PURPLE POWER: The global public relations firm Purple, which is part of the Together Group, has named Richard Danks executive vice president for lifestyle across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Over the last three years lifestyle has driven double-digit growth consistently, according to Danks.
He will be overseeing the growth of the agency in the respective regions and will report to Fergus Lawlor, chief executive officer of the business, and its global board of directors. He will also be joining Purple’s executive leadership team.
The agency is putting a real focus on the Middle Eastern market.
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Danks revealed that he will be working closely with Frame Publicity in Dubai to strengthen the agency’s presence. Purple completed the acquisition of Frame Publicity in 2024.
“Culturally, the Middle East has gone through a big shift where it used to be seen as an executional market and all of the big brands would go and do something there, but now it’s being really respected for its own cultural heritage and homegrown brands,” he said in an interview. “Commercially, it makes a huge amount of sense, but also culturally, it feels like an extremely exciting new market [to dive into].”
Lawlor praised the efforts of Danks, who joined Purple in 2021 to spearhead the agency’s U.K. lifestyle division and recruited clients including Soho House, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Johnnie Walker, Porsche, Aldar, Saatchi Yates and Serpentine.
“We have a rich history of promoting the most talented people to the most senior of roles. Richard is joining the executive leadership team at a time when we are looking at strong domestic and international growth, something which should provide further opportunities for the brightest and the best of our teams to prove themselves,” Lawlor added.
Purple’s operations are growing.
Danks said that the agency is “actively looking in Europe” to acquire businesses or open new offices.
As reported in 2022, Purple is a shareholder in the Together Group, a collective of marketeers, creatives and strategists which focuses on the luxury and lifestyle sectors worldwide.
Purple is one of five founder-led companies to have sold “significant stakes” to Together Group, which pitches itself as a full-service design, tech, marketing and communications provider for multinational, regional and local clients.
Together Group was founded by Paul Sheehy, a creative-agency entrepreneur, and Brad Fry, managing partner of the venture firm MatCap. Christian Kurtzke is the CEO.
