Aspire PR – the UK’s leading agency specialising in the active lifestyle space with a client portfolio including On, Thule, Sealskinz, The Ramblers and more – has bolstered its team of talent with four new hires.
The new recruits will cover specialisms across creative, community and content.
Stew Smith joins as the agency’s very first Creative Director. Working across all service pillars, Stew will take the lead on creative output across the agency, working with delivery teams to develop concepts for campaigns – from the branding and visuals to ideation for creative activation. He will also head up the branding and visual identity of Aspire as part of the agency’s ambition to further elevate its reputation and position across the PR and active lifestyle landscape.
Stew brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight having designed, managed and delivered creative projects at every value chain stage, from concept to completion. He focuses on the work he does to really amplify a brand experience and shape culture in a way most relevant to both brand and the end consumer. He is deeply enthusiastic about amalgamating his passion for an active lifestyle with his extensive creative background and has gained invaluable experience collaborating with many industry-leading brands from high street stalwarts to performance-focused innovators.
Stew has a passion for the outdoors, wide open spaces, mountains and oceans and has represented GBR at the World Long Course Championships and has coaching qualifications from Ironman University. He was also a drummer in a band and has played at one of the world’s most renowned UK music festivals – Glastonbury!
Lory Louves will be taking on the role of Community & Talent Manager, replacing Tania Lewis who is returning to academia. With a diverse and interesting background, he has worked across the active lifestyle space, with a particular focus in retail environments, for many years, most recently with Nike. With a passion for bridging the gap between people, their communities and platforms to enable representation and growth, Lory led the community space strategy for the brand in London working on a number of community driven DE&I projects.
Outside of work, Lory is an avid runner and recently completed ETC during UTMB. His other passion is art and for the last ten years he has pursued his love of the abstract, producing shows across London and Paris. He is also the co-founder of School of Bop, a music youth charity which supports young people to gain access to the music industry by partnering with well-known brands and institutions across the country.
Also joining the team is Andy Waterman who will lead the agency’s editorial content strategy with an eye on supporting the already talented PR team on storytelling for the agency and its portfolio of global brand clients. Andy has previously worked for brands including Tracksmith, Speedo, Canterbury and Rapha, and has a wealth of editorial experience – both earned and paid. Outside of work, Andy is a dedicated runner and former racing cyclist with a background in sports science. In the moments between parenting two young boys, he’s training to become a running coach.
Aspire’s fourth recruit is Allan Pattison who takes up the role of Business Development & Partnerships Manager. He will work closely with founder and managing director Layla Smith as well as the wider team, to identify new business opportunities, supporting with creating and developing new relationships and strategic partnerships. Allan has over 30 years’ experience in the media sector. His career started in publishing newspapers and progressed to joining start-up publisher Wild Bunch Media to launch a series of fitness magazines including Women’s Running, Men’s Running and Women’s Cycling. Outside of his work, Allan can mostly be found kite surfing, mountain biking, surfing and trail running.
Commenting on the agency’s new talent, Aspire’s founder and managing director Layla Smith says: “I’m delighted to welcome on board four amazing individuals with key areas of specialism to enhance our already brilliant team. In a rapidly evolving agency landscape, our new hires mean we can strengthen our client offering and services and ensure we remain at the forefront of the active lifestyle space. Our new colleagues are all experienced experts who share Aspire’s values and passions and we’re delighted to add to an already talented team. We can’t wait to see our expanded team progress, flourish and achieve fantastic things together!”
For more information about Aspire PR follow us on Instagram @aspire_pr_uk or visit our About page.
