Milk & Honey PR has expanded to North America, opening an office in New York City, which will be led by Paul Cohen, who joins as partner and CEO North America. This marks the agency’s second international market expansion, after its 2019 launch in APAC, opening an office in Sydney headed by Caroline Addy.
Paul brings to Milk & Honey more than two decades of communications experience across three continents. Previously he spent 17 years at Ketchum, where he held senior positions in their Shanghai, Hong Kong, Brussels and New York offices, and had served as Partner since 2010. In 2020, he became Principal of Prospect Strategies Group, a boutique strategic communications consultancy that served a variety of clients in the energy, technology and financial services spaces.
The leadership and global expansion of Milk & Honey, founded in 2017 by CEO Kirsty Leighton, comes after a year of rapid growth. In 2020 the firm added 48% to annualised revenues and 16 new additions to the team, and saw digital activity increase by 134% in the last six months alone. The agency now has 31 team members across offices in London, Sydney and now New York.
Paul Cohen, CEO North America of Milk & Honey PR said, “I’m thrilled to join Milk & Honey and extend their meteoric growth to new markets. I’ve been so impressed with Kirsty and her team, not only for their great client work but also for their insistence on running the firm the right way. This is an exciting opportunity to bring my experience to an organization committed to working smarter, more efficiently, and delivering an unequalled client experience.”
Kirsty Leighton, CEO of Milk & Honey PR said: “Paul brings deep experience in the US and global markets and a thoughtful, intellectual approach to PR that is rare in our industry. With clients and prospects increasingly asking for our services in America and around the world, it became evident that we needed to expand and add an office in New York. We’re excited to bring Paul on board to drive the market expansion forward and further our cross-border capabilities.”
Milk & Honey recently grew its UK board with the addition of Rachel Proctor, and its digital offering with Imogen Wallis’ promotion to Head of Discovery – a newly created role marrying planning, insights and social and digital expertise. In April, the agency launched its new specialised purpose offering led by Fiona Gildea, which offers a blend of climate- and culture-connected creativity and consultancy to deliver positive change with impact, helping organisations of all sizes achieve sustainable ambitious growth.
