Apella hires Dr Mike Granleese from Ipsos UK,further strengthening its data & insights capabilities

27 July 2023 (London)

Apella Advisors (“Apella”), the strategic communications consultancy, has appointed Dr Mike Granleese as partner.

Mike joins Apella in October from Ipsos UK, where he is deputy managing director of Ipsos Corporate Reputation. He is expert in helping clients use insight to understand and build their reputation value across consumers, employees, business partners, financial markets, media, and regulatory policymakers. He joined Ipsos MORI in 2015 from ComRes, where he was associate director.

Apella was founded with the aim of combining data-driven evidence and insight with best-in-class strategic communications expertise and delivery. Mike’s appointment strengthens the firm’s existing data, insights and broader consultancy offer, and he will work alongside Apella’s partners to provide leadership and corporate affairs teams with valuable, actionable insights to help mitigate reputational challenges and exploit opportunities for their businesses.

Mike said: “While some corporate affairs functions are using data and insight effectively to improve their influence at board level and inform operational decision making, best practice is not widely established and there remains a gap in consistently connecting insight to actionable plans. There is an opportunity to develop something new that combines the best of breed primary and secondary research with Apella’s senior-led advisory expertise. Having worked alongside the Apella team already on several client challenges, I was really struck by the quality of its people and the determination to help clients turn insight into informed decision-making and action. I can’t wait to get started.”

Julian Hanson-Smith, Chair of Apella, said: “Corporate leadership increasingly recognises the need for integrated insights and advisory services. They are rarely short of data, but their real challenge is making sense of it, knowing what’s important and what’s not, and, crucially, being able to extract actionable insights of genuine value to their organisation. Apella exists to help them do just that, and Mike’s experience and relationships with many of the largest organisations will be invaluable as we strengthen our offer in the market.”

Mike’s appointment is the latest in a series of recent hires and promotions made by the firm. James Kirkup starts as partner in September after leaving his role as director of the Social Market Foundation, and David Godfrey joined Apella as director earlier this year after leaving his role as head of customer experience at TSB. Will Melling and Arne Wysny were both promoted to senior associate earlier this year, highlighting the firm’s commitment to developing exceptional junior talent while continuing to bring in new hires at all levels to support Apella’s advisory and delivery capabilities.

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Notes

Apella is a distinctive strategic communications consultancy that helps organisations grow and succeed by making changes for the better, using the power of purpose, reputation, and communications. The firm works with clients to devise and deliver engagement strategies for a broad range of stakeholders and those that influence them, including the media, internal audiences, policymakers, and regulators.

Contact: jhs@apellaadvisors.com

www.apellaadvisors.com