PR Account Manager - Restaurants, Hospitality and Consumer Lifestyle

Karla Otto is a globally recognized public relations and communications agency, founded in 1982, with offices in 15 key cities across the UK, EMEA, US, and Asia. With a strong presence in fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Paris, and New York, the agency has built a reputation for representing some of the most prestigious names in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. In 2017, Karla Otto merged with K2 to form THE INDEPENDENTS—a global marketing, design, and communications group. This collective brings together industry leaders who share a commitment to innovation, excellence, and thoughtful collaboration across the luxury and lifestyle sectors.

At Karla Otto, our team of expert strategists, designers, planners and publicists are dedicated to delivering exceptional results and establishing long-term partnerships with our clients. We are passionate about the world of fashion, beauty, hospitality and luxury, with everyone bringing their unique expertise and insights to the table. We are driven by a shared commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving industry landscape.

To help support our future growth as an agency, we are looking for an Account Manager to join our team based in our London Office. This role is a unique opportunity to join a cross-functional team; the successful candidate will work across restaurants, hospitality and consumer lifestyle. The ideal candidate is someone with a wide-ranging interest in luxury lifestyle & culture and an adaptability to work across different verticals.

• Day to day client management including direct client contact, demonstrating maturity, professionalism and client awareness, leading on client calls and meetings.
• Provide direct line-management, mentoring and sign off for work generated by our Account Assistants/Coordinators including reporting and press collateral creation; booking processes for media and KOL visits to hotel and restaurant clients, tracking of product send outs across relevant clients and escalating challenges and potential solutions to the senior team.
• Forge links with global offices and other divisions that support client uptake of other services and the use of other Karla Otto offices – think globally and horizontally to improve results for the brand and clients.
• Build relationships with counterparts at relevant media outlets to gain coverage and utilise relationships to effectively secure results.
• Work with Directors to monitor brand advertising partners and identify where brand targets are not being achieved, identify solutions and deliver results.
• Take ownership for an agreed element of client strategy and contribute towards the wider overall plan demonstrating industry knowledge and creative thinking.
• Support client pitches with confidence, market insight and a strong representation of the Karla Otto brand.
• Identify opportunities to integrate other Karla Otto services into existing client scope of work and coordinate with the senior team to pitch add-ons appropriately.
• Raise awareness of opportunities to the wider team by identifying trends and developments that could be included in future client pitches or proposals.
• Keep up to date social media developments and identify opportunities to suggest suitable talent and influencers for KO clients.
• Utilise data and analytics tools (e.g. Google analytics) to monitor the return on investment digital initiatives are providing and make suggestions to improve results where required.
• Take an active interest in trends on social media and is able to talk about these with clients i.e. changes to Instagram and TikTok.

• Proven previous experience in a PR/Communications role – ideally with a background in consumer products, drinks brands, travel and restaurants.
• Overseeing the monitoring and sharing of coverage across print, online and social media.
• Enthusiasm and motivation to attend industry events.
• Strong top-tier relationships with press and industry peers and developed stakeholder management skills.
• Considerate of wider business environment and activities.
• Strong communication skills (both written and oral), research, and organisation skills.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and prioritise in a fast-paced environment.
• Confidence to make suggestions, bring ideas to the wider team that focuses on client experience and work alone or as part of a team.
• High level of attention to detail and the ability to present and interpret quantitative and qualitative data.
• Positive attitude to challenging situations and a willingness to go above and beyond in the call of duty in order to complete a project accurately and on time.
• Proven negotiation and influencing skills.
• Must be efficient in Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.

At Karla Otto, we are always looking for personalities with positive charisma who are enthusiastic, self-motivated, and have a keen sense of aesthetics. Karla Otto embraces and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Karla Otto provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join our team!