We are delighted to say 2022 has been another exciting and memorable year at Eskenzi PR. We’ve said hello and welcomed new colleagues, new clients and new events that have only gone and exceeded all expectations and helped shaped the company we are today.
We are truly grateful and thankful to all those we have partnered with this year, trusting us to get you the coverage you deserve. We hope we have delivered on our promise, and we look forward to going above and beyond and achieving more in 2023.
In the final weeks of the year, as we all compile our end of year reports and get ready for the winter break, we have reflected on the past 12 months, looking back at some of the achievements and highlights that stood out for us in what has been another eventful year.
Yvonne Eskenzi, co-founder:
For me a key highlight was hosting the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Security Awards, which were backed by incredible sponsors such as KPMG, Beazley, KnowBe4 and having BT host them at the top of the BT Tower and watching this event revolve around us as we celebrated these great women receive recognition for their work was fantastic. Then being in South Africa and meeting two of the winners from our awards Marilise de Villiers and Chani Simms and realising its not just about awarding phenomenal women but making great friends and connections with people from other walks of life.
Neil Stinchcombe, co-founder:
It was so refreshig to be able to chair the Eskenzi IT Security Analyst and CISO Forum in London in person this November. Held under the Chatham House, I cannot dislclouse who was present, however there were 10 CISOs from large enterprises, and also a few Unicorn startups, many of whom are old friends from the White Hate Ball commmunity. The debate with CTOs from security companies and technology analyst firms was constructive in guiding the roadmaps for future development of technology that will actually help the CISO community make us more resilient to bad actors. I’m certainly loking forward to the next one in November 2023.
Beth Smith, senior account director:
A highlight for me is getting the chance to do some really creative initiatives for clients, bringing different groups of people together to work towards a common goal of a more cybersecure society. For example, this October we launched a campaign for KnowBe4 working with renowned professors at UK Universities to get students from not just computer science backgrounds, but those with marketing/comms/video production skills and interests to get together to compete to win a cash prize for creating the best security awareness training video. The competition will conclude in the Spring 2023, and we can’t wait to see all the entries!
Conor Heslin, account director:
Expanding SafeBreach into a US/UK account and developing their Cyber War roundtable with external participants, which helped to gain them a more prominent thought leadership platform in the space and created concrete links for future events with external influencers. On a more personal note, I completed the Hackney Half, my first half marathon, in under two hours.
Rohit Chavda, account director:
Going out of my comfort zone by venturing into new business and helping expand the current client roster at industry events and trade shows. I had success in recruiting Runecast which signed up to our services in the UK and were extremely happy with the opportunities we provided. I look forward to continuing this aspect of my role in the new year to help expand the business and partner with more exciting vendors.
Nicole Sigrist, junior account manager:
My highlight of the year has to be officially managing my first client, CyberSmart, and being able to tell them in our End of Year Report that we succeeded in securing 750+ pieces of coverage, 12 article placements, and 4 award wins (2x finalists). It felt like a huge accomplishment and was very gratifying to have a happy client. In addition to that, hosting the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards at the BT Tower was pretty cool, too!
Lara Joseph, senior account director:
Using a mixture of PR methods, including rapid response, threat research and inbound media requests from reporters, I secured 97 pieces of coverage in UK national newspapers. This was across three different clients and coverage appeared in publications such as The Sun, The Daily Express, The Independent, The Guardian and Metro.
Charley Nash, account executive:
It’s been particularly exciting and fulfilling to work on The Zensory’s PR activity this year, given that it’s their first foray into PR representation as a company. I’ve enjoyed making connections with journalists that I might not otherwise have spoken to. It’s also made me more creative with how I seek coverage, given that it’s not our primary field! It’s very cool to work so closely with a budding start up and a small team and it’s also been fun researching the world of wellness.
Saskia Hammond, senior account executive:
My highlight of 2022 was definitely helping Nicole plan the Analyst Forum. It was my first time being a part of an event planning team and it was incredibly rewarding seeing all our hard work come into fruition, especially because the event was a great success. Nicole is an incredible planner, and I learnt a lot from her throughout the process, from the first few stages of planning to being there on the day and making sure everything runs smoothly and I’m looking forward to doing it all again!
Melanie Johnson-Holiday, senior account director:
Working on the PR for International Cyber Expo was such a rewarding experience. Working with some of the cybersecurity industry’s greatest experts and sharing their knowledge was truly invigorating. Seeing the busy show floor also showed the power of PR to help drive awareness and support a great community.
Josh Breaker-Rolfe, account executive:
My highlight of the year was getting my clients published in the Forbes Tech Council. Transforming complex ideas into readable, digestible prose can be a difficult task – it’s incredibly rewarding when that work is published on a site with the reach of Forbes. Securing coverage in publications of this calibre is exciting because it isn’t just good PR, it feels like you are moving the conversation forward and ensuring that cybersecurity is accessible to everyone, regardless of their expertise.
Tara Antoni, account executive:
My highlight of the year has been working on The Zensory, as working closely with a client in the wellbeing sector has enabled me to work on a diverse range of exciting creative initiatives. Besides working with a fantastic team, The Zensory has opened my eyes to a whole new way of working, as well as understanding the importance of mental health, which still holds great relevance in society today.
Well, can we top these highlights in 2023? Most definitely and we hope you will join us and be a part of this exciting journey. If you want to enquire about our brilliant PR services, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
Wishing you all a lovely holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the new year!
