This summer marks the 15th anniversary of setting up Polaris Media in Birkenhead near Liverpool. It’s been a hell of a ride from maxed out credit card beginnings as a local only PR firm on Merseyside to becoming an international consultancy now based in Chicago!
I’m not sure where the time goes, but I’d like to thank the Polaris team and everyone who has worked for Polaris over the years, as well as all our clients – especially those who supported us in the early days on Merseyside and in Chicago.
From this vantage point, there is an evanescence to the maritime world of 2011. Many business types we promote now were a mere glint in the sector’s eye then: cyber, batteries, autonomy, AI, software, satellites. What hasn’t changed is the sector’s old school heirachical conservative relationship driven nature.
Our story in pictures
15 years in 15 milestones
- 2011: Founded Polaris Media on banks of River Mersey near great seaport of Liverpool working mainly in shipbuilding cluster.
- 2012: Promoted construction of the flight decks for HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier at Cammell Laird shipbuilders.
- 2014: Won our first export client, the huge shipyard Oman Drydock on Arabian Sea. Travelled to Duqm to promote drydocking milestones.
- 2015–19: Promoted Britain’s biggest commercial shipbuilding project for 30 years at Cammell Laird—the RRS Sir David Attenborough—culminating in the Royal naming ceremony with Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
- 2016: Managed media for the Royal naming of ACL’s Atlantic Star by HRH The Princess Royal.
- 2017: Expanded to India, working for the Royal Family of Udaipur in Rajasthan —the setting for James Bond movie Octopussy —before later supporting Hero Cycles and Tech Mahindra.
- 2018: Promoted the campaign for a UK National Memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic in Liverpool and opened Manchester office in Northern Quarter.
- 2019: Visited Singapore with Port of Gdańsk to celebrate 25 years of ties between Poland and Singapore, and promoted the UK Pavilion at Marintec China in Shanghai.
- 2020: Won Professional Services Business of the Year at the Mersey Maritime Awards.
- 2021: Published Making Waves: PR Strategies to Transform Your Maritime Business, which became an Amazon bestseller.
- 2022: Won International Business of the Year at the Mersey Maritime Awards and, the following week, moved to Chicago to launch Polaris Media America. Won first American client Ohio’s Advanced Polymer Coatings.
- 2023: Helped re-establish the Chicago Propeller Club after a 15-year hiatus with new board including Chris Carr Ian Hirt and Erik Varela
- 2024: Chicago Propeller Club named International Port Chapter of the Year by International Propeller Club
- 2025: Published the expanded US edition of Making Waves, another Amazon bestseller with Rethink Press
- 2026: Appointed President of the Chicago Propeller Club, preparing to host our 15th event since re-chartering this week!
Here’s to the next 15 🥂