A UK firm which has established itself as a global leader in strategic marketing for space companies has been nominated for a number of prestigious awards for its work connecting and promoting those within the fast-growing sector.
Despite only being two years established, AstroAgency ranked amongst 10 of the country’s best small and medium-sized enterprises for 2021 after being nominated for Digital SME of the Year at the UK Digital Leaders 100 Awards.
Founder and Creative Director, Daniel Smith, was nominated for Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2021 Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Award, while Marketing Manager Lara Zanoni has been nominated for NextGen’s Rising Star Award, an award that celebrates women in space.
Smith has helped drive the establishment of four space start-ups in the last four years and is an advisory board member for UK-wide student space group, UKSEDS, as well as being former Chairperson of Space Scotland, an industry-led group working in collaboration with both Scottish and UK governments and national universities to develop Scotland’s space sector in support of the overall UK space sector offering.
The UK government has made space a priority, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently providing the foreward to the UK Space Strategy.
Smith believes the nominations are testament to the firm’s unique offering and his team’s passion for working towards a sustainable, diverse and inclusive global space sector, with AstroAgency’s 23 strong team boasting a varied range of expertise from space technology, rocket science and satellite data analysis to business development, digital marketing, public relations and corporate communications.
Daniel said: “What sets AstroAgency apart is the diversity of our team and the technical understanding we can bring to our clients to help them enter, grow and succeed in the fast-growing commercial space sector.
The vast majority of our team have previous experience in space organisations large and small and have detailed knowledge of the sector – which, when combined with our passion for business development and marketing, makes us a good fit for many space firms. Even our interns are building satellites or launch vehicles at university!
“Being nominated for these awards is a nod to the hard work the team have put in over the last two years, starting up at the beginning of a global pandemic with a unique idea that hadn’t been done before, and we could not be more humbled to have that effort recognised.”
The Digital Leaders 100 list is curated by public vote and awards teams and individuals for their work within the UK’s digital transformation sector while the Great British Entrepreneur celebrates the best entrepreneurs from around the UK.
AstroAgency Marketing Manager Lara Zanoni was recently nominated for NextGen’s Rising Star Award – hosted by the world’s oldest existing space advocacy organisation, the British Interplanetary Society.
Lara said: “In the past, the space sector has been a predominately male dominated industry so it is brilliant to see women coming up the ranks throughout the space sector.
”I’m very proud to have been nominated for such a prestigious award that celebrates women in the industry, and to work for such a diverse company – in fact, AstroAgency has more women than men, which is unusual for the space sector.”
The recent award nominations come in addition to the firm’s nominations for two Sir Arthur Clarke Awards earlier in the year – receiving commendations in the Education and Outreach Team category and the Industry/Project Individual category, where Smith was recognised for his efforts to promote sustainability and a more diverse space sector.
The Sir Arthur Clarke Awards, better known as ‘The Arthurs’, have been presented since 2005 and recognise individuals and teams who have made notable or outstanding achievements or contributions to the space sector.
AstroAgency, which was founded in 2019, have not only survived the economic struggles of the pandemic but have had many successes within the space sector.
The firm creates and amplifies messaging from private and public sector organisations operating in space or looking to move into the sector, with a unique combination of strategic marketing support, brand building techniques, space media coverage, detailed technical knowledge and all-important market intelligence.
AstroAgency is helping businesses – that may not perceive themselves as space firms – to realise their potential and offerings in one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors.
The agency is on the hunt for organisations which have transferrable technology, skills or experience that can be utilised within the space supply chain and currently looking to hire three new team members for marketing roles.
Headquartered in Edinburgh, AstroAgency’s rapid growth and diverse remote team is based in key strategic locations, including London, Milan and Paris.
