Over 60 new jobs have been created at a leading Manchester healthcare communications agency that is putting the North West on the global map.

Havas Lynx Group, which offers campaign development, brand strategy, healthcare innovation and capability building, has increased its workforce to over 350 to keep up with a host of new campaign wins and increased demand from blue chip clients, including Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Roche.

It marks a major period of growth for the business that saw turnover rise 23% to £31m last year and comes just 32 years after it was formed as a small creative agency in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

A large proportion of the new recruits are graduates sourced from nearby Universities, as well as outstanding account management, creative, digital and video talent secured from all over the UK and Europe to work at its offices in Princess Street and down in London.

“2018 has been a tremendous year, topped off by the company being named as the Cannes

Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year…pretty much like winning the world cup for advertisement,” explained David Hunt, who has been CEO since 2013.

“Our business is all about instigating change that makes things better and not just different. Our healthcare and pharmaceutical clients trust us to develop compelling brands and thoughtful strategies that build lasting relationships.”

He continued: “This approach – combined with the latest creative, data, social and content techniques – has seen us beat off international competition to win a number of new campaigns and this has resulted in one of our biggest ever recruitment drives.

“Over 60 people have joined us at our Manchester and London offices and the plan is to hire a further 20 over the next three months.”

Havas Lynx Group’s ability to attract the best talent has been boosted by the ongoing success of its LX Academy.

This learning and development programme, which benefits from more than £600,000 of investment every year, covers core skills, thought leadership and then a mentoring programme that ensures individuals achieve their full potential.

There are also a number of thought provoking workshops covereing science, strategy, creative, technology and client services, all designed to challenge conventional thinking and encourage innovation.

In total, 56 sessions have been held in 2018 and a significant number of these have been delivered by external specialists in their field, including Marc Koska OBE, Dr Shafi Amhed and Lucy McRae.

“We have a collective of brilliant people doing brilliant things and, better still, we are all enjoying the experience. The #LXAcademy is part of this and revered by our sector and, without doubt, plays a role in us attracting and retaining the best talent,” added David.

“You need to find time and money to invest in the grassroots of the business and then nurture the talent you have, giving people the freedom to be creative, to test themselves and ultimately develop so they are hungry to want the next exciting challenge.

“This comes from having empathy with those around you. And that’s not just in a professional capacity. Our goal is simple, minimise the unnecessary stress & frustration with work, and say thank you for every amazing thing we do.”

He concluded: “The corporate vision is to be the undisputed healthcare communications agency in the world, using science, creative and technology to improve millions of lives. What we don’t want to lose along the journey is the essence of what makes Havas Lynx Group so special and helps us live up to our motto of Helpful Change.”

Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers provided key advice on a major bond issue that raised £150m to provide 500 new homes, with a further £100m retained for later sale.

The bond oversubscription of five times at final pricing is thought to be one of the highest seen for a public housing association bond in the past five years.

The Manchester-based firm acted for its client, Karbon Homes, an independent registered provider of affordable homes based in North-East England, on raising the £150m through the bonds market. This is the third major bond issue the firm has acted upon in the past 12 months.

As reporting accountant, Beever and Struthers was responsible for key roles including the review of financial information in the bond prospectus issued to over 40 potential investors, of which 23 were involved at the close of the deal, verifying the information contained within the document and confirming the financial position of the organisation.

The £150m raised will be vital in Karbon’s delivery of its “Strong Foundations Strategy”, which includes expanding the registered provider’s new-build programme to include the delivery of at least 500 new homes a year, along with the continued investment in its almost 30,000 homes across the North-East and Yorkshire.

The bond issue also involved Karbon’s advisors JC Rathbone Associates and Savills Advisory Services, funders Lloyds Bank and NatWest, and legal advice from Addleshaw Goddard, Trowers & Hamlins and Eversheds Sutherland.

John Jones, partner and head of corporate advisory at Beever and Struthers, said: “We are one of the leading providers of specialist financial advisory services to registered providers and other not-for-profit organisations nationwide and were delighted to assist Karbon with this tremendously successful fundraising.”

Mark Reid, executive director of resources at Karbon Homes, said: “Beever and Struthers were great to work with, providing sound and professional advice, whilst ensuring the project ran smoothly throughout.”