Paragon Public Relations is the independent financial-communications agency founded in 2012 by Simon Hylson-Smith. UK-headquartered. Financial services, asset management, and fintech focus. One of the specialist boutique firms in the financial PR category.
Firm Name
Paragon Public Relations (Paragon PR)
Founded
2012 by Simon Hylson-Smith
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Founder / CEO
Simon Hylson-Smith
Ownership
Independent
Specialty
Financial communications, digital marketing, content, integrated marketing
Sectors
Asset management, financial services, fintech, professional services
Paragon Public Relations is an independent financial-communications agency founded in 2012 by Simon Hylson-Smith. The firm has built a specialist practice in the financial services category — asset management, wealth management, fintech, and professional services adjacent to the capital markets — with an integrated service model that spans public relations, digital marketing, content, and broader marketing services.
The firm operates as an independent boutique rather than as part of a holding-company network, which is a common structure in specialist financial communications where sector expertise and long-tenured client relationships matter more than global network coverage.
Leadership: Simon Hylson-Smith
Simon Hylson-Smith founded Paragon in 2012 and has led the firm as its principal since. The firm's team is built around a diversity of experience across financial-services communications, digital marketing, content production, and integrated brand-side work — a service mix that has expanded in scope since the firm's founding as client demand shifted from pure media-relations work toward integrated communications programs.
Practice Areas
Public Relations
Paragon's foundational service. Media relations, financial communications, analyst relations, interview management, media training, social-media support, competitive and peer audits, awards submissions, and speaking-engagement management. The financial-communications discipline is the firm's core capability — the specific tempo of asset-management, fund-launch, and capital-markets communications work that specialist firms handle differently from generalist agencies.
Digital Marketing
Paragon extends the PR base into an integrated digital service, including digital advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), website design and development, animation, photography, graphic design, HTML email template design, and video production. Financial-services clients increasingly demand this integrated model as the buyer research process moves online.
Content
Content-marketing capability aimed at engaging financial-services target audiences: market and product research, white papers, web content, speeches, video content, corporate blogs, content strategy, writing and editing, Q&A programs, and byline article placement. Thought-leadership content is a foundational discipline in financial-services PR.
Integrated Marketing
Branding services, client communication campaigns, product and market research, print advertising, messaging and positioning frameworks, promotional programs, and event coordination and management.
Industry Position
Financial communications is one of the most durable specialist categories in the PR industry. Buyers of financial-services communications — asset managers, wealth advisors, fintech founders, professional-services firms — value sector expertise, regulatory literacy, and long-tenured practitioner relationships over global network coverage. That is why the category has sustained a substantial cohort of independent boutique firms alongside the larger corporate-communications specialists.
Paragon sits inside that boutique category. Its integrated model — PR, digital, content, and marketing services combined — reflects the direction financial-services communications has moved over the past decade, as buyer research has migrated from print trade press into a mix of digital, social, and content channels that agencies now need to serve as a unified program.
What is Paragon PR?
An independent financial-communications agency founded in 2012 by Simon Hylson-Smith. UK-headquartered. Specializes in asset management, financial services, fintech, and professional services communications.
Who founded Paragon?
Simon Hylson-Smith, in 2012. He continues to lead the firm as its principal.
What services does Paragon offer?
Public relations, digital marketing, content, and integrated marketing services. The public relations discipline is the firm's foundational capability, with the other services expanding into an integrated communications program.
Which sectors does Paragon focus on?
Asset management, wealth management, fintech, and the broader financial services and professional services categories.
Is Paragon independent?
Yes. Paragon operates as an independent boutique rather than as part of a holding-company network — a common structure among specialist financial-communications firms.
An independent financial-communications agency founded in 2012 by Simon Hylson-Smith. UK-headquartered. Specializes in asset management, financial services, fintech, and professional services communications.
Who founded Paragon?
Simon Hylson-Smith, in 2012. He continues to lead the firm as its principal.
What services does Paragon offer?
Public relations, digital marketing, content, and integrated marketing services. The public relations discipline is the firm's foundational capability, with the other services expanding into an integrated communications program.
Which sectors does Paragon focus on?
Asset management, wealth management, fintech, and the broader financial services and professional services categories.
Is Paragon independent?
Yes. Paragon operates as an independent boutique rather than as part of a holding-company network — a common structure among specialist financial-communications firms.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
