Spider has been recognised as the 4th fastest growing agency in the UK with income above £3m in the latest PR Week Top 150 Agency League Table with a 26% annual growth. Spider has also risen 16 places to rank at 62 in the 2021 list.

We see this as terrific justification in our strategy over the last 12 months of refusing to bow to the constraints and implications of Covid. Right from the start we chose not to make redundancies or to furlough staff. This is not to say we were immune to client losses and fee reductions, but we held our line. It was nerve-wracking and with our reserves felt it was morally right to do our best by our teams and fund ourselves through the choppy times. Our only concession was to deduct 10% from salaries for one month which we subsequently rebated at the end of the year.

This strategy meant we had a fully functioning team to manage and help our clients manoeuvre themselves through their challenging times and we were ready and able to respond to new business opportunities that sprang up in the wake of the pandemic.

Often it is in the darkest hours that the finest work is done, and I believe this success is an extraordinary tribute to the hard work of the Spider team. Michelle Butler, COO, who joined us from Bord Bia in 2019, has been remarkable and together we share a vision for the company that is underpinned with our ‘engine’ – Spider’s unique guarantee. It is as relevant to digital and social as it is to PR, especially as these skill sets are now evenly split across the agency. The comfort of this accountability has never been more essential for clients.

In our good fortune we have aimed not to forget that for many this has been a terrible time, especially those without a home. Which is why we have made a commitment in 2021 to donate 1% of our annual fees to Glass Door, the homeless charity in London.