. . . and some little things

Former Independent News Media corporate affairs director Karl Brophy has added to the board of his new company Red Flag Consulting.

Sir Ivor Roberts, a former British ambassador to Ireland and one-time member of INM’s international advisory board, has agreed to become a non-executive director of the recently- incorporated communications business. He joins former INM chief executive Gavin O’Reilly as a director of the company.

* Sticking with the PR sector, latest accounts for Dublin-based consultancy Edelman show reduced turnover and profits in the year to the end of June 2011.

Turnover at Daniel J Edelman Ireland Ltd fell to €3.9 million in the year, a reduction of almost €1 million on the previous 12 months. Pre-tax profit slumped to €20,536 from €205,618 a year earlier.

The year was described as a “challenging one” with “downward pressure on fees and some reduced retainers”, according to the directors’ report.

The company tackled its own cost base, reducing its expenses by more than €750,000.

* Some good news on the jobs front today. A Waterford-based company called Q1 Scientific will announce 10 new “high-tech” positions at the Life Sciences International Summit being staged in Dublin.

The company will provide outsourcing options to the pharma, medical devices and bio-sciences industry here.

Q1 has been set up by Irish woman Louise Grubb, a co-founder of Nutri Science Ltd in 2000. It manufactured nutraceuticals for the veterinary healthcare market and was sold in 2010 to a Belgian company.