Kelly will be joining the firm on a part-time basis to offer consultancy to staff working for a range of clients including Procter & Gamble, Allied Bakeries and B&Q.
Sara Lipscombe, H&K's business development and communications director, said: "The types of things he will be involved with are seminars and weekly surgeries to assist the teams to make sure they get the right stories."
She added he will continue with his journalism work, which includes a Daily Mail column, writing for GQ magazine and broadcast work for BBC Five Live and Sky Sports.
Lipscombe added: "It is important that he carries on doing his journalism work that is why we wanted him because he is still heavily involved and we wanted his insight."
In October last year Kelly, whose partner is 'Countdown' presenter Carol Vorderman, was recruited by H&K rival Ketchum for a similar role. Lipscombe said this work has ended and H&K is now the only PR firm he is working for.
During his time at the Daily Mirror, Kelly rose to acting editor, replacing Piers Morgan who resigned following a scandal involving fake pictures of British troops abusing Iraqi prisoners last year.
Kelly left the paper in June last year after the editorship was handed to former Sunday Mirror deputy editor Richard Wallace.
Other high-profile journalists to move into WPP-owned PR operations have included former Sun editor David Yelland and former Sunday Times political editor Michael Prescott, who are now working full time at Weber Shandwick.
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