288% PR Fee Income Growth and Leap to 130^th in PR Week League Table

London , Manchester , Munich , 22^nd April 2004 …. Northbank Communications is celebrating being the fastest growing PR consultancy in the UK as published in today’s PR Week League table. Northbank achieved 288% growth in PR income and entered the PR Week Top 150 league table for the first time at 130^th place.

Science communications specialists, Northbank Communications, was formed as a new brand in November 2002, following the merger of Charles Consultants with STMP Marketing Ltd. The Top 150 2004 league table, which is based on 2003 figures, thus represents the first entry after the merger.

Commenting on the achievement, Sue Charles, CEO said:

“Charles Consultants was a small PR start up. By integrating with STMP to form Northbank, we have built a full service offering for science-based companies, with a strong PR service at our core. Most clients in our sector – biotech companies for example, need corporate, financial, scientific and medical PR all rolled into one seamless communications service, in order to attract the attention of investors and potential big pharma partners.”

Charles has brought strong PR leadership to Northbank – she is noted for having launched Dolly the Sheep to the world, setting the cloning debate off on a positive and informed basis. As well as PR, Northbank offers design and marketing services, including web and corporate materials design.

“These days, creative PR campaigns often need information-based web sites and technical factsheets to back up the interest that media comment has created. There is less of a divide between PR and other communications disciplines than there was. Indeed it is our ability to integrate campaigns and come up with the right solution for our clients that sets us apart from PR purists.”  Charles explains.

Pembridge Partners, the business accelerator, is an investor in Northbank and is working with the management team to drive its growth. At present Northbank has three offices, in London and Congleton (near Manchester ) in the UK and Munich in Germany . “Our clients’, capabilities and ambitions are global,” states Charles. For example, we represent Affymetrix Inc, a NASDAQ listed biotech star. For them we are engaged to outreach to European media across Financial, Corporate and Trade, in particular in the UK , France and Germany . We also represent smaller biotechs here in the UK , such as Solexa, an exciting Cambridge-based company whose systems will enable the coming personalised medicine revolution - for them, awareness on a global stage, including the USA , is important.

In the financial year (ending Sept 2003), Northbank added 20 new clients. In recent weeks Northbank has grown its PR resources by adding three new hires at account executive level and will be adding a further account manager in early May. Three of the four new staff have PhDs, making Northbank a hotbed of intellect as well as new PR business.

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At Northbank Communications

Sue Charles, CEO                     +44 (0)20 7321 3872      s.charles@northbankcommunications.com 

Peter Colley, Director                 +44 (0)1260 296500       p.colley@northbankcommunications.com 

Notes

Northbank Communications Ltd - www.northbankcommunications.com

Northbank Communications was formed through the merger of Charles Consultants into STMP Marketing Solutions Ltd in 2002. A fully integrated PR and communications firm, the consultancy operates from offices in London and Congleton (near Manchester ) in the UK , and Munich Germany .

The consultancy focuses on serving science-based companies and organisations, with a strong focus in the life science industry. Northbank helps early stage companies establish a corporate presence through PR, image development, website design and corporate materials as well as value adding services including business plan writing and investor presentations. For more mature companies the consultancy can offer a range of dedicated services or integrated campaigns, focused on either marketing or financial audiences. The consultancy has a fully equipped design studio offering on- and off- line design solutions, based at its Congleton office.

Immediately post merger the consultancy employs 22 staff with an annualised turnover in excess £1.5m (€2.25m).