Former Times transport correspondent Phil Pank joins WA

Philip Pank, an award-winning former Transport Correspondent for The Times, has joined WA as a Partner to drive integrated campaigns in aviation, rail and road, as the leading independent London agency strengthens its presence in the sector.

He will work with Marc Woolfson, a Partner and Head of Public Affairs – as well as Sir Philip Rutnam, the former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport, who PR Week reported last month has joined WA as Chair of the agency’s Advisory Board.

The team will deliver integrated communications campaigns across the sector – building on the agency’s existing £1m+ roster of transport clients, which include Birmingham Airport, Stagecoach, the Cycle to Work Alliance and Street Works UK.

Commenting on his appointment, Philip Pank, Partner, WA, said:

“I’m super excited to join WA and help the agency build out its transport offer across disciplines. It’s a privilege to work with true experts in the field, such as Sir Philip Rutnam.

“This is a critical time for the transport sector as demand for travel rebounds, consumers chase value and low-emission options; while operators grapple with decarbonisation, hybrid working and the other macro trends shaping our lives.”

Dominic Church, Managing Director, WA, added:

“Welcoming Philip to WA significantly enhances our ability to help organisations achieve policy and reputational outcomes in an area where government action, media interest and public impact are often interlinked.

“I’m delighted to be able to bring his wide-ranging media skills and in-depth transport network to bear on our client campaigns, and work with him to further build our communications offer across the sector.”

Philip will also lead on the agency’s media training offer to clients across the business. He joins WA from Pagefield, where he provided senior counsel, strategy, narrative development, and crisis support to clients including British Airways, Qatar Airways, London City Airport, Hitachi Rail and micro-mobility provider TIER.

During almost a decade in consultancy, he has delivered the communications response to issues including major corporate restructures caused by the pandemic, a terror attack, environmental protests, the near collapse of an international airline, and an international doping scandal.

Philip was previously The Times’ Transport Correspondent, leading the paper’s coverage across aviation, rail, cycling, roads, and shipping. He won the National Transport Awards Media Campaign of the Year for the paper’s Cities Fit for Cycling campaign – hailed as “elevating the importance of cycling safety at all levels of government” – and was recognised at the Online Media Awards for the Best Use of Crowdsourcing / Citizen Journalism.