PR group announces new chief executive appointment

PR group Big Partnership has appointed Allan Barr, its director of digital, design and marketing, as its new chief executive.

The marketing agency, which has a key operation in Manchester, has also appointed associate directors Gayle Grant and Euan Blair as full board directors and promoted account director Charlene Sweeney to associate director.

Allan Barr joined Glasgow group Big as an account director in 2007 after working in senior communications roles with ‘Big Four’ professional services companies KPMG and PWC.

He led a number of the agency’s major PR accounts and was appointed a board director in 2010.

Over the past few years Allan has spearheaded Big’s successful diversification into digital, marketing and design, working closely with teams throughout the business, with direct responsibility for some of Big’s key accounts.

Big’s chairman, Malcolm McPherson, said: “The creation of the chief executive role is a significant element in Big’s plans for continued growth, driving forward a range of additional steps to strengthen our position as a forward-thinking, top-performing creative agency.

“In Allan, we’ve got a chief executive who cares passionately about Big, our clients and our team. He has played a central role in the company’s success over the past decade and more and has an in-depth understanding and knowledge of all sides of the business – PR, digital, marketing and creative.

“He is the right person to lead us on the next stage of our evolution to become one of the UK’s leading integrated marketing and communications agencies.”

Allan Barr said: “I’ve now spent more than half of my career at Big and am hugely excited to take on the role of CEO. Clearly it is a challenging time, but marketing and communications services have never been more important for organisations.

“The current climate means businesses are going to have to work harder than ever to recover from the economic shock suffered as a result of the coronavirus. The encouraging thing from my perspective is that we are already working with our clients to prepare for that recovery.”

Gayle Grant is Big’s head of energy, based in the company’s Aberdeen office, and joined BIG in 2010 from a Manchester PR agency after beginning her career in journalism. She has been at the heart of Big’s success in expanding its oil, gas and energy client base.

With more than 16 years of digital marketing experience, Euan Blair joined Big in 2015 and now leads the agency’s digital marketing team and creative studio. He originally headed Big’s PPC and SEO offering before taking on responsibility for the wider digital marketing team.

Account director Charlene Sweeney, who heads some of Big’s most prominent PR clients, is promoted to associate director. Charlene joined in 2010 after a successful career in journalism with Scottish Television, the Sunday Herald and The Times.

Malcolm McPherson added: “Both Gayle and Euan have made significant contributions to the growth and development of Big and we believe their knowledge and energy as full board members will be major assets for us over the coming years.

“Charlene Sweeney is also one of Scotland’s leading PR operators and her promotion recognises the central role she plays at Big.”