Michael (Mick) Knowles - Managing Director

Messages PR are specialists in Shopping Centre Marketing and have won more BCSC Marketing Excellence awards than any other agency. Mick Knowles is the Managing Director and an enthusiastic advocate of well planned, imaginatively created, tightly budgeted and professionally executed promotions. Like so many in our industry, Mick got involved in the business through a mixture of luck, circumstance and coincidence.

After graduating in Economics at Newcastle University and working in management for the chain store C&A, Mick joined the family business, Tabard in 1976 anticipating a quiet career as a fashion retailer in affluent St Albans with a cosy monopoly of classic ladies fashion at affordable prices. 1984 and 1987 however saw the opening of two shopping centres in the city, Christopher Place and The Maltings. The number of ladies fashion stores jumped from nine to thirty four and with the launch of Country Casuals, Jacques Vert, Next and Principles, 'classic design' became the watchword of every new fascia. After protesting about the developments Mick decided to cash in on his local knowledge and retail experience and join 'the enemy' by promoting shopping centres and ensuring that at least some business came back in his direction.

Messages PR was therefore started in 1984 to promote Christopher Place and within 5 years the list of clients had grown to a dozen including Prudential Portfolio Managers, Norwich Union and Royal Life. During the nineties, Messages PR has grown with the industry and witnessed the huge expansion of new centres, the advent of major regional centres and the refurbishment of many original centres. This year, Messages PR will work on over sixty shopping centres throughout the UK. The Messages team now includes specialists in design, research and mall entertainment and matches this expertise with a working knowledge of retailing and life at the sharp end of centre management. Just as shopping centres provided the new competition for existing High Streets and conventional retailing in the eighties so fresh styles of shopping are now challenging the position of shopping centres as choice expands and markets fragment.

Mick Knowles has learned from twenty years in the industry that key decisions and the execution of a marketing programme are best focussed around Centre Management teams with the participation of retailers, the support of landlords and assistance of town centre managers. To spearhead marketing programmes while keeping an eye on the many other issues facing centre managers means that reliable back up needs to be available. Messages PR have made it their business to provide this back up, reliably, imaginatively and cost effectively.

Kim Phillips - Office and Administration Manager

Kim has worked for Messages since 1989 having previously spent nearly twenty years working initially at top London Advertising Agency - Ogilvy Benson & Mather where she won the 'Francis Ogilvy Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Agency' and subsequently at Hyde & Partners, a Business to Business Advertising Agency. During her time in London, she worked on a wide range of accounts including ICI, Ford, Legal & General, Dowding & Mills, J H Fenner and Dow Chemicals. As an early riser, Kim can often be found hard at work at 7.15am and splits her day working closely with Clients, booking media; print and organising both children's entertainment and ad hoc projects and making sure the office runs smoothly. She lives about ten miles from the office with husband and mad German Shorthaired Pointer - is a keen hiker and cyclist and enjoys the odd glass, or two or three of wine!

Michael Tierney - Marketing Manager

Michael joined Messages in 1998 having originally hailed from Dublin in Ireland. Self financed through University where he gained an HND in Business and Finance, Mike has worked in a variety of roles including Business Development Manager for large leisure complexes. His main duties at Messages include market research, flagship events, business development, databases and looking after promotional staff.

In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, squash, travelling and building and selling motorcycles.

Katie Halse BA Hons - Accounts and Events Manager

Katie joined Messages in 2003 and comes to us with a Geography Degree from Exeter University. After graduating, Katie travelled the world with stops in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Fiji. Katie spent 12 of her 18 months in Australia working at a variety of jobs only the joy of a working holiday can bring.

She currently manages the launching of new Shopping Centres, tenant liason within centres as well as looking after events up and down the country.

David Middleton - Creative Director and Design Shaman

David has been at Messages for over 10 years having previously worked for a variety of advertising agencies. Originally from New Zealand, David started in design in the days of drawing boards and darkrooms, but had to surrender his magic marker when the digital revolution took off in the early 1990's.

He has designed most things for most businesses and can turn his hand from children's entertainment to corporate literature in the blink of an eye!

Duncan (Huck) Hutchinson - Office and Technical Support

Duncan Hutchinson, aka 'Huck', works part-time for Messages PR, helping maintain the childrens' club databases; as well as fielding the incessant stream of postcode analysis for clients. He also draws on his background in engineering to keep the busy office from literally falling apart! Huck has a flair for language, and often settles matters of grammar and good plain english.

He's even been known to produce pithy copy for retailers when a local paper feature is called for! Huck's other job is as a qualified sound engineer, working with professional band 'Limited Company' at prestigious functions, to visit their site, click on Huck's picture. Messages PR utilises these skills for promotional tape and CD production, as well as technical support for PA, etc, at the many events. At 56, Huck considers himself to be in 'late youth'!