Truro-based Wild Card's Laura Hicks has won the top title at a leading industry awards.

A senior account director at the company's Wild West office, Laura, 30, was awarded gold in the outstanding young communicator category at the annual South of England and Channel Islands PRide Awards.

The awards are organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and showcase and reward inspirational work of leading communications individuals, teams and consultancies.

The outstanding young communicator accolade recognises the achievements, performance and excellent work of professionals under 30 in the PR industry - those who are not only making a valuable contribution to the organisations they work with, but are showing considerable promise as future leaders and industry shapers.

The judges praised Laura for having a "clear passion for the industry and an obvious appetite to become an aspiring leader of the future" and recognised that her "successes in the industry clearly mark her out as an outstanding young communicator."

Laura said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won and particularly proud to have beaten off competition from across the whole of the south of England. I am very passionate about the industry, and always strive to be the very best practitioner I can be, and winning this award is an absolute honour.”

Kate Wild, Wild Card founder and chief executive, said: “This recognition of Laura’s talents and abilities is extremely well deserved. She is a key member of our Wild West team and has played a significant role in establishing Wild Card as one of the leading communication businesses in the South West. We are hugely proud of her achievement.”

Since joining Wild Card in 2009, Laura has worked with a number of leading Cornish brands and businesses including Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, Pendennis Shipyard, Tresco Estate, Samworth Brothers, the Eden Project and Rodda's.