Upfront Business Development Rebrands as Propeller BD in Propeller Group revamp

Upfront, the business development company acquired by Propeller Group in 2018, will become fully integrated into the Propeller brand from the start of July. This will consolidate the £3 million group’s ‘hub and blades’ approach into a clear three-pronged offering of Propeller PR, Propeller Content and Propeller BD, all driven by strategic consultancy at the centre.

Chairman Martin Loat commented: “Since we acquired Upfront 18 months ago, we have been working to superpower our combined offer to drive the most value for our clients. We will function as one unified brand, equipped with the best talent to drive PR, create content and events (online and offline) and build client new business pipelines intelligently. It’s an exciting new chapter for all our people, and to be operating as one larger group now gives us a competitive edge in our market. These plans were in train prior to Covid-19, but the new normal we and our clients face means that we have to create the sharpest and most consistent brand offer possible.”

The Propeller Group board are taking on new roles across the business as part of this move: Kieran Kent becomes MD of the group, Jody Osman moves from MD of Upfront to Director of Business Growth for the group, and Rose Bentley moves from Director of Clients and Strategy for Propeller PR and Content to the same role at group level. Martin Loat, founder of Propeller Group, will continue as Chairman.

Jody Osman commented: “In this increasingly competitive and fast changing market, bringing together Upfront and Propeller has added extra value for our clients and delivered tangible success. This latest move to unify our brands and teams will enable us to be even more creative and effective, whilst allowing us to provide the services that our clients really need.”

Propeller Group has enjoyed a series of new client wins including Samsung Ads, cross-border e‑commerce solutions provider Global‑e, global digital marketing agency Croud, global software company Synoptic and global entertainment marketing agency Propaganda.