MHP Communications has announced the appointment of Mike Robb as managing director into the newly created role of head of financial services. He will start in December.

Robb joins following seven years at Cicero Group where, as executive director, he sat on the board and led the company’s PR practice, advising a wide range of clients from FTSE 100 companies to start-ups, charities and public sector bodies.

Prior to joining Cicero in 2011, Robb worked in the in-house team at Betfair plc, regularly appearing in the media as the company’s official spokesperson. He has also worked in the United States, first on the presidential election in 2004 and then a U.S. Senate race in Missouri in 2006 for incumbent senator Claire McCaskill.

Robb’s appointment comes only weeks after MHP announced that Nick Barron, the former head of corporate at Edelman, would be joining the company as deputy CEO. It also follows a summer of success for the agency, with recent client wins including uSwitch, Navigant, Harneys and Eastspring Investments.

Alex Bigg, CEO of MHP Communications, says, “We are delighted to welcome Mike at an exciting time for MHP as we continue to win new clients and build momentum across the business. His expertise and experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow our offering and cement our reputation as a leader in our industry.” 

Robb adds, “The challenges facing the financial services sector are both significant and complex. Technology is changing the way the industry thinks; we face a political and regulatory environment as uncertain as I can remember; and the job of enhancing the industry’s reputation continues to be a major focus. Taken together, we have a genuinely unprecedented period of challenge and change. I am thrilled to be joining a business uniquely positioned with both the talent and ambition needed to meet these demands.

Andrew Jaques, CEO of MHP Financial, will continue to lead the capital markets communications-focused team within the firm.