Hope&Glory Founders Win SABRE's Top Individual Achievement Award

Hope&Glory founders Jo Carr and James Gordon-MacIntosh will receive the Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE at the EMEA SABRE Awards ceremony in London on 21 May 2026, Provoke Media confirmed. The recognition honors 15 years of building one of the UK's most consistently awarded independent consumer PR agencies.

Award Recognizes Founders of a £12 Million Independent Agency

The Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE, presented at the world's largest PR awards competition, is awarded to individuals whose contributions extend beyond agency performance to shape the broader industry. Carr, now chief client officer, and Gordon-MacIntosh, chief creative officer, founded Hope&Glory in 2011 after working together at SeventySeven PR.

The agency has grown to fee income just shy of £12 million while maintaining 19% margins and a 10% year-on-year income growth rate. Its client roster includes Pepsi, IKEA, Netflix, Toyota, Oxfam, and the FA, alongside newer wins including Samsung, Lego, Dyson, Carlsberg, Discord, and Meta.

Profit-sharing bonuses have been paid to all staff for 14 consecutive years, an unusual policy in the UK PR market. The agency has also introduced progressive parental leave, flexible working, menopause support, and industry-leading training investment, with a significant portion of its senior team having started their careers there.

A Long-Standing Client Speaks to the Partnership's Value

Virgin Media O2, the agency's first and longest-standing client, has maintained the relationship since Hope&Glory opened in 2011. Nicola Green, chief communications and corporate affairs officer at Virgin Media O2, said the relationship has endured because of consistent delivery and genuine attention to the partnership itself.

"The reason we've stayed with them and they've held the account so long is simple: they've consistently delivered great work and balanced that with caring about the relationship," Green said. "They're never complacent, they're always restless and they care about the small details that make a difference in a long-term partnership."

Hope&Glory held existing clients while adding major new ones. Sainsbury's expanded its spend with the agency by 75%, Pokemon by 54%, Barclays by 52%, Uber by 47%, and IKEA by 30%, according to Provoke Media's Best Agencies in EMEA 2025 assessment.

Industry Peers Cite Cultural Contribution Alongside Creative Output

Internally, colleagues point to a combination of creative ambition and personal generosity as the defining quality of Carr and Gordon-MacIntosh's leadership. Don Ferguson, deputy MD at Hope&Glory, who joined in 2012, described 15 years of front-row access to the founders' working dynamic.

"Jo and James are so much more than industry leaders; they've spent fifteen years redefining the landscape entirely," Ferguson said. "That passion, balanced with genuine kindness and endless generosity, is the fundamental DNA of Hope&Glory."

Beyond agency management, both founders have contributed to the UK PR industry's broader development. Carr serves as president of Women in PR, leading initiatives on equity, career progression, and support for female leaders. The agency is also a partner of People Like Us, which advocates for equitable workplaces.

Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of People Like Us, said: "Jo and James' remarkable consistency, humility and excellence is the gold standard in UK PR. Outside of their record-breaking awards hauls and winning the biggest briefs, there are two generous human beings that care deeply about making our industry fairer."

The 22nd EMEA SABRE Awards will be held at The Brewery in London on 21 May 2026.