This article originally appeared on Bulldog Reporter.
Hawkins International Public Relations (HIPR) has set its sights on expansion in the global marketplace, adding talent to heighten its presence and setting forth plans to open a West Coast office in Los Angeles. To implement the projected growth, the agency has appointed two new senior leaders. The agency has promoted Corey Finjer Bennett to Chief Operating Officer, and has appointed Melissa Murphy as Director of Digital Marketing.
An award-winning agency specializing in travel lifestyle, hospitality and spa/wellness brands, HIPR is noted for its deep relationships with top media influencers in travel and lifestyles, expertise in digital marketing, and boutique sensibilities – all of which will prove advantageous for continued growth in the coming years. Already in 2016, the agency has added eight new team members, bringing the staff count in New York to over 30 people. The agency also added more than a dozen new clients and projects before the start of summer this year.
“With the world more global, we want to be in the position to meet the needs of clients wherever they are based or do business,” said Jennifer Hawkins, President of HIPR, who founded the agency as a one- woman shop in 2002. “Our business development efforts in Asia and The Pacific will also increase.”
“HIPR has always grown organically, and we have established strong relationships and a reputation for longevity and accessibility along the way,” added Hawkins. “I am incredibly proud to work alongside some of the best public relations professionals out there. Corey and I have worked together for over a decade and I have seen her rise to the top by offering the clients excellent client counsel. She is an incredible manager and mentor to the staff and has a keen eye for new business and operational strategies.”
Over 10 years with HIPR, Corey Finjer Bennett has risen from account executive to the firm’s second- ranking executive. As the first-ever Chief Operating Officer, she is responsible for day-to-day operations including general management, financial performance, client services, new business development, and talent management. Bennett brings impressive experience to her new role.
As HIPR’s first Director of Digital Marketing, Melissa Murphy leads all efforts in the digital marketing realm, including building, evolving and executing go-to-market strategies and tactics to introduce and promote the firm’s social media and digital marketing expertise; inventing captivating and forward- thinking content central to HIPR’s core offerings; managing high-level client relationships and developing new business; overseeing strategy and growth of HIPR’s social media channels and blog; and leading the digital team. Murphy arrived at HIPR from RealMatch, Inc., a leading recruitment advertising technology platform.