Fanclub adds strength in corporate and ESG

Fanclub PR has strengthened its leadership and offer to clients across strategic, corporate and sustainability communications with the appointment of a new director to lead its Humankind Comms practice. 

Tessa Curtis brings over 25 years’ experience in senior roles at both agency and in-house teams and becomes director, Fanclub, with a particular focus on building Humankind Comms, its corporate, B2B and sustainability communications business.

At the same time Paul Lucas, who leads Fanclub’s creative offer, becomes a partner, working alongside founder Adrian Ma to take the business into its next phase of growth. 

Tessa brings extensive expertise in corporate reputation management, strategic communications and corporate, financial and sustainability communications gained with her own agency, in management consultancy and leadership roles at Weber Shandwick Worldwide and Grayling. She has worked with clients including Coca Cola, Benetton Group, Clearpay, Intel, IBM, Odgers Berndtson, Legal & General and The World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  

She also has wide experience of the ESG, sustainability and purpose agenda, both in house and with agencies. As Head of Group PR and Media Relations at FTSE-100 gaming group Entain PLC, Tessa led an award-winning strategic narrative of responsibility and growth -  helping Entain to win runner-up as Britain’s Most Admired Company in 2021*. Subsequently she helped to launch a non-profit to help women and girls in Afghanistan and has been leading a PR strategy to highlight the societal impacts of science for Oxford University Physics.  

Commenting on Tessa’s appointment, Adrian Ma said: “We started working with Tessa on a consultant basis last year and were blown away by what she brought to help solve challenges that our clients face. She came in, led clients through very complex issues in financial comms and ESG, and brought the team along with her. She is also highly entrepreneurial, with a record of success building client business and growing agencies.” 

“As the appetite for businesses to be better grows, and stronger regulation and scrutiny of ESG practices comes into play, more companies will need to transform to be more sustainable and inclusive. With this comes a great opportunity for our Humankind team with Tessa at its helm to develop and build further our capabilities and offer to clients”. 

Tessa Curtis said, “I’m very excited to join one of the most dynamic independent agencies in the UK, winning awards not only for its outstanding creative work but also its commitment to sustainability and purpose. Both are increasingly important to the success of strategic corporate storytelling, and Fanclub and Humankind will be in pole position to offer clients the full package.”

Speaking about Paul’s appointment to partner, Adrian Ma said: “For the past four years, Paul has been the driving force behind making us one of the most decorated creative PR shops in the country. He’s also a thoroughly brilliant person with impeccable judgement, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to help grow this business and create more impact.”

Fanclub PR was named Independent Agency of the Year at the PR Moment Awards a few months ago. Last year, it was named Small Consultancy of the Year at the CIPR Excellence Awards 2023 and Boutique Agency of the Year at the PR Moment Awards 2023.

Over the past year, the Humankind Comms practice has worked with the electric Formula E, the deforestation NGO Global Canopy and the data intelligence and ESG-tracking company Permutable AI.