PR Vice President- Food & Beverage

Job Description

PURPLE is a cultural communications agency with 250+ people across 6 global offices. We bring together cross-cultural expertise to deliver Advisory, Communications, Events and VIP Services to the world’s leading and next-generation luxury brands.

The F&B team sits within Lifestyle UK, a 40-person division in the London office, and represents restaurants, bars and drinks brand including Rita’s, Oranj, The Dover, Brutalisten (Stockholm), The Maine, JKS Restaurants, The Standard, Johnnie Walker, Yola Mezcal, and SEVENTY ONE, to name a few.

We are looking for a Vice President to lead the team, own the growth of the F&B business, and develop the identity of the F&B offer both internally and externally.

They will be responsible for team management, senior client management, F&B strategy and campaign development, business growth, and setting the overall direction and standards for F&B at PURPLE London.

Responsibilities

Team Management

Own the revenue target for F&B, driving the business to achieve quarterly and annual targets
Sit on the Senior Lifestyle Team and actively contribute to the overall culture and success of Lifestyle UK
Work with HR to recruit and hire the right talent for the team
Provide ongoing training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to help team members grow
Conduct regular performance reviews, provide constructive feedback, and set performance objectives

Client Management

Own senior client relationships within F&B team
Act as a point of escalation for any issues
Provide strategic communications counsel to senior clients
Coach the team to ensure PURPLE is always delivering best-in-class client account management

The Work

Comms Strategy
Lead the development of client communications and creative strategies
Stay ahead of industry trends and practices to ensure PURPLE’s work is always at the forefront of creative and commercial effectiveness
Coach the team to ensure they are always delivering best-in-class work
Media Relations
Maintain and build senior media relationships within F&B in the UK (main market), Europe and USA (secondary markets)
Actively pitch stories to the media
Coach the team to ensure they’re effectively building their contact book and support the development of their pitching skills
Oversee the execution of PR campaigns to ensure they meet client expectations and agency standards
Industry Relations
Maintain and build relationships with brands, KOLs, cultural institutions, and other bodies that could be useful partners or collaborators for F&B clients
Actively develop brand partnerships including, where relevant, any commercial agreements
Events
Support the team in developing unique event ideas
Curate relevant cross-cultural guestlists (media, VIP, industry, KOLs)
Work with clients and partners (internally and externally) to ensure the smooth running of client events

New Business

Work with SVP and Business Development to own the new business strategy for the F&B team
Play a leading role in pitching to new clients
Work with SVP to nurture new client relationships, write SOWs, and negotiate fees