About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Life at Skout

Celebrating 15 years of Skout – people, purpose and plenty of laughs

This year marks a milestone for Skout – it’s our 15th birthday! What began as a leap of faith from our founder Rob Skinner has grown into a thriving B2B communications agency built on authenticity, relationships and a healthy dose of workplace humour. In celebration, we wanted to take this opportunity to reflect back on our history including how Skout became Skout.

Our roots

From the outset, Rob’s vision was to create something beyond a one-man-band agency – he wanted to build a business with a strong identity. “I thought, right, it’s got to have an agency feel from day one. It’s going to have a name. It’s not just about me — it needs to be something that gets bigger.” However, he did want to keep a little bit of himself in the brand name. ‘Skout’ itself is a blend of his surname and the spirit of resourcefulness and discovery. “I was actually a Cub Scout leader at the time because my kids were young, and it just fit — resourceful, searching harder for stories, finding the good stuff. I swapped the ‘C’ for a ‘K’ to make it distinctive… and that’s how Skout was born.”

When Rob met Claire

Claire’s journey to Skout was unexpected, sparked by a mutual connection who saw a natural alignment. After freelancing for a few years, Claire officially joined the team, enticed by a shared ethos and Rob’s promise of flexibility. That promise not only shaped her decision but also laid the groundwork for the people-first culture Skout is now known for. “We built the kind of agency we’d want to work at,” Claire shared. “That meant prioritising balance, wellbeing, and learning from different perspectives.”

Now if you know Rob and Claire like we do, you will know that they are like chalk and cheese. Rob, the strategist and deep thinker; Claire, the dynamo with a laser focus on people and energy. Together, they just work. In fact, their differences are one of the agencies greatest strengths.

Staying strong

Of course, no 15-year journey is without its challenges. The pandemic years were testing but also revealing. The early days of lockdown meant Rob and Claire had to constantly adapt, reforecast, and recalibrate to protect the team and clients during a time when no one had a roadmap. Claire reflects: “There was no playbook — we were reforecasting every 24 hours at one point. But we kept our clients close, kept our team close, and focused on what we could control. Weirdly, I look back on it with a bit of fondness — we learned a lot, and it brought out the best in us.”

We now think of Skout in two eras: pre-pandemic and post-pandemic. Explaining to younger members of the team that we used to have to use a conference phone rather than Microsoft Teams for client meetings is always eye opening. Despite it being just five years ago.

Laugh out loud moments

One of our Skout values is fun – and sometimes this comes when you least expect it. From Rob almost missing the team flight to Palma (cue dramatic sprint across the tarmac) to the time he and Claire missed a flight from Amsterdam thanks to a faulty screen, the travel tales alone could fill a book. There was the infamous Manchester Tart incident, where Rob dubbed the dessert a ‘midweek pud’ at a formal awards dinner and the now-legendary McDonald’s drive-thru fail.

“We’ve had our fair share of pitch wins and proud milestones — but it’s the moments of chaos, confusion, and comedy that really bond a team. Whether it’s missing flights, misjudging desserts, or getting stuck at a drive-thru, those are the stories we still laugh about years later.”

The future

We recently transitioned to employee ownership and as a result, Skout’s future is about investing in team development and doing work that really matters. It’s the people that make Skout, Skout – and this is where its future lies. This is echoed by Rob and Claire: “Every person who’s walked through the door has shaped who we are today and that’s something worth celebrating.”

Here’s to the next 15!

Want to learn more about Skout and its 15-year journey? Our deputy MD Claire James interviews Rob and Claire in a special edition podcast. Listen here 🎧

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Life at Skout

Celebrating EOsmile: How being employee-owned is helping us build a brighter agency

Creativity in B2B marketing: what we learned from episode 1 of Shaking the B2B Tree podcast

Browse more blog posts

EO Day
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

Did you know that Skout is an employee-owned B2B PR and communications agency?   In 2023, our founding shareholders Rob and Claire made the decision to sign the company over to an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT). As Claire mentioned at the time of the transition: “Much of the success Skout has

Shaking the B2B PR tree: Episode 1 banner detailing the episode contents with guest Victoria Jackson, acting global head of marketing, Silverdoor
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

If you haven’t heard about Shaking the B2B Tree yet, it’s a fresh new podcast from Skout launched by our MD, Rob Skinner, aimed at challenging traditional thinking in B2B marketing. The whole idea? To shake up the way we think about B2B marketing – challenge the usual, dig into

An image of healthy and nutritious food options
Posted on
bymarketing@skoutpr.com

When choosing what to eat, most of us think of calories, nutrients and the overall taste. But, did you know that your diet not only affects your physical health but also plays a major role in your mood, mental clarity and overall well-being. More and more studies display that food

A photo of the Skout PR team at the 2025 annual offsite at Alton Towers Resort
Posted on
byTom Embleton

Life in PR can be a bit of a rollercoaster, so what better place for Skout’s annual offsite than Alton Towers? Last month, we swapped our office for the theme park and two jam-packed days of strategy, team bonding and adrenaline-fuelled fun. Day one: Strategy with a side of pastries

Skout Team celebrating for 15 years of Skout
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

This year marks a milestone for Skout – it’s our 15th birthday! What began as a leap of faith from our founder Rob Skinner has grown into a thriving B2B communications agency built on authenticity, relationships and a healthy dose of workplace humour. In celebration, we wanted to take this

An image of the actress Millie Bobby Brown, a centerpiece of a blog about the role of clickbait and the impact on journalism
Posted on
byClaire Lamb

What started as a simple lunchtime read today ended up down a rabbit hole. It all started with Millie Bobby Brown. Like many women, I applaud her for calling out the media on their response to her appearance. I’m not going to go over it as it’s a tale as

Copy of International Women's Day template (1200 x 500 px) (2)
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

Did you know that as an agency we have a strong female presence across all roles within the business? In fact, two-thirds of our senior management team are female – this exceeds the global PR industry average of around 30%! That’s why we never miss the opportunity to celebrate International

A group of three women in a podcast environment with microphones.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

Launching a podcast involves more than just hitting the record button. From selecting the right equipment to securing guest speakers, the early planning stages shape everything. But before considering the logistics, there’s one crucial question you should ask from day one: How will I engage my audience? Without a clear

A visual image showcases tech trends for B2B marketers. The graphic displays icons signaling tech trends such as AI.
Posted on
byJames Weaver

Things change quickly in the world of B2B marketing. With every ‘eureka!’ moment for new and disruptive technologies that herald to change the game, staying ahead of the curve is vitally important. Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been used by businesses for decades, today the technology is plastered across the

An image of a woman reading a business, financial and fintech newspaper
Posted on
byIsobelle Yoxall

It’s a new year for your FinTech business, and there’s big news on the horizon: a new product launch, exciting partnerships, or innovative features to announce. This makes for the perfect time to share your story with the media. Or perhaps you are just seeking fresh opportunities to make a

Get in touch

Skout
11 Market Place
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1EB

Send us a message

Name(Required)

Send us a message