Citypress named as PRWeek Mid-Sized Consultancy of the Year

The agency is the first employee-owned consultancy to win this prestigious award, as well as being the first agency headquartered in the North.

The judges were impressed by Citypress’ employee-owned business model and the creation of its Employee Ownership Board last year – which is made up of colleagues from every level, specialism, and location across Citypress to give the agency’s people even greater influence over how it is run.

The last 12 months have also seen the agency welcome new client partners including Arla Foods UK, AON, Kellanova and Aspall, joining long-standing clients like Aldi, Lloyds Banking Group, Nestlé, Primark, Siemens and Molson Coors.

And creativity remains high on the agency’s agenda, with a £1m investment demonstrating its commitment to progress. In the last year Citypress has brought in Creative Director Paddy Smyth and Director of Digital and Innovation Rob Stone to accelerate its AI-powered services and scale new products.

Innovation and impact

Key innovations that helped the agency stand out include its LinkedIn Impact Score, a proprietary tool that assesses and benchmarks individual influence on LinkedIn, which has been rolled out across major clients like Lloyds Banking Group, as well as the Regional Advocacy and Intelligence Unit (RAIU).

The judges also praised Citypress’ commitment to purpose, after the agency delivered almost 1,400 hours of pro bono charity and community work.

Brand-defining campaigns

The creative investment has helped Citypress deliver standout work including The Milk Bank for Arla – installing 100 sponsored fridges in food banks, giving 450,000 people access to fresh dairy who didn’t before, plus launching the world’s first free milk ATM.

The agency also created The Space Between campaign for Crown Paints, highlighting the decline of community third spaces and resulting in £240,000 community funding reinstatement for Dudley Council.

Judges saw Citypress as “a real showcase for the shared ownership model”, adding: “An impressive roster of satisfied clients, managing to show growth during challenging times. Some standout work that demonstrates great results.”