Manchester-based strategic PR, content & comms agency Intelligent Conversation has appointed Jessica Hardman as Head of Public Information and Consumer to grow the agency’s specialist offering in behaviour change and intelligent consumer campaigns.
Jessica brings 18 years’ PR agency experience leading consumer and B2B campaigns for brands and public sector organisations including the NHS, Quorn, Virgin Media and Makro. She has previously spent over a decade at Leeds-based Finn, where she was operations director and played an instrumental role in the agency’s management. At IC, she will be part of the five-strong, hands-on management team around owner and managing director Fritzi Wemheuer.
IC’s internationally award-winning behaviour change work (for United Utilities and Greater Manchester Combined Authority among others) provides the perfect platform for Jessica to grow the agency’s offering in this space, alongside its strong presence in B2B and Healthcare.
Jessica said: “IC has a fantastic reputation for its high-value work, nationally and globally, and I am excited to join such an experienced team, telling the big global stories and tackling important issues with strategic, creative communications.
“I was drawn to IC for its grown-up ‘work where you want’ model. Its central Manchester offices are incredible and well-connected. Yet, as a parent, having that genuine flexibility to work remotely with a range of exceptional clients remains a game-changer in the agency world.”
Jessica’s is the second recent appointment at the agency. At the end of last year, Bethany Lee joined as Senior Consultant after five years in content strategy roles, most recently at Bruntwood.
A creative writer at heart, Bethany brings a wealth of experience in combining creativity and analytical thinking to develop and produce multi-platform content. She is now working across the breadth of IC’s client portfolio from global industry to healthcare tech, from business to education and consumer.
Fritzi Wemheuer, managing director at IC, said: “Our clients love having direct access to highly experienced, supersmart people who do the thinking as well as the doing. With Bethany and Jessica, we’ve found two more exceptional members of the team who will drive our clients’ businesses – and ours – forward.”
