tan, Managing Director at Grayling, said the agency looks forward to supporting Lazada’s continued growth and brand presence in Singapore amid increasing competition in the eCommerce sector.

Ketchum UK has announced the hiring of Noor Kheir as the new managing director of corporate, effective from September. In her new role, Kheir will lead Ketchum?ÇÖs team of directors and senior personnel, managing corporate communications for some of the agency?ÇÖs most prominent global clients, including P&G and Samsung. Her portfolio will also cover multi-market clients like 3M and Collinson, along with key European accounts such as Adobe and Mastercard.Kheir brings a wealth of experience in corporate communications, mobility & transport, and sustainability, further strengthening Ketchum's expertise and senior leadership team.Previously, Kheir served as managing director at H+K/Burson, where she spent five years overseeing the firm?ÇÖs mobility & transport practice. Additionally, she held the role of managing director of WPP?ÇÖs Ford Europe integrated agency, gaining significant experience in EV and sustainability/ESG communications. Before her tenure at H+K, Kheir spent 12 years at Edelman.Reflecting on her departure from H+K, Kheir said, ?Ç£I?ÇÖve had an absolutely brilliant five years at H&K (now Burson!), working with amazing clients and amazingly talented people. I know everyone says that when they are leaving but that is 100% true of H&K. It is the right time for me to take on a new challenge, and I cannot wait to join the Ketchum UK team, leading the corporate community.?Ç¥Sera Holland, Ketchum's chief strategy & innovation officer, global markets, commented on the appointment: ?Ç£Our incredible bench of senior consultants and directors in our corporate team have been leading the practice successfully for a while now, but given the continued growth and opportunity we?ÇÖre seeing across the corporate mix combined with our clients?ÇÖ need for us to help them navigate through significant global and market change, the time was right for us to bring in a strong, experienced leader to take our offer and team to the next level. Noor?ÇÖs experience in leading high-performing, integrated teams across global brands, in addition to the depth of her experience and reputation as a senior client counsellor, meant she was the clear standout choice for the role. She?ÇÖs joining a stellar senior leadership team in the UK and has a real vision for where she wants to take our offer, and myself, Jo-ann, and the rest of our team can?ÇÖt wait to partner with her to make it a reality.?Ç¥Kheir?ÇÖs appointment follows a series of other senior hires at Ketchum UK, including Estelle Boon from Grayling as managing director, consumer brand, and Bibi Hilton as chief client officer, global markets.

Grayling UK, a PR and public affairs agency, has announced the launch of Humble Mavericks, its first dedicated design and production studio. This development positions Grayling to offer clients an even more comprehensive suite of services.Humble Mavericks will collaborate with Grayling's existing client base, including industry giants like Nestl?? and Deliveroo, across the agency's UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong offices.The studio boasts a talented team, led by Dom Desmond, previously a Creative Director at Grayling UK. Desmond takes the helm as Head of Humble Mavericks. The team is further bolstered by the additions of senior designer Sital Mistry, who joins from Kindred, and Annie Dixey, a creative powerhouse with experience at new product development and branding firm Black Label Creations.Humble Mavericks will focus on creating impactful branding solutions, engaging social media campaigns, and captivating animations. Operating 24/7, the studio will seamlessly integrate with Grayling's established creative, strategy, research, data, and analytics teams.?Ç£The launch of Humble Mavericks is incredibly exciting for our agency and reflects our vision and ambition to provide cutting-edge creative services,?Ç¥ said Heather Blundell, (pictured), CEO, Grayling UK.  ?Ç£By combining our design and production capabilities with our expertise in PR, news-jacking creative, social-first content and data-led story-telling we can provide an always-on service for clients that is truly unique. The launch of Humble Mavericks enables us to provide clients even greater creative depth and scale,?Ç¥ said Dom Desmond.