East Midlands marketing agency and Medilink member, V Formation, has hired a senior business journalist to bolster its public relations division.
Lauren Mills, most recently deputy business editor at the Leicester Mercury, has been hired by BioCity-based marketing and PR agency V Formation as senior PR consultant.
Lauren steps into the newly created role after 25 years as a business journalist.
She held senior positions at a number of national newspapers including The Sunday Telegraph, Mail on Sunday and Wall Street Journal where she launched an online business analysis blog.
She moved to Leicestershire three years ago to be close to family and became the Leicester Mercury’s deputy business editor in 2015.
Lauren learned her journalism trade at property industry magazine Estates Gazette, undergoing rigorous training at Reed Business Publishing.
After a four-year stint at EG she moved to Retail Week as a senior news reporter and property editor.
Then, in 1998, she was snapped up by The Sunday Telegraph as retail correspondent for its Business section. She went on to report on various other industry sectors including property, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, brewing and leisure, industrials and financial services.
Lauren has also worked freelance for a wide variety of papers and magazines including the Sunday Express, where she was enterprise editor, the Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
Lauren is delighted to join V Formation to grow its Midlands client base and advise V’s long list of existing clients.
She said: “I am honoured to have joined V Formation, which is a highly professional firm providing expert advice to its growing client base.
“I am looking forward to using the skills and contacts I have from business journalism to help V go from strength to strength.”
V Formation founder and director Hilary Campton said: “‘We are thrilled to welcome a PR consultant of such high calibre to our growing team.
“Lauren’s substantial experience as a business and financial journalist will provide an extra layer of invaluable advice to both new and existing clients across the life sciences, property and professional services sectors and we are very much looking forward to working with her as we move into the next stage of our growth.”
Director Sue Carr said: “V Formation is experiencing exciting growth, and this key appointment follows our recent move to larger offices at BioCity Nottingham.
“We have ambitious plans and Lauren’s appointment strengthens our PR offering to existing and new clients. We pride ourselves on being a marketing firm that attracts some of the region’s best talent.”
V Formation was launched in April 2007 and is based at BioCity Nottingham. The company provides marketing and PR services to a broad range of organisations including professional practices, family owned businesses, property developers, and companies in the life sciences and healthcare sector. It employs eight people and operates across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands.
To find out more about V Formation, please click here.