From 1 October 2026, Claire James, Skout’s current Deputy MD takes on the role of Managing Director, while founder Rob Skinner becomes Head of Growth. Claire Lamb will transition from operational responsibilities on 1 January 2027 but will remain actively involved as a board member and strategic advisor. Here’s why we’re making the change and what it means for our clients.
A few years ago, we started asking ourselves a simple question: what would the next chapter of Skout look like? Not just for the founders, but for our team, our clients and the future of the agency.
From becoming employee owned to developing the next generation of leaders, we’ve spent the last few years focused on building a business designed to thrive for the long term.
A few years ago, Skout became employee owned, giving our people a meaningful stake in the future of the agency. It was an important milestone for founder Rob Skinner, Claire Lamb and Claire James, reflecting a shared belief that the people who help build the business should share in its success.
Today we’re announcing some changes to our leadership team that further that commitment.
From 1 October, Claire James will move from Deputy Managing Director supporting Rob and Claire, to become Skout’s Managing Director. She takes full responsibility for leading the agency day-to-day, driving client service excellence and supporting the continued development of our team. At the same time, founder Rob will move into a newly created Head of Growth role, focusing on business development, marketing, strategic partnerships and future growth opportunities.
For us this is the next step in a carefully planned leadership transition designed to strengthen the business for the future while maintaining continuity for clients and employees. As part of this transition, Claire Lamb will move from operational responsibilities on 1 January. She’ll remain actively involved in Skout as part of her continued role on the board as a strategic advisor.
A leadership structure built for the future
At Skout, we’ve always believed that strong agencies are built around people.
Over the years, our agency has evolved significantly. We’ve sharpened our focus, deepened our expertise and built a reputation as a specialist PR partner for brands that sell to HR and people leaders. Today, we work exclusively in the HR sector, helping organisations connect with HR decision-makers through strategic communications, GEO, PR and content.
As we’ve grown, we’ve also been thinking carefully about how the agency evolves. This new leadership structure gives us the best of both worlds.
It allows Claire James to focus on leading the business, supporting clients and developing our people, while giving Rob Skinner dedicated time to focus on growth, innovation and strengthening Skout’s position in the HR communications market.
Most importantly, it creates clarity for our clients and positions the agency strongly for the years ahead.
What this means for clients
For our clients, very little is changing. The same team remains in place. The same commitment to strategic thinking, responsiveness and measurable results remains unchanged.
What is changing is our ability to invest even more time and energy into helping HR-focused brands grow.
The result is a leadership structure that balances continuity with future ambition.
Looking ahead
The world of HR is evolving rapidly. People leaders are navigating challenges around talent, employee engagement, organisational change, AI, wellbeing and workplace culture. At the same time, HR brands are under increasing pressure to demonstrate relevance, authority and value in crowded markets.
We believe there has never been a more important time for specialist communications support.
That’s why we’re continuing to invest in our HR communications expertise and our services that help brands turn insight into stories, stories into conversations and conversations into business opportunities.
This leadership transition gives us the structure, focus and momentum to do exactly that.
And we’re excited about what’s next.
