Caburn Hope has announced the appointment of Steve Sykes, who joins as director of business development. Sykes brings with him almost a decade of HR communications and engagement expertise, having worked on projects for well-known brands such as Telegraph Media Group, British Gypsum and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

His work has won major industry recognition – including an award-winning Bank of Ireland campaign that was named ‘Best Member Communication’ at the Irish Pension Awards.

Sykes will be responsible for making new connections with employers, as well as developing the solutions and services to help companies better engage with their employees. He is charged with developing exciting technology solutions that will positively disrupt HR communications by allowing employers to simplify, streamline and personalise their comms. He will also work with employers on our complimentary HR communications audit offer. By identifying gaps and opportunities in their current comms strategy and delivering a practical action plan for boosting employee engagement, this audit is designed to set employers up for 2018 and beyond.

Sykes’ speciality is the world of reward, pensions and benefits, although he has worked across a wide range of communications challenges, including the introduction of new employee behaviours. His approach to communication could best be described as commercially creative, coming up with innovative solutions to engagement challenges, all the while focusing on return on investment for employers.

Sykes says, “I’m hugely excited at the prospect of helping to shape the next phase of Caburn Hope’s development. It’s a growing company with an impressive, ambitious team, and I’m looking forward to applying my own experience and ideas to helping it continue to grow. Being part of an agency with this level of expertise across such a broad spectrum of HR is particularly exciting. And, as someone who’s driven by outcomes, Caburn Hope’s approach of blending creative campaigns and solutions with data and results really appeals. I can’t wait to see what we achieve together.”