M: Communications founders ‘placed on gardening leave’

M: Communications' co-founders Nick Miles and Hugh Morrison have been placed on gardening leave ahead of their imminent departures from the agency they created in 2002.

PRWeek reports that the pair, who resigned from the agency in late February 2013, will no longer be working through their notice period and will instead be put on gardening leave for 12 months, preventing them from embarking on competing ventures until early next year.

This move is also thought to mean that Mr Miles and Mr Morrison are unlikely to be permitted by M: Communications' parent company King Worldwide to spin off any parts of the agency.

Moreover, a further five senior executives who left M:Communications in the same week as the founders are also said to be on semi-gardening leave for six months.

M: is a specialist financial communications consultancy that works directly with chief executives, senior executives and investor relations teams to formulate high-level business strategies.

The firm established a new technology division last month, led by Juliet Clarke, who is understood to be among those who have recently resigned from the company.