Obituary: Suzanna Hammond, Luxury and Lifestyle PR

13 Aug 2024

Suzanna Hammond, luxury and lifestyle PR, has died after a short illness. Suzanna set up Hammond PR in the early 1990’s after being on the board at Ogilvy Mather. Her new agency covered many areas including the care sector, food and farming and green energy as well as luxury lifestyle. 

Suzanna and her team soon achieved a reputation for their intelligent strategies and considered advice. They worked with the BG Group and BG Foundation, advising on corporate social responsibility and liaising with the government. Working with the Arcadia Group, Hammond PR masterminded the relaunch of Topshop at Oxford Circus.  

However, Suzanna's real love was always for the luxury jewellery and lifestyle sector. Suzanna was a familiar figure at the jewellery industry trade events both in the UK and abroad - she led the UK PR team for Baselworld for twelve years and fourteen for International Jewellery London (IJL).  It was for IJL that she and her team created the Bright New Gems, now in its nineteenth year, a mentoring scheme for graduating BA and MA jewellery designers.  Suzanna’s love of the buzz was truly infectious, and many a young designer and start-up benefitted from her know-how and knowledge. She enjoyed nurturing happy relationships with UK colleges and universities to help their graduates take a leap into the commercial world.

Loved for her enthusiasm, Suzanna ran her marketing communications and PR business the best way – through referrals and word of mouth. Clients stayed with Hammond year after year, enjoying great results. She favoured a 360-degree approach based on a blend of consultancy, marketing and PR support, backed up by relevant experience and impressive contacts, which worked well for clients that included industry establishments such as The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council and The Houlden Group, newcomer Colormond,  as well as well-known names such as de Grisogono, Richard Ogden, Leo de Vroomen, Philippa Herbert and Bernard Delettrez and iconic designers, Fei Liu and Tomasz Donocik,  and Zeemou Zeng, Victor Wong, Beau Han Xu and Isabella Liu – all of whom became good friends.

Suzanna had a real flair for pitching a story with legs, humour and, where possible, an added touch of glitter.  So much so that Hammond PR won the PR Week Consumer Campaign of the Year twice in a row.  Once for the British Tomato Growers Association for a humorous campaign to launch the British Tomato brand – Sex, Bugs and Rock ‘n Roll.  And again for the States of Jersey with an imaginative campaign featuring TV’s favourite detective Bergerac trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of the precious Jersey Royal potatoes,  positioning the Jersey Royal as ‘Brown Gold’.

Source: Hammond PR