Uniquecorn Strategies introduces an advisory board with seasoned media industry veterans
RJ Ledesma and John Aguilar
02 March 2023, London / Manila – Uniquecorn Strategies, the Philippines’ first and only startup-focused public relations agency, has formally opened local operations in the United Kingdom, under the corporate name Uniquecorn Worldwide Limited, as part of the agency’s global expansion strategy.
In the UK, Uniquecorn Strategies has represented event technology startup Tevent and has worked on a Europe-wide PR remit for Butter, a platform for interactive workshops. With the opening of a local office, the company seeks to expand its services to more startups and technology companies based in the UK.
The UK office will be overseen by Dean Bernales, founder and CEO of Uniquecorn Strategies, who recently moved from Manila to London to lead the expansion. Before establishing Uniquecorn Strategies, Bernales held various consultant and leadership roles in award-winning PR agencies worldwide, including Top Agency in the US, Luna PR in Dubai, and Joint in Hong Kong. He also served in several Singapore-based PR agencies, such as Pinpoint, Flame Comm, Precious Comm, and Grow. Bernales has nine years of experience working with global brands across the technology, entertainment, and web3 verticals. At the young age of 26, he was invited as a guest mentor on the seventh season of The Final Pitch, a Shark Tank-inspired business reality TV show airing on CNN Philippines. This makes him the youngest and the only under-30 business mentor featured in the show’s six-year history.
“Uniquecorn Strategies sees the UK as a strategic gateway to facilitate our ambitious worldwide expansion plan, providing our exceptional PR services to a broader range of startups. We are thrilled to leverage the UK’s growing startup ecosystem and economic progress to extend our successful representation of Tevent and Butter and make a significant contribution to the UK startup community,” Bernales said.
Meanwhile, Uniquecorn has bolstered its local operations in the Philippines by adding two accomplished media industry professionals to its advisory board. RJ Ledesma, a seasoned marketing expert, serial entrepreneur, and Consul of Monaco to the Philippines, along with John Aguilar, serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and founder and host of CNN Philippines’ The Final Pitch, have been appointed to the board. In their advisory roles, they will offer support and strategic guidance to the company.
“As a fast-growing PR firm, we are fortunate to have RJ and John, two accomplished media industry veterans and serial entrepreneurs, on our advisory board. Their expertise will prove to be invaluable as we strive to achieve our business objectives and foster the growth of our company. Their strategic guidance and valuable insights will enable us to navigate the intricacies of the media industry and make informed decisions that drive growth and success,’ Bernales explained.
Founded in 2021, Uniquecorn Strategies has emerged as the go-to partner for Philippine startups seeking to expand their market reach and harness their brand value. In less than two years, it has secured major projects with notable names in the local startup space, including Linkedin’s Top Startups Listers Tier One Entertainment, Shoppertainment Live, PDAX, and Great Deals E-commerce Corp, hailed as 2022 Asia’s fastest-growing company by The Financial Times. Outside the startup realm, the firm has served publicly listed companies such as New York-listed firm Instructure and PSE-listed Century Properties Group’s PHirst brand. In 2022, it launched Blockceler8, the firm’s PR practice catering to web3 brands.
