Marketing group adds Flourish
Bristol-based CRM specialists Flourish have joined forces with the creative services agency Curious and The Harbour Collective in what is the first step in the development of a new marketing company.
The Harbour Group will be led by Harbour Collective founder Paul Hammersley, with Hugo Varney taking on the role of CFO. Hammersley was a chief executive of DDB and Cheil before he launched Harbour in 2017.
Hammersley said: “For some time we have been discussing with a number of our Collective member agencies how to more closely align their shared interests and create a more connected plan for future growth and value creation. Central to those discussions has been our desire to allow for the continued autonomy of the agency brands.”
Founded in 2004, Flourish built its reputation in CRM and customer journey marketing, working for clients such as Nissan, Twitch and ASOS. The agency now employs more than 50 people and operates from offices in Bristol and Dubai.
Two of Flourish’s trio of founders, Neil Hecquet and Rich Hartson, will step aside, with remaining co-founder Keith Nichol taking a position on the Harbour Group board.
Nichol said: “The last 20 years have been such an incredible personal experience. I couldn’t have hoped for better partners than Neil and Rich and both have been instrumental in Flourish’s success. The time has come to push on and this opportunity with Harbour enables us to add our strength to a wider group proposition.”
