| September 2006
 Harvard has strengthened its board as it gears up to take advantage of a changing PR environment. Chris Cartwright becomes the new Managing Director while Ben Maynard joins the board alongside existing director, Charlotte West.
With over 12 years’ experience in corporate PR, Cartwright has consulted at the highest level with some of the biggest brands in technology, media and telecoms including Oracle, Cisco, Sun Microsystems, BT, Hewlett-Packard, Openwave and ICL/Fujitsu. His experience spans roles at Brands2Life, Bite PR, Firefly and GBC.
“I feel I’m joining Harvard at an interesting time in the industry”, says Cartwright. “Companies are increasingly asking their agencies to deliver more than ‘tick box’ PR and create communications that can really impact a business – have influence on an audience, for example, rather than merely generate awareness which has typically been the extent of PR, both in terms of what agencies have been delivering and companies have been briefing. Harvard’s audience-centric approach, which focuses on changing behaviours, is perfect for this new climate, so I am delighted to be joining them at this exciting time.”
Ben Maynard returns to Harvard after a two year absence, during which time he was head of corporate communication at SHL plc and head of technology PR at Band & Brown. As well as client-facing work, Maynard takes up the role of head of client services at Harvard, covering such aspects as service delivery, new product development and enhanced value and quality. He will champion a number of programmes looking at how we can improve the range and quality of products and services we offer on a continuous basis to exceed client expectations at every turn.
Maynard, whose client-side experience exposed him to a lot of me-too agencies, says, “We need to get out there and show clients how PR can help them achieve far more than has traditionally been the case or most companies have been used to. Maybe we need to forget the term PR altogether”, continues Maynard, “because too many associate PR with press relations, and the media is only one part of the solution. Harvard's channel-agnostic approach is far more relevant to clients' needs today.”
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