This week TechBullion caught up with Steven George-Hilley, founder of Centropy PR, a global tech and fintech communications agency based in London Bridge. In this special interview, we explore the challenges facing the fintech industry in terms of support and funding and the role PR can play in driving business growth.
Tell us about Centropy PR
We’re a global B2B specialist agency with a focus on tech, fintech and public sector communications working with clients of all shapes and sizes, from FTSE 250 listed businesses to start-ups.
Our HQ is based in Rupert Murdoch’s News Building at London Bridge, opposite the Shard, and we also have a US office in San Diego which we opened last year. Our team provide strategic communications consultancy to elevate the profile and reach of ambitious brands through digital storytelling, media relations and thought leadership content.
What are your thoughts on the UK fintech scene?
It’s no secret that it’s been a tough couple of years for businesses. The toxic mix of a cost-of-living crisis, stubborn inflation and high interest rates, alongside the explosion of AI, means it’s a tough trading market.
Several of our clients have faced steep challenges when it comes to securing funding, while others have had to reduce their headcount and operating costs. Take one look at LinkedIn and you see more and more communications professionals are listed as ‘Open to Work’.
Despite all the doom and gloom, we are noticing a recovery in terms of new business enquiries, with several new briefs reaching us this year. The UK’s fintech scene has clearly taken a beating, but it remains a crucial pillar of the country’s economy, in terms of job creation and output, so I’m certain it will bounce back.
What PR project are you most proud of?
Last December we helped launch the University of Warwick’s £4.2m Fintech Centre. We are very proud to have provided support for a facility that will serve as the incubator for the next generation of UK fintech businesses, in addition to offering the newly created MSc Financial Technology qualification.
As part of the programme, we invited Saqib Bhatti, Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, to give a speech alongside the leaders of the facility. The reaction from the press and wider public was fantastic, it was a huge launch, but most importantly the new lab will have a genuine long-term impact on the future of the UK’s fintech industry.
What do you like most about your job?
I’ll never get tired of B2B PR. It’s a tremendously fulfilling job, and the rush of excitement when you land a big hit in the press hits just as hard as it did when I first started my career over a decade ago.
These days I have a large team of up-and-coming PR stars below me, but you’ll still find me on the client calls, in the brainstorms and on email chains. I’m involved because I want to be in the action, meeting and greeting clients and pitching the press.
Steven George-Hilley is the founder and CEO of Centropy PR
