Lexington has strengthened its corporate communications practice with two senior hires, including a former Golin Ketchum practice director, and a corporate division lead in Manchester.

Strategic communications agency Lexington has appointed Ryan Brambles as director and head of corporate at Lexington North, a newly created role.

Brambles joins the agency’s Manchester office from sports marketing firm Right Formula, where he spent three years as communications director. He previously held roles at Edelman and Grayling, as well as in-house positions at IBM and Honda, gaining experience working with brands including Visa, Shell and Formula 1.

In his new role, Brambles will lead Lexington North’s corporate communications offering, reporting to office managing director Rob Loughenbury. He will support clients on reputation work and campaigns at both regional and national level.

Lexington’s corporate communications and reputation offering has also been strengthened with the appointment of Ed Vincent as associate director.

Vincent joins from Golin Ketchum, where he was practice director of corporate reputation and worked on the Phillips account.

Lexington said the appointments represent “a significant investment” in the division, as the agency seeks to expand its work beyond its traditional public affairs offering.

The agency told PRWeek UK that its corporate revenue increased by 23 per cent in 2025 and has “maintained strong momentum” in 2026.

Darcie Farrell, who has led the practice since January 2025, said: “We’ve seen real momentum over the past 18 months, driven by a strong focus on issues and crisis preparedness, as well as closer collaboration with our advisory colleagues on increasingly complex, issues-led work.

“Bringing in new expertise and talent across both offices puts us in a great position to build on that growth and deliver even more for our clients.”

Brambles said: “The North of England is entering a new era of influence, both politically and commercially. Organisations that can successfully engage stakeholders and tell authentic, compelling stories will be best placed to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.”

Speaking about joining Lexington’s corporate division, Vincent said: “What appealed to me is the chance to help grow that offer in areas where clients need practical advice across reputation and issues management, through to emerging challenges like AI search optimisation.”

Co-founded in 1998 by Mike Craven, former chief media spokesperson for the Labour Party, and Ian Kennedy, Lexington has grown to a team of around 100 staff.

The agency was acquired by the New York-based Kyu Collective agency network in 2022.

Last month, the agency recruited a senior adviser to its defence practice, bringing expertise in space policy.