TWENTY-FIVE years after starting business in an office only a little bigger than a cupboard, Peterborough-based marketing communications consultancy Smye Holland Associates (www.smye-holland.com) has grown into a successful business – and promises big announcements during its 25th year of business.

The company was established in 1987 by partners Mike Holland and Stephanie Smye to provide a ‘London agency standard of service but with realistic pricing’.

Stephanie retired in 2000 but has continued to maintain a keen interest in the business.

She said: “A great deal has changed in 25 years – for example, when we started the business we shared a new-fangled fax machine with a nearby business because it was too expensive to have our own. Communications technology has come on a long way since then!

“However, many things have remained the same. Companies still need well-planned and well-executed marketing communications strategies to get their messages to potential customers. And Smye Holland Associates is still meeting that need.”

Current managing director and founding partner Mike Holland said: “We have certainly come a long way since Stephanie and I started the business in an office that was only a little bit bigger than a cupboard!”

Now the company has a team of ten people based in offices in Peterborough city centre, a working partnership with local creative agency t2 Studios, a network of associates to support the core team and clients across Europe from The Netherlands to Russia – as well as many in the UK.

Not that Smye Holland Associates is resting on its laurels. The company promises some ‘major announcements’ later in 2012 as it gears up for its next 25 years.

Mike Holland said: “Marketing communications is changing rapidly and we cannot stand still. We are making some significant new investments which will ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of our clients in an increasingly competitive environment.”