The global PR agency Method Communications has appointed Martin Harkin as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Business Development.
Harkin, a long-time communications executive with international experience, will lead tech clients from his home base in New York City and coordinate new global business development opportunities between U.S.-based Method and its sibling agencies under the VCCP Business umbrella: Harvard, in London, and Sling & Stone, which is based in Sydney, Australia, with offices in New Zealand, Singapore and Los Angeles.
Before joining Method, Harkin was Practice Head for Technology and E-Commerce at communications agency Red Havas, in New York, spending eight years at the company across its New York, Sydney and London offices. He has represented some of the world’s largest and best-known technology companies, including Google, LinkedIn and Facebook/Meta, while also working with smaller and more specialized organizations such as the Israeli-founded autonomous traffic management company NoTraffic, and Tritium — an Australian- headquartered company that designs and manufactures technology for electric vehicle fast chargers.
Prior to joining Red Havas, Harkin worked at Haystac, part of the Dentsu Aegis network, working across client teams to help promote their biggest stories and support major campaigns.
“We’re delighted to welcome Marty to Method, where he’ll help us continue building out our cross-agency collaborations with Harvard and Sling & Stone,” said David Parkinson, Method’s co-founder and CEO. “Method already provides support to a number of our clients through our global network, and Marty’s experience is perfectly suited to helping us take those collaborations and business relationships to the next level.
“Just as important,” Parkinson said, “Marty has a proven record of taking incredibly complex models, products and services offered by a variety of technology companies and distilling them into straight-forward yet powerful narratives. He will be a vital part of driving the strategic direction of Method, as well as new business development, particularly on the East Coast.”
Harkin, a native of Ireland, has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Ulster. He worked at The Irish News before moving to Sydney in 2012 to begin his PR career. That journalism experience has given him informed insights in helping clients frame their narratives and devise their media strategies.
“The entrepreneurial mindset that flows throughout Method is what initially drew me to the agency,” Harkin said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most innovative minds in the industry across creative strategy, PR, analyst relations, marketing, social media, content development and research and insights.
“My first-hand experience of working in the Australian and UK markets, in addition to collaboration with global teams across a wide variety of locations, will be vital to working with Harvard and Sling & Stone under the VCCP Business umbrella. I am excited at the prospect of growing our global client roster in this new chapter.”
About Method
Method is a global PR and marketing partner for challenger brands shaking up the status quo and market leaders facing challenges of their own. We are cut from the same cloth as the innovative companies we represent. As entrepreneurs in our field, we know how to bring narratives to life and capture the spotlight, driving meaningful business outcomes.
