Montfort Communications, the fast-growing corporate reputation firm, has added to its senior hires in an acquisition of talent which is set to double the size of the business in six months.

Montfort’s latest hire is Rob Bailhache, the seasoned financial PR and IR specialist and former journalist. Bailhache will bring his clients from Neustria Partners, the financial services-focused consultancy that he co-founded in 2014 and where he was the firm’s managing partner.

Prior to Neustria Rob enjoyed a successful journalistic career in Asia and the UK with Thomson Reuters, then at Jeff Randall's Sunday Business and ultimately as city editor of its successor, the Business, under the editorship of Andrew Neil.

After journalism, he was instrumental in the growth of the Financial Services practice at FTI Consulting between 2003-2010, where he was a partner and managing director, before moving in-house to his client HSBC Holdings as head of global press. Latterly he was director of communications at Direct Line Group and led its high-profile IPO communications campaign.

Hugh Morrison, Montfort's co-founder, said, “Rob is an outstanding talent and his arrival reinforces the momentum that is building at Montfort. His senior consultancy and in-house expertise, as well as his capital markets insight, will help us develop the business to meet our ambitions. We have further senior hires in train and are also welcoming a team of younger operators who will bring new skills and energy to the firm as we double in size over a six-month period.”

In June this year, Montfort announced the arrival of Nick Bastin, a 25-year industry veteran of CNC, Capital MSL, Smithfield Financial and Dewe Rogerson. The business now comprises 22 consultants and is enjoying a record year following a string of new business wins including DWS, the global asset management giant and major M&A and IPO contracts.

Bailhache said, “Montfort has emerged very quickly as a serious and successful challenger to more established firms. It has built an outstanding roster of clients and has unmatched momentum in the industry. I can’t think of a more exciting consultancy or a more professional and motivated team to join at this point in time.”