Genesis has won the top award for the third consecutive year at the Anglia, Thames and Chiltern regional PRide Awards organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Genesis was crowned PR Consultancy of the Year at the online awards event and scooped a further five awards including Not-For-Profit Campaign, Regional Campaign and Public Sector Campaign.

Out of 10 shortlisted awards, Genesis won six golds – more than any other agency and a Genesis record – as well as three silvers and a finalist.

The 22-strong team gathered at Genesis’ office to watch the PRide Awards which recognise the outstanding work of leading public relations teams who demonstrate commitment to excellence and best practice in nine regions across the UK.

Genesis also won the top gong in 2018 and 2019. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Judges commented: “There was a clear vision and strategy, supported by great performance for clients. Their approach to CPD stands out, particularly the encouragement of staff to become CIPR Accredited PR practitioners, plus setting a stretch goal of 90 CPD points per annum. The campaign was very creative, with impressive results, and good measurement and evaluation applied throughout the PR process.”

Director Penny Arbuthnot said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been crowned PR Consultancy of the Year at the CIPR PRide Awards 2021 for Anglia, Thames and Chiltern.

“To win the top award in three successive years is an extraordinary achievement and speaks volumes about Genesis. We have a hugely driven and talented team who have continued to demonstrate an abundance of creativity and results-driven impact for our clients.

“Like many forward-thinking businesses, our pre-Covid investment in technology combined with our great teamwork and intrinsic values allowed us to adapt to the pandemic and give our clients the PR and digital solutions that you need to stand out in our modern landscape.

“We’ve continued to invest in our business and services: relaunching our graduate scheme, doubling our digital team, appointing a new senior leadership team, and providing full access to training tools like LinkedIn Learning and CIPR’s professional development framework.

“I would like to pay tribute to everyone at Genesis for their work ethic, positive attitude, having an open mind and their willingness to learn, supporting and caring for each other, and taking pride in achieving some amazing results. We congratulate all the winners and finalists across the region – everyone deserves a huge amount of credit.”

Earlier this year, Genesis held onto its coveted place in PR Week’s Top 50 Agencies Outside London for 2021 – one of only two agencies in the East of England at 40th position.

PR Week also put Genesis at 17th for Top Public Sector agencies nationally, 40th in the Top 150 B2B agencies nationally, and 27th in the ‘Bubbling Under’ rankings of ‘notable agency success stories’ who are just outside the UK’s Top 150 agencies.

Genesis employs a team of 22 PR and digital marketing professionals with expertise across the team in areas including media relations, reputation management, digital advertising, social media, websites, Search Engine Optimisation and brand design.

Using its registered ‘i-thinking’ concept, the agency works with clients who are leaders and influencers in their fields and has a particular focus on health and social care, training and education, manufacturing and construction, professional services and charities.

The team has adopted a new hybrid approach to employment with many of the team choosing to be home-based and a smaller number working from its office.

See the full list of winners and finalists at the CIPR PRide Awards 2021 – Anglia, Thames and Chiltern.

PR Consultancy of the Year – Genesis – Gold

Corporate and Business Communications Campaign – Exploring the world of baking with Zeelandia – Gold

Not-for-Profit Campaign – Wild About Survival, for Zoological Society of East Anglia – Gold

Public Sector Campaign – Myth Busting Fostering – Gold

Regional Campaign of the Year – Connecting Communities: Delivering Faster Broadband To Rural Villages, for County Broadband – Gold

Travel, Leisure or Tourism Campaign – Wild About Survival, for Zoological Society of East Anglia – Gold

Best Event – Thank You Social Workers – Silver

Healthcare Campaign – Essex residents take control of health with MoreLife – Silver

Integrated Campaign – Don’t Stop Now! For Skills Training UK – Silver

Outstanding Young Communicator – Joe Tye, Account Manager, Genesis – Finalist