Following a competitive pitch, the public affairs arm of the multi-disciplined public relations consultancy MRM has been chosen by the Building Societies Assiciation (BSA) and the Association of Financial Mutuals (AFM) to champion financial mutuals in the run-up to the 2015 General Election.
The MRM team, which was recently appointed to drive Generation Rent’s campaign, will be led by Head of Public Affairs Havard Hughes. Before his recent appointment at MRM, Hughes previously worked for the Financial Conduct Authority.
Hughes will be assisted on the account by Sophie Robson, formerly of the CSFI and author of the influential Generation Y report on financial services and young people.
Commenting on the appointment, Havard Hughes said: “Government and regulators need to work together to achieve the stated aim of the Coalition Agreement to foster diversity in financial services and to promote mutuals. Mutuals exist to serve their members. They hold the key to expanding competition and ensuring a fairer deal for consumers. However, one size fits all regulation is severely constraining the sector.
“Regulators and parliamentarians need to take urgent concrete steps to promote mutuals or risk further consolidation which will mean less choice and poorer outcomes for consumers.”