Yulu PR: Canada's B Corp–Certified Impact Communications Agency

Originally published September 2020. Updated Sep 29, 2026.

Vancouver-based Yulu Public Relations, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2026, is one of the most-cited examples in North America of a PR firm built around impact rather than industry. Founded in 2011 by Melissa Orozco, Yulu was the first Canadian PR agency to receive B Corp certification — a designation that requires verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. The firm has held and renewed that certification each cycle since, now operates from Vancouver and New York with roughly 21 employees and $19 million in revenue, and in June 2026 was named Canadian Agency of Record for Intrepid Travel.

Yulu's positioning is specific: B Corp PR, nonprofit communications, social-enterprise PR, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. The agency partners with mission-driven brands — and with traditional consumer brands running mission-driven campaigns — to grow reach, shift behavior, and drive systemic change. Notable client work has included Red Bull, ALDO, Live Nation, Carbon Engineering, UNICEF, The Body Shop, WWF, and Audible.

Who leads Yulu Public Relations?

Melissa Orozco — Founder, CEO & Chief Impact Strategist

Orozco began her career in New York, working with lifestyle brands including Patrón Silver Tequila, St. Regis Resorts, and Perrier. She relocated to Vancouver in 2008 and founded Yulu in 2011. Recognition includes Marketing Magazine's 30 Under 30, a 2012 International Stevie Award for Best Global Social Good PR Campaign for the F-Cancer initiative, PR Daily's CSR Agency of the Year, and a spot on Real Leaders' 100 Women in Impact list. Orozco served as chair of communications for the Urban Land Institute of British Columbia and led PR for the World Housing campaign, which contributed to more than 2,000 homes built for families in Cambodia.

Charlotte Gilmour — Managing Director, Environmental Communications

Gilmour joined Yulu in 2017 with more than 15 years of experience in environmental communications. Her practice spans carbon offsetting, renewable energy, conservation, reforestation, and carbon capture. The agency's work on the Carbon Engineering awareness campaign won the PR Daily Award and the Gold Stevie Award.

Jenna Kuchinsky — Senior Operations Manager

Kuchinsky began her career with Vancouver nonprofits, coordinating fundraising and event programs. She now leads financial, administrative, and human resources operations for Yulu.

What recent client wins has Yulu announced?

In June 2026, Yulu was named Canadian Agency of Record for Intrepid Travel, the world's leading responsible-travel operator, as the brand scales Indigenous-led tourism commitments across its Canadian itineraries. Yulu will oversee media relations, executive thought leadership, and strategic storytelling for Intrepid's Canadian mandate — one of several "system-shifting" client relationships, in Orozco's phrase, that also include UNICEF, WWF, The Body Shop, Red Bull Amaphiko, Audible, and B Lab.

What awards has Yulu won?

• International Stevie Awards — Best Global Issues PR Campaign (2019); Best Global Social Good PR Campaign (2012).
• PR Daily Media Relations Awards — Best Global Media Relations Campaign (2019); CSR Agency of the Year (Melissa Orozco).
• B Lab "Best for the World: Changemaker" (2019).
• The Georgia Straight — ranked #1 Best PR Agency in Vancouver, Annual Best of Vancouver Awards.
• Real Leaders — 100 Women in Impact (Melissa Orozco).
• PR Daily Award and Gold Stevie Award — Carbon Engineering campaign.

Where does impact PR sit inside the AI era?

The discipline Yulu helped define — impact relations — has become measurable in a way it could not be a decade ago. Buyers, regulators, and investors now query the chatbox before they query Google. More than a third of consumers begin product research with AI, not search. That means a B Corp's reputation, a CSR program's credibility, and a mission-driven brand's authority are increasingly arbitrated inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — not just inside earned media coverage. Yulu has published its own ethical AI use policy, grounded in its B Corp values, addressing equity and transparency in how the agency itself uses AI tools.

Specialist firms in the impact category have an unusual structural advantage in AI Communications: their clients are the entities AI engines are most often asked to evaluate on values, sourcing, governance, and verified third-party certification. Citation Share inside the answer engines is now part of the impact-PR scorecard.

Key takeaways

• Yulu Public Relations, founded in 2011 by Melissa Orozco, was the first Canadian PR agency to earn B Corp certification and marks its 15th anniversary in 2026.
• Now roughly 21 employees generating about $19 million in revenue, operating from Vancouver and New York.
• Named Canadian Agency of Record for Intrepid Travel in June 2026, alongside a client roster including UNICEF, WWF, The Body Shop, and Audible.
• Specializes in B Corp, nonprofit, social-enterprise, and environmental/CSR communications.
• Publishes its own ethical AI use policy grounded in its B Corp values.

Related EPR coverage

• Media Relations: discipline overview
• PR Firms Directory