Honner wins ‘Best PR Company of the Year’ at 2018 Rainmaker awards

Specialist corporate and financial communications firm Honner has won ‘Best PR Company of the Year’ at the 2018 Rainmaker MAX Awards capping off a big first half of the year for the firm.

The MAX (Marketing, Advertising and Sales Excellence) Awards recognises individuals, teams and organisations in the Australian financial services industry who have achieved excellence in marketing, advertising, PR and sales. Winners were awarded for their creative, innovative and effective campaigns, which delivered increased engagement and ROI for their clients over the past year.

Commenting on the importance of the award Honner’s Founder and Chair, Philippa Honner, said: “The award is recognition for each member of our growing team and a further acknowledgement of the impact our services are having on the industry in times of unprecedented change.

“The financial services industry is becoming increasingly complex and managing reputation while maintaining trust is getting more challenging for businesses. Our strong team of communications professionals are uniquely placed to help corporate and financial services brands build credibility and engage all stakeholders,” she added.

Client wins fuelling growth

New clients that have joined the agency in the past six months include the Australian Retail Credit Association’s consumer education body CreditSmart, listed automated investment advice company, InvestSMART Group (ASX: INV) and cryptocurrency trading platform, CoinJar.

In June 2018, Honner extended its 10-year partnership with AXA Investment Managers, winning a competitive re-pitch to be the firm’s Australia-based PR agency.

“We’ve had a fantastic first half of the year with a number of high-profile business wins. We are delighted to welcome such a diverse range of quality companies into our portfolio and are working with each of them to develop and execute holistic strategic communications programs,” Honner Managing Director, Paul Cheal said.

“As we enter the second half of the year, we are excited about the opportunities to further build on our capabilities for our clients and continue to grow our talented team,” he concluded.

Founded in Sydney in 1997, Honner celebrated its 20-year milestone last year, and has grown to become Australia’s largest communications agency specialising in the financial services sector.

In January 2018, Honner moved to a new and larger office space in Swire House (Spring Street, Sydney) to accommodate a growing team and the addition of new service lines.

Honner is now a member of the three prestigious global networks. These include the world’s largest communications partnership, PROI Worldwide, the Global Communication Partners (GCP) and the Global Fintech PR Network – the first network of PR agencies specialising in financial technology.

In 2017, Philippa Honner relocated to New York to set up a US marketing office. The initiative is designed to more actively drive business development efforts in offshore markets – sourcing global clients to be supported in Australia by the Sydney-based team.