Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville has terminated his working arrangement with communications specialist Nina Sawetz, who managed public relations for his hospitality and education ventures over the past two years.
It comes days after Neville sparked huge backlash over his rant about ‘angry middle-aged white men’ dividing Britain by raising Union flags.
The footballer-turned-businessman has appointed Brazen PR as the new communications partner for Hotel Football, marking the end of Sawetz's involvement with both this venture and UA92 University.
The professional separation was revealed when Brazen PR's appointment became public, prompting Sawetz to address the change through her LinkedIn platform where she maintains a following of 15,000.
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Sawetz, who established and leads Future PR, had served as a key adviser on publicity and brand management for Neville's enterprises since being engaged two years prior.
Sawetz issued her own statement on LinkedIn, writing: "It's been a real pleasure to work with Gary Neville, Hotel Football and his wider group of businesses over the past few years, including UA92 and some strategy development meets for the Stock Exchange Hotel."
PR guru Nina Sawetz announced her termination from Gary Neville's company on LinkedIn
|She explained that the professional relationship reached its natural end at the beginning of October, stating: "As my work now increasingly focuses on reputation and crisis management, our work came to a natural close a few weeks ago, at the start of October."
The communications executive expressed good wishes for the future, adding: "With Hotel Football now moving forward with a refreshed direction alongside Brazen, I would like to wish them all the best in the next phase and send a huge thank you to the fantastic team at HF and GG."
Peter Burling, who serves as Client Director at Brazen PR, confirmed that Hotel Football sought a change in communications strategy to ensure alignment with appropriate partners offering innovative approaches.
"They were looking for a refresh, making sure that they are with the right partners with fresh ideas. There were no other reasons behind the change," Burling stated.
The agency secured the account following a competitive pitch process where multiple firms presented their proposals to Hotel Football's decision-makers.
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Nina Sawetz posted a full statement on LinkedIn
|"We were asked to come in and present alongside other agencies and won it because they liked the way we thought," Burling explained.
The new arrangement operates on a rolling contract basis, though Burling declined to disclose the financial value of the agreement.
Sawetz's Future PR positions itself as a strategic communications consultancy serving chief executives, expanding companies and investors with services spanning reputation management, crisis response and stakeholder engagement throughout Britain, Europe and the Middle East.
Prior to establishing her consultancy, Sawetz gained experience at the BBC's communications division and subsequently at Frank and Bottle PR, where she rose to Director of Consumer.
The Manchester-based executive, who holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Manchester, has resided in the city for more than seven years after growing up near London
Neville's ventures are jointly owned with his former Manchester United colleagues Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, though Gary remains the most prominent figure associated with both enterprises.
What did Gary Neville say?
Gary Neville sparked fury with his comments on people putting up flags
|Neville launched into an astonishing rant after the terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue earlier this month.
He took aim at 'angry middle-aged white men' for putting up Union Jack flags across the country, sparking huge backlash.
In a video post on LinkedIn, Neville said: "Seeing the news last night and the news this morning dominated by the horrific attacks within the Jewish community, just a mile from here.'
"When I was driving to Salford City last night, going down Littleton Road, I seen probably 50 or 60 Union Jack flags.
"And on the way back I went down the parallel road, Bury New Road, which has got the Jewish community right at its heart and they’re out on the streets, defiant, not hiding or in fear.
"I just kept thinking as I was driving home last night that we’re all being turned on each other. And the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting.
"Mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men, who know exactly what they’re doing.
"Funnily enough on one of my development sites last week there was a Union Jack flag put up and I took it down instantly."