Gavin Devine appointed CEO effective 1 May 2012
MHP Communications (www.mhpc.com) today announced that Sacha Deshmukh is to step down as Chief Executive of MHP and a Senior Partner of MHP’s parent group Engine (www.theenginegroup.com); and that current Chief Operating Officer Gavin Devine has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of MHP Communications.
Devine will take over as Chief Executive with effect from 1 May 2012. Deshmukh will work alongside Devine over the summer to support a smooth transition. He will leave MHP and Engine in the autumn.
Announcing the appointment of Devine, Peter Scott, Chairman of Engine said:
“MHP is now a leading corporate communications and PR business and one of the most important parts of the Engine family. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Gavin Devine as the new Chief Executive of MHP.
“As we enter a phase of further accelerated growth for MHP I am delighted that we have a Chief Executive with Gavin’s capabilities, drive and enthusiasm in place. We at Engine will be with him and his senior team every step of the way.
“As he now chooses to move on to new challenges, I would like to thank Sacha for the enormous contribution that he has made to the success of MHP and Engine as a whole, for which he has the gratitude of everyone here. We wish him god speed and all the best for the future.”
Deshmukh joined Engine at its creation in 2005, leading public affairs company AS Biss & Co into the newly formed group. Since then he led the development of the corporate communications businesses in Engine, culminating in the creation of the MHP Communications business through the merger of the Mandate, Hogarth and Penrose businesses in October 2010.
Devine worked alongside Deshmukh as Deputy Managing Director of AS Biss as the company made its transition into Engine in 2005. Following AS Biss’ merger with Republic PR to form Mandate Communications, Devine became Joint Managing Director of Mandate and later Chief Operating Officer, a role he also assumed when MHP was created in October 2010. Prior to joining AS Biss Devine was a Senior Civil Servant in the House of Commons.
MHP Communications now has annual revenues of over £18 million. It has over 150 staff, operating from offices in London, Edinburgh, Brussels and Washington DC. With over 200 clients, in 2011 MHP was highly commended as PR Week Large Agency of the Year, won Communiqué Consultancy of the Year and was named the UK’s Number 1 Digital PR Agency by New Media Age.
Gavin Devine said:
“I am delighted to be taking over from Sacha as CEO of MHP Communications. I want to pay tribute to his huge achievements over the past few years, culminating in the creation of MHP and the cementing of the company’s place as a leader in the corporate communications market. We have come a long way over the last six years, and so much of that is down to his leadership.
“MHP is a great company, filled with extremely smart, capable, and ambitious people. We have wonderful clients. We have a talented team of senior leaders and a host of expert practitioners. It is a real honour for me to be part of that team, and to be leading MHP into the next phase of our growth.
“As we now look to the years ahead, we have significant plans for the further expansion of both the services we offer to clients and for the growth of our office network around the world. This is a very exciting time for MHP and I am very pleased to be playing a central role in it.”
Sacha Deshmukh said:
“I have always been a believer in the maxim that the art of living rests in a fine balance of hanging on and letting go.
“The last six years have been an incredible journey. What has made them so special has been the experience of working with an amazing group of colleagues in MHP, as well as all the clients whom I have had the privilege to support.
“I could not be more proud of what has been achieved during the years I have been at the helm of AS Biss, then Mandate and now MHP. We have created one of the leading forces in PR and communications in the UK, and built a strong business which has enjoyed significant growth and produced award winning work, every year in its history.
“Now is the right time for me to move on and explore new challenges beyond MHP and Engine. I am very glad to be handing over to Gavin, who has been a key part of the leadership of the company over the past few years and who I know will be a superb Chief Executive of MHP.”