Tangerine PR has appointed Ian Pettigrew as non-executive director to support the consultancy’s internal focus on strengths.

Pettigrew, of Kingfisher Coaching, is an executive coach who also supports organisations such as AstraZeneca, Kurt Salmon, and the NHS. He joins Tangerine’s board to help deliver a development programme which helps people to discover and apply their innate strengths such as strategic insight, influence, relationship building, and execution.

In addition the programme will also include a focus on identifying and investing in specialisms for individual ‘Tangerines’.

Sandy Lindsay, Tangerine Group MD, explained: “One of the many good things about being a bigger agency is that we can be flexible in allowing people to specialise in what they’re good at and enjoy. We know that, when people are playing to their strengths they do great work, are more engaged in what they do, support clients better and are happier.

“We launched the University of Tangerine last year and, under this umbrella, we’re combining this development programme, which means we’re enabling people to do what they do well, naturally, AND learn to do better what they love.”

Every colleague will have an online assessment of their strengths, followed by a coaching session with Ian, which will then be fed through to line managers and mentors so that individual three-year Career Development Plans can be created.

“I’ve been working with Tangerine for a few months now,” Ian explained, “and I’ve been hugely impressed and am delighted to now join the Board. Tangerine is driven by its values and cares deeply about both colleagues and clients. The business is full of creative, ambitious people and I’m excited to have the opportunity to help them become even more successful. Especially in this difficult economic climate, it is refreshing to see a business which is committing more to help each and every person be the best they can be. I’m loving working with the Tangerine team at every level.”