Comms agency Beattie eyes Canada move after Brexit

Public relations and ­communications group Beattie today said it wants to 'control its own destiny' in the wake of the EU referendum by expanding into Canada.

Beattie managing director Laurna Woods, right, with Jessica McAndrew, who will be leading the firm's drive into Canada. Picture: Contributed

The firm, which was founded in Lanarkshire 30 years ago as a news agency, also said it was not ruling out a move into other countries with “strong economies” such as Germany.

Its first opening in Canada will be in Toronto, with additional offices planned for Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver.

Leading the business on the other side of the Atlantic will be Toronto-born Jessica McAndrew, who joined Beattie six months ago.

She said: “We have ambitious plans and the number of jobs we create in Canada in year one will obviously be dependent on the amount of business we secure.”

Beattie managing director Laurna Woods added: “We want to control our own destiny instead of waiting to see what happens when the UK pulls up the drawbridge on Europe.

“That means establishing our own international network and we are starting with Canada. We intend to focus on English-speaking countries but we are not ruling out targeting countries with strong economies like Germany.”

Beattie currently employs 100 people in the UK across eight offices, including Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow. Earlier this year the group outlined plans to create 30 jobs as it marks its 30th year in business.