Citizen Relations has a very clear mission: to make every conversation count. The ethos makes sense for a PR and comms agency – and it’s also a robust work ethic.

“Internally, we make sure that none of the conversations we have with colleagues or clients are taken for granted. Everything we say, everything we do, any level of support, is really critical,” explains Nick Cowling, who assumed the role of CEO in 2022, and has been with the firm for last 16 years. “We want to make sure that every piece of work we put out there is generating exactly what the client is looking for.”

It wasn’t until mid-2022 that, under CCO Josh Budd’s direction, a real push was made into the digital sphere.

A new chief digital officer, U.S.-based Crystalyn Stuart-Loayza, was brought on and the agency invested in a more comprehensive digital team, including hiring tech and analytics leaders such as Cara Peckens, EVP of technology and analytics, Suran Ravi, VP of intelligence and insights and Yenfu Chen, creative technology lead.

“We’ve probably produced some of the most exciting work out of the digital group. We’ve had the best year ever from an awards or recognition perspective; client satisfaction is through the roof and only getting better,” Cowling shares.