Grayling has opened its ninth UK office in Glasgow to meet growing demand for international, integrated communications services in the city.

The award-winning agency’s Scotland team has achieved strong growth in the first half of this year and has taken up space at 100 West George Street, which has just completed a £2m refurbishment.

Grayling’s Glasgow opening is coupled with the new hire of Candace Watermeyer, who joins as an associate director to spearhead the agency’s Glasgow offer. Watermeyer specialises in supporting business growth strategies with creative communications, having worked with Scottish Enterprise, Clyde Gateway, HBJ Gateley (now Addleshaw Goddard) and Deloitte. Grayling has also brought in account executives Anna McDonald and Cameron Taylor to support Scotland-based clients.

Billy Partridge, director of Grayling, says, “From established industries to the burgeoning tech scene, the business community in Glasgow is plotting expansion and is full of confidence. Those plans often include trading into other parts of the UK and frequently include international growth. That’s where we are strongest – we offer an integrated, intelligent approach to reputation management and communications strategy across media, digital and public affairs channels."

Grayling operates on five continents and in all the major economies of the world. It is also the UK’s original ‘network consultancy’, with nine offices across the country enabling clients to plug into local communities with ease. Its team in Scotland has over 40 clients including M&S, BT, Calor and the Carnegie Trust and delivers local, national and international public relations services for its clients.

Partridge says, “It is absolutely the right time for an agency of Grayling’s resources, talent and scope to be operating in Glasgow. Modern business is about breaking down barriers to trade and the same should be true of reputation management: the city’s exporters and multinationals can now access a global network of comms experts on their doorstep.”