TALA reports third year of strong growth and appointment of new board

For the third successive year, TALA, the international reputation management consultancy, has reported annual growth exceeding 30%. Headline figures were boosted by wins such as global packaging company Sidel, insurance software provider Genasys Technologies, and pharmaceutical company Besins Healthcare UK. The consultancy also saw the first clients adopt its new crisis management software, Crisis Navigator.

To support the growth of the consultancy, a new board has been created and several new appointments made. Founder Andrew Baud becomes chief executive, Corin Allen previously of Three Monkeys and Jaguar Land Rover is promoted to managing director, and former Blue Cross staffer Harriet Mountford is promoted to deputy managing director. The board is supported by Sarah Garstin, who has been promoted to operations director.

Andrew Baud, chief executive of TALA, PRCA Council Member, and chair of the PR & Communications Apprentice Trailblazer Group, said: “We work with organisations that want to make the world a better place to live in, work in and experience. With that universally hard-wired mantra, we have retained many clients since our inception 15 years ago. Coupled with this, our organic growth and new client revenues saw headline growth in 2022 of 44% and a healthy margin through effective resource management.

“Key to success is ensuring we are central to our clients’ goals – in particular we have helped many organisations navigate their response during the pandemic and the ongoing global turmoil. We also benefit greatly from the TALA International Network, a partnership of 12 agencies globally, through which we extend our reach on behalf of clients.”

Launched in 2022, Crisis Navigator is cloud-based software for crisis management teams. It enables organisations to manage incidents and crisis situations holistically and virtually using laptops, tablets or smartphones. In addition to instant alerts, clients can create virtual crisis rooms where documents are stored centrally, and actions can be allocated to team members. It sits alongside TALA’s two training products, Media Navigator and LinkedIn Navigator.

In 2021, TALA announced that it would create its own woodland in North Oxfordshire, with a tree for every client and for each former, current, and future employee. Following the latest round of planting, the woodland now comprises over 100 trees and the consultancy is planning a celebratory event in midsummer.

New for 2023, TALA has announced a drive to hire three paid interns from less advantaged communities. The intention is to bring in enthusiastic young people who are studying in their first year of A-levels, and for them to join a career development programme during the Easter and the Summer holidays.

Baud concluded: “Our growth is due to a combination of factors, but underpinning it is our team’s collective desire to champion organisations that make our planet cleaner, healthier, and smarter. In our own small way, we are also doing what we can to mitigate our environmental impact and to invest in the talent our industry will need in the future.”