Bath-headquartered specialist public relations agency Abode Worldwide has appointed former national newspaper journalist Neil Millard as managing director to support its global expansion.
Neil, pictured with Abode founder and CEO Jessica Gillingham, joins the agency from Rhizome Media in London, where he spent nearly six years as PR director and then managing director working across industries with a particular focus on property.
Before that he was a news journalist for some of the UK’s biggest titles, including The Sun, Sunday Mirror, MailOnline and the Evening Standard in London.
Abode Worldwide, launched in 2017 by Jessica Gillingham, works with leading lodging and hospitality brands across North America and Europe, combining deep industry knowledge and extensive media and influencer relationships with continual fresh insight.
The agency is targeting rapid growth over the next three years by focusing on technology solutions and enterprise level operators across the property and hospitality sectors, including short-term rental, hotels, multifamily/Build to Rent (BTR), student lodging, co-living, and senior living.
Abode said Neil’s property experience — covering student accommodation, residential sales & development, offsite construction, fractional ownership, property investment, development finance and mortgage lending — would dovetail with its own ambitions.
Over the past year the agency secured more than 100 speaking opportunities for clients across podcasts, webinars, and conferences as well as hundreds of pieces of profile-raising proactive media coverage and thought leadership.
Jessica said: “We’ve got big ambitions to be the premier global public relations specialist in the lodging, living and hospitality space, and Neil has been appointed to help us get there.
“He has a wealth of media know-how, fantastic leadership experience, and is a tremendous asset across the business and for our clients.
“He couldn’t join at a more important time, with the merging of the lodging, hospitality, hotel, short-term rental, and real estate sectors really picking up pace and we are excited to be at the forefront of this transformation for the technology solutions, operators, investors and their customers.”
Neil added: “The way we live is going to change dramatically over the next 20 years, and Abode Worldwide sits at an intersection where all these worlds collide.
“Whether it’s short-term rental technology, student accommodation, multifamily/Built To Rent, co-living or senior living — every one of these areas will see accelerating growth.
“This shift is happening globally, so it’s a magnificent opportunity for me to join an agency that looks beyond the horizon and already has more US than European clients.
“I’m really excited to join such a talented team. Jessica has massive ambitions for the company, and we’ll be winning business worldwide. A key immediate focus for me will driving our expansion and maintaining a laser focus on delivery for clients.”
