Pictured: Pictured: (l-r) Holly Jones (account manager), Katie Dale (Citypress head of Midlands) and Laura O’Meara (account executive)

Citypress, a leading independent PR agency which launched in Birmingham last year, has secured a prestigious new client win.

The Temple Row-based agency which is headquartered in Manchester has been appointed by Midlands accountants and business advisory firm Smith Cooper to raise the profile of its expanding Birmingham office.

Smith Cooper employs 180 people across the Midlands and provides audit and accountancy compliance services as well as dedicated corporate finance, specialist tax and corporate recovery and insolvency teams. It also incorporates separate financial solutions, IT and HR divisions.

Smith Cooper’s Birmingham office, based on Livery Street in the heart of the city’s financial district, has experienced unprecedented growth since its move to the city in 2008 and has appointed Citypress to help promote its breadth of offering, specialist sector expertise, and to build on its ever expanding client base through a strategic regional communications programme.

Katie Dale, Head of Midlands at Citypress, said: “This is an exciting time for Citypress as we approach the end of our first year in Birmingham.

“Smith Cooper’s offering is a perfect fit for us and we are looking forward to showcasing the fantastic work that they do in the West Midlands and building their profile in the region.

“It is great to be working with an accountancy firm as it complements our other financial services clients. Smith Cooper also has strong ties in exporting and manufacturing which are vital to the region’s economic recovery – an area in which we have particular expertise and are looking to grow during 2012.”

Jeremy Cope, lead partner at Smith Cooper, said: “Our client portfolio is continuing to expand as our international links strengthen and the Smith Cooper name is becoming synonymous with professional, straight-talking advice for entrepreneurial SME businesses across the West Midlands.

“Building reputation though word of mouth is effective to a point, but we acknowledge the importance for the wealth of the region’s SMEs to see the great work that we are doing, and the media is an avenue that we know we needed to explore further to cement our presence.

“Citypress’ reputation for delivering strategic, well thought through PR programmes for professional and financial services is second-to-none in the city, so they were the obvious choice for us when partnering with an agency. We are committed to diversifying our offering in Birmingham and we are looking forward to working closely with the team at Citypress to continue this expansion.”