Edelman UK has announced the appointment of Hugh Taggart as general manager, corporate affairs. Taggart will join the Edelman UK executive operations team and will be responsible for leading Edelman’s corporate affairs and Ireland teams, growing its integrated client work, and driving collaboration across the business.

With 15 years of in-house and agency experience of building teams and providing strategic counsel to blue chip organisations, Taggart will manage a combined team of over 150 consultants.

Taggart joins Edelman from Bell Pottinger, where he spent five years in leadership positions, most recently as managing director of its award-winning Engage practice. In launching Engage, he brought together the company’s corporate, brand, digital and content teams to create an integrated communications offer to its clients, many of whom were also serviced by its political and financial practices.

Taggart says, “It’s a big thrill to be joining a company that I’ve admired for a long time and it’s particularly exciting to be joining at a time when the business has made significant investment into its corporate affairs practices. We share very similar views on how we need to shape the offer and I’m now looking forward to working with the outstanding individual teams to create a more holistic and powerful corporate affairs proposition for Edelman and its clients.”

Prior to his time at Bell Pottinger, Taggart was a part of the success of Betfair, now one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, working in senior communications and corporate affairs roles in the UK and Australia.

Ed Williams, CEO of Edelman UK, says, “Hugh stands out as one of a small group of people in our industry who truly understands the corporate affairs discipline and the exciting new opportunities to communicate that come from digital and creative. It is always personally satisfying to see new talent come into the business, and I am particularly pleased that Hugh is joining us.”

Taggart’s appointment strengthens an already top bench corporate affairs team at Edelman, following a number of senior hires including Will Walden, Craig Woodhouse, and the recent promotion of Rachel Bower as managing director, corporate reputation. In 2016, Edelman acquired Smithfield, a top-tier financial and investor relations specialist.

 Taggart assumed his new role in Edelman’s London office on 1 November.