Director Appointment

1 November 2017

Porta Communications Plc("Porta" or the "Company" or the "Group")

Director Appointment

Porta Communications Plc (AIM: PTCM) is pleased to announce that Brian Tyson, Managing Partner of Newgate Australia, has today joined the board of Porta as Executive Director.

Commenting, John Foley, Non-Executive Chairman of Porta, commented: "I am delighted that Brian is joining the Board. He is Managing Partner of Newgate Australia which is currently Porta's largest and most profitable business. Newgate's Australian operations were launched from a standing start in May 2013 and now employ 90 people with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. This growth is testament to Brian's knowledge of the Australian market, his ability to effectively lead a team of colleagues and his understanding of the fundamentals of profitable, successful service delivery. His appointment is welcome as we continue to build on those principles across all areas of the Group."

Further information on Brian Tyson

Brian is the Managing Partner of Newgate Australia and co-founder of Newgate Research. 

In a consulting career spanning two decades, Brian has come to be regarded as one of Australia's leading communications practitioners with expertise in strategic issues management, financial transactions, government relations, media management and community campaigning.
 


He has led a number of high profile and complex public affairs campaigns and financial transactions in the infrastructure, transport, banking, energy, agriculture and media sporting/arts sectors.
 


He is involved with many of the leading industry advocacy bodies in Australia and is a Director on the board of the Sydney Swans Australian Football Club the Committee for Sydney, Temple Executive Search and the Clontarf Foundation, which supports educational opportunities for young Indigenous Australians.

Prior to his career in consultancy, Brian was a political adviser to the Greiner Government in New South Wales. He started his career as a journalist with The Land newspaper.

Brian William Tyson, aged 54, is, or has been, a director or partner of the following companies or partnerships during the past five years:

Brian Tyson currently holds an interest in 11.40 per cent of Newgate Communications Pty Ltd. Brian Tyson currently holds 2,446,253 ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the capital of the Company representing 0.54 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company.

There is no further information required to be disclosed in respect of the above appointment pursuant to Rule 17 or Schedule 2 (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

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The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Enquiries

Porta Communications Plc

Gene Golembiewski, Executive Director

+44 (0) 20 7680 6500

Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser)

Samantha Harrison

Daniel Bush

+44 (0) 207 383 5100

N+1 Singer (Broker)

James Maxwell

Lauren Kettle

+44 (0) 20 7496 3000

Newgate Communications (Media Enquiries)

Bob Huxford

Adam Lloyd

James Ash

+44 (0) 20 7680 6550

[email protected]

Notes to Editors

Porta is a fully integrated communications and marketing group with specialisms including financial, corporate and consumer public relations, public affairs and research and multi-capability marketing, brand and creative communications.

The group has offices in Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Brisbane, Bristol, Canberra, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, London, Manchester, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore and Sydney.

The brands and companies it owns are Newgate Communications, Redleaf Communications, Publicasity, 2112 Communications and Summit Marketing Services.

Porta Communications' corporate website is www.portacomms.com