• Lucy Newton has joined communications agency Social as Senior Account Director, helping to lead the team’s work in Yorkshire.
• She will join the Yorkshire office’s senior management team, led by Director, Racheal Johnson and Account Director, Beth Chaplow. 
• The appointment follows a period of sustained growth and new business wins including with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and the emerging £1bn Eastgate Quarter scheme in Leeds.
• Most recently, Lucy was Economic Place Manager at Wakefield Council and has held roles at Marketing Manchester and several businesses nationally.

Communications agency, Social has appointed Lucy Newton to the senior team in its Yorkshire office following a series of new business wins.  

Newton brings substantial communications, marketing and place branding expertise from both public and private sectors – latterly as Economic Place Manager at Wakefield Council.

She will enhance Social’s place marketing and public sector credentials, playing a key role in helping clients including developers, housing bodies and place-shapers to engage effectively with local and combined authorities across Yorkshire and beyond.

Speaking about joining Social, Lucy said:

“I’m delighted to be joining Social at such an exciting time of growth for the business.

“With a long‑standing passion for people and place-based communications, the opportunity to work alongside the team and contribute to Social’s diverse client portfolio is hugely exciting. “

As Economic Place Manager at Wakefield Council, Lucy’s role included leading the local authority’s Key Account Management and Inward Investment functions promoting Wakefield as a destination to do business and invest. 

She has previously held roles at Radisson Hotel Group, Arriva Group and Marketing Manchester.

In her new role, she will join the senior management team in Social’s Yorkshire office, led by Director, Racheal Johnson and Account Director, Beth Chaplow.

The wider Yorkshire team includes Account Managers, Sami Garratt and Yasmine Moro-Virion and Senior Creative Executive, Anna Harman.

Social clients managed by the Yorkshire office include Extra MSA, Caddick Developments, Lovell Partnerships, Ahead Partnership, RLB, Leeds Beckett University, and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. 

Social’s work supporting clients at the UK Real Estate and Inward Investment Forum (UKREiiF), held in Leeds annually, has played a key role in the Yorkshire office’s growth. Social has positioned itself as the go-to agency for built environment and public sector clients looking to position themselves for investment at UKREiiF at 2026 is the team’s biggest year yet, as they support six clients to showcase key developments and investment opportunities.

Collectively the team is organising over 30 individual events at and around UKREiiF 2026, set to attract well in excess of 1,000 delegates, spanning major devolution updates, thought-provoking panel discussions, roundtables, networking receptions and media launches.

Director and Head of Social’s Yorkshire office, Racheal Johnson , said:

“Having worked closely with Lucy on UKREiiF in recent years, I’ve been hugely impressed by her expertise and passion for West Yorkshire and am so pleased to welcome her to Social. She joins us at exactly the right time as we gear up for our busiest UKREiiF yet, supporting clients across the public sector and built environment.

“Lucy brings extensive experience in place branding, communications and marketing and first-hand knowledge of the region’s political and business landscape that will help us strengthen and grow our offer to clients around public consultation, stakeholder engagement, event management and place promotion.”

Social is a purpose-driven communications agency which aims to be a force for good, committed to doing the right thing by clients, colleagues, suppliers, society and the planet.

As a B Corp, Social meets high standards of social and environmental impact, transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.