Agency and public relations advisor

Stephen was previously managing director at Metia Group (2019-2020), an international digital marketing agency. It creates high-performance campaigns using research, content, demand and earned media. His clients included Amazon, BMW, Capita, Salesforce, and Microsoft.

He was Chief Engagement Officer at Ketchum (2012-2018), an Omnicom-owned agency, responsible for integrating digital and social capabilities in client engagements across the agency’s international network. He provided lead senior counsel on integrated global accounts, including IBM, IKEA and Phillips.

He co-founded, managed and sold two award-winning public relations agencies, Rainier PR and Speed.

At Speed (2009-2012), Stephen led the merger of three public relations agencies to develop a modern proposition, service model and workflow. Clients included The Associated Press, Optical Express, The Economist, Symantec, uSwitch for Business and Virgin Media Business.

Rainier PR (1998-2009) was a technology public relations agency focused on technology expertise and a senior client service model. Clients included ARM, ntl (now Virgin Media Business), Intel and Toshiba.

Researcher and teacher

Stephen originally trained as an engineer. His interest in technology and its communicative aspects led him to a career in public relations. He is a PhD research student at Leeds Business School investigating the optimal contributions of public relations to management.

He co-founded Socially Mobile with Sarah Waddington CBE in 2021. The community interest company supports public relations practitioners in increasing their earning potential. It delivers management training to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and underrepresented and underserved groups.

Stephen is the co-editor with Ralph Tench of the fifth edition of Exploring PR and Management Communication, the definitive book on public relations theory and practice, published by Pearson in January 2021.

His other books include #BrandVandals (Bloomsbury, November 2013), Brand Anarchy (Bloomsbury, February 2012), Platinum (CIPR, September 2018), Share This (Wiley, July 2012) Share This Too (Wiley, September 2013) and Chartered Public Relations: Lessons from Expert Practitioners (Kogan Page, February 2015).

Industry leadership

Stephen was President of the CIPR in 2014, during which time he helped return the organisation to its roots of professionalism as set out in its Royal Charter.

He is the former chairman of the CIPR Artificial Intelligence and Social Media panels. The two groups have led the characterisation of the impact of machines and social media on marketing and public relations practice.

Stephen is a Chartered PR Practitioner, an Honorary Fellow of the CIPR and a Fellow of the PRCA. He was awarded the Mark Mellor Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award by the PRCA in 2021.