Millisle entrepreneur Marc McKee celebrates Gold and Silver success at CIPR NI Awards 2026
- Local entrepreneur recognised for award-winning skincare and health and wellbeing campaigns.
Millisle entrepreneur Marc McKee, Founder of Northern Ireland health and wellbeing company Renatus Collective Group, is celebrating Gold and Silver success at the CIPR Northern Ireland Awards 2026, recognising two award-winning communications campaigns delivered in partnership with Sonya Cassidy PR Limited.
Renatus Collective Group secured Gold in the Low Budget Campaign category for “Delivering National Impact on a Shoestring”, highlighting the growth of its skincare brand ElastiK° Skin.
The Group also received Silver in the Healthcare and/or Wellbeing Campaign category for “Beyond Weight Loss: Building a Stigma-Free Health and Wellbeing Community”, recognising communications focused on challenging obesity stigma and encouraging more open conversations about health and wellbeing.
The latest recognition follows Renatus Collective Group’s success at the Ards Peninsula Business Awards 2026, where the company was named Best New Business in a category sponsored by Ards Business Hub.
Marc was joined at the CIPR NI Awards by Anne Murphy of Ards Business Hub, which provides business advice and support to entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the Ards Peninsula.
Their work was also shortlisted in the Best Use of Digital and Social Media and Integrated Campaign categories, bringing the total number of campaign nominations to four.
At the heart of the health and wellbeing campaign was Marc’s personal nine-stone weight-loss journey, shared through his My Journey with Marc digital platform.
Combining authentic storytelling, strategic media relations and digital engagement, the campaign sought to challenge stigma surrounding obesity and encourage more open conversations about health and wellbeing.
Renatus Collective Group is also the parent company of ElastiK° Skin, a skincare range developed for people experiencing significant weight loss, postpartum changes and hormonal changes.
Marc McKee, Founder of Renatus Collective Group, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that our campaigns have been recognised with Gold and Silver at the CIPR NI Awards.
“While winning Gold for a low-budget campaign is an incredible achievement, receiving Silver in the Health and Wellbeing category means so much to me personally.
“What started as sharing my own weight-loss journey has grown into something much bigger – a community where people feel supported, understood and able to have honest conversations about their health and wellbeing without fear of judgement.
“Working with Sonya has been such an important part of that journey. She understood from the outset what I wanted to achieve and helped turn a very personal story into a campaign that has reached and connected with so many people.
“These awards recognise not just the creativity behind the campaigns, but the difference we’re trying to make by challenging stigma and encouraging more open conversations around obesity and weight loss.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together, and there’s so much more to come.”
The evening also brought individual recognition for Sonya Cassidy, Director of Sonya Cassidy PR Limited, who received Silver in the Independent PR Practitioner of the Year category.
A Chartered PR Practitioner and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (Chart.PR, FCIPR), Sonya provides strategic communications and public relations consultancy to businesses and organisations across Northern Ireland.
Sonya Cassidy, Director of Sonya Cassidy PR Limited, said: “It’s fantastic to see our work recognised at the CIPR Northern Ireland Awards. These campaigns show what can be achieved through a strong working partnership, clear strategy and authentic storytelling.
“Marc has been incredibly open about his personal journey, helping to challenge stigma around obesity and encourage more honest conversations about health and wellbeing. It’s been a privilege to work alongside him and help bring these important messages to a wider audience.
“Winning Gold and Silver for our campaigns is a great achievement for us both, and I’m also delighted to receive Silver in the Independent PR Practitioner of the Year category. It’s very rewarding to have our work recognised by industry peers.”
The CIPR success adds to a growing list of accolades for Renatus Collective Group and its skincare brand, ElastiK° Skin, which was also runner-up for Device of the Year at the UK Beauty Awards 2026
