Founded in Southern N.J. in 1982, AKCG has built a reputation for its award-winning work for C-suite clients in sectors such as healthcare, education, chemicals, energy & environment and utilities. Much of the agency’s work is in crisis and issue preparation and response, including crisis communication planning, media strategy consulting, message development and spokesperson training. The agency also manages a significant number of community outreach programmes and internal and external positioning campaigns.

Welcoming AKCG to IPREX, The Communications Business’ Christian Hannestad said: “Our new partner has an outstanding track-record, which further reaffirms the commitment of IPREX and all its partners in building a worldwide organisation focused on the needs of clients, backed by seamless top-quality advice and implementation.”

AKCG has won nearly 90 awards across a variety of categories, including crisis and issues communications, community outreach, electronic and digital communications, branding, media relations and special events.

Christopher Lukach, senior vice president and COO at AKCG added: “IPREX is an exceptional network of communication firms that will allow us to expand our offerings and maintain our standard of exceptional client service. We look forward to collaborating with and learning from our new colleagues.”

LaVoie Group was founded in Boston, MA in 2001 and has built a practice based on providing strategic communication programmes, including strategy consulting, public relations, investor relations as well as corporate and marketing communication.

The Communications Business’ Christian Hannestad said: “We are delighted to welcome LaVoie to IPREX, which will offer our own clients access to world-class communications expertise in the rapidly emerging life sciences sector.

“Donna and her team add valuable experience to our investor relations and communication capability, and the work they have done internationally over many years ensures that they will fit perfectly with our organisation.”

The agency has a specific focus on understanding the life science markets, such as biologics, diagnostics, mobile health, medical devices, orphan diseases and related technology markets, partnering with leading brands to build their companies, attract capital, and reach key customers through integrated communication and marketing.

LaVoie Group clients are industry leaders in life sciences, including Pfizer, sanofi, Olympus Biotech, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Invida Group, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Novadaq Technologies, Radius Health, MPM Capital, and AliveCor.

The agency is ranked by O’Dwyer’s PR Report as one of the leading independent healthcare PR firms in the US and has been honoured by the LACP as “Boutique Agency of the Year” three years in a row, from 2008 to 2010.

President and CEO Donna LaVoie added: “We are focused on innovative life science markets and have developed a team of professionals with unique experience across the evolving healthcare spectrum. The growing needs of our clients for international representation across key stakeholder including investor, physicians, patients, payers, and their partners drove our decision to select IPREX as our global partner.”

IPREX President EMEA and partner in The Communications Business, Christian Hannestad, said: “Dextera has built a fully bilingual team with extensive experience of working throughout Mexico and the Americas – North and South. This latest addition to the reach of IPREX is of significant strategic importance and we look forward to working with the Dextera team.”

Founded in 2003 by Silvia Pineda Sibaja and Horacio Loyo Gris, both of whom had worked with multinational PR firms. The company takes a strategic view of its clients’ businesses and focuses on building communication programs designed to deliver measurable results consistently over time.

Its work with high-profile international companies in the entertainment, technology, retail and home improvement sectors has helped to build its extensive experience of working in foreign markets. Clients include Costco, Discovery Networks México, HBO Latin America Group, Interbrand, The Clorox Company and Navistar – plus project work for such companies as Booz & Co and Watchguard.

According to co-owner Horacio Loyo Gris: “We are thrilled to become part of the IPREX network and add value to the operation. Like IPREX, Dextera puts a premium on building strong relationships and our approach has resulted in a high rate of client retention – we have several clients for whom we have worked uninterrupted for eight years. We look forward to establishing and developing new relationships with our new partners around the world to deliver benefits to their clients and ours.”

http://www.dextera.com.mx
http://www.iprex.com

Imageware joins Milan-based Lead Communication, which joined IPREX in 2004. Also based in Milan, Imageware employs over 40 professional staff across its PR, digital PR & media relations and Corporate identity, graphic design, editorial services divisions. The firm also has two subsidiaries, IMG Internet and Hi-comm, dedicated to web design & web marketing and events management.

IPREX President EMEA and partner in The Communications Business, Christian Hannestad, said: “We’re delighted to welcome another outstanding firm with a strong market position to the IPREX EMEA team. With 35 offices across the region we are seeing an increasing amount of collaboration between partners, and Imageware’s experience and expertise fit well with Lead Communications and the wider network.

According to Marco Franceschi, President of Imageware: “The Italian market is one of the most important in Europe and joining IPREX is for us an additional step toward the internationalisation of our structure and our business. Thanks to IPREX we will be able to advise companies of all our target markets and with a global offer.”

“They will enjoy working alongside their peers in some of the most successful independent PR firms in the world.”

Imageware has built an excellent reputation over 25 years and works with world-class clients including Adobe, Amadeus, Beiersdorf, Bridgestone, Canadian Solar, Honeywell, General Electric, Microsoft, Roche, SAP, The Walt Disney Company and Unisys.

Christian Hannestad, a partner in The Communications Business and President of IPREX in EMEA,  welcomed the appointment as part of the network’s commitment to world-class client and partner management:  “Thor’s appointment underpins significant growth in the IPREX EMEA region – we have 28 partners operating 35 offices, with two more scheduled to come on stream shortly. The depth and breadth of expertise we now offer our clients, from public affairs and financial communication to cutting edge social media work, needs professional management.

“Thor will be coordinating enquiries from prospective partners and clients, streamlining contact with and between partners as they develop business together and representing partners’ views to the Executive Committee. We are seeing exponential growth in the number of projects and opportunities within EMEA and Thor is joining a team dedicated to ensuring that partners receive a serious return on their investment with IPREX.”

Thor Erling Lund has an MSc in International Marketing and long experience of working at a senior level on global brands such as MTV, Ryanair and Logitech. He lectures undergraduates and MBA students on strategy and PR at the Norwegian School of Management, and has served five years as the VP of NPRCA – the Norwegian Public Relations Consultants Association. His firm Consilio has been the Norwegian IPREX partner for 15 years.

IPREX has also appointed regional directors in its two other regions:

Alaina Gjertsen (Director, the Americas): Alaina studied in Sub-Saharan Africa, China and Switzerland before working as an executive recruiter in Southern California, and then moving to Washington, D.C., where she directed a research program for an international trade association while earning her Masters at Georgetown University. She has since worked in public relations and public affairs capacities on both agency and client sides, most recently for the NYSE-traded energy company Continental Resources, Inc.

Cameron Blair (Director, Asia Pacific): After living in Vancouver for 18 years, Cameron moved to South East Asia, where he studied communications at Southern Cross University and worked for newspapers and magazines as a journalist and press photographer. He has also run his own design business and is currently based in Sydney.

About IPREX

IPREX is one of the world’s major corporations of independent public relations and communication firms. Founded in 1983, its 68 partners have 102 offices in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, with annual revenue of US$178m. Its 1,300 professionals provide a comprehensive range of services for some of the world’s most successful companies.

The region has increased its reach by 120% during Hannestad’s first term.

Christian Hannestad commented: “I am deeply honoured to have been given the opportunity to continue the work many of us have been involved in over the last two years, all with one single objective in mind: to make IPREX even more relevant to us as partners and our clients.”

With revenue rising to $173m and the number of partner offices increasing from 83 to 96, 2010 was a solid year overall, while the value of client business won from within the network increased substantially, by 115%.

Kathy Tunheim, President IPREX Worldwide, commented: “2010 was another growth year for us and we’re projecting to do better still in 2011. But more important has been the increase in business between partners – up by 300 percent in our EMEA group for example – which demonstrates the value to clients not only of our global footprint but of our in-depth specialist knowledge across a range of industry sectors.”

Partner in The Communications Business and IPREX President EMEA, Christian Hannestad, welcomed the new partner: “The Whyte business model with its dynamic, integrated approach is probably unique in the Belgian market. The firm’s team of consultants is world class, and brings senior level experience to bear on an impressive range of client challenges.

“Existing IPREX partners are delighted with Whyte’s deep knowledge of Belgium, combined with their extensive experience in working internationally – most of their clients are multinationals and they are headquartered in Brussels, at the heart of Europe.

“We’re extremely pleased to have added such a high-caliber firm in one of the world’s most influential cities. And of course we’re delighted to be able to offer them the global reach and high quality support that clients increasingly need.”

Established in September 2008 by partners Sandrine Agie, Joris Bulteel, Eveline De Ridder and Emmanuel Goedseels, the agency now has 16 consultants, and in December 2010 was named European ‘Newcomer Agency of the Year’ in the Excellence Awards run by Communication Director, the magazine for corporate communication and PR in Europe.

Whyte Corporate Affairs Partner Emmanuel Goedseels said: “During our first two years of existence, we deliberately focused on the local development of our team and client portfolio, building on existing relationships. Today, we continue to focus on delivering quality to our current client base, but we are eager to extend our international scope by developing partnerships around the world. We are convinced that, by joining IPREX, we will be able to team up with the best partners in different markets. We look forward to exchanging expertise, best practices and client work with our new partners”.

The company has built its reputation in both the public and private sector on a high added-value approach based on strategic analysis by an experienced and specialized team.

Whyte’s blue-chip client portfolio includes AB InBev, AXA, Cargill, Danone, Eurostar, IKEA, Pfizer and the Belgian government’s Federal Crisis Center.

The meeting was chaired by The Communications Business partner and president of IPREX EMEA, Christian Hannestad.

To develop this thesis he drew on research by the Altagamma Foundation, established in 1992 to strengthen the global presence and growth of its member companies – which own some of the world’s most successful luxury Italian brands.

Based on this view of the marketplace, the Foundation and its members have successfully become major players in the international luxury market, now generating 80 per cent of turnover outside Italy.

The three tiers of the luxury market are defined as accessible, aspirational and absolute:

Accessible luxury (brands such as Burberry and Tiffany & Co): a market segment in which opinion formers need to be in constant contact with the target audience concentrating messages on product performance characteristics. One of the main communication tools is advertising, closely integrated with PR and events.

Aspirational luxury (brands such as Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent): a segment based on an imitative process – from opinion leaders and trendsetters to the customer base. In addition to performance characteristics, the marketing messages are enriched by aesthetic, stylistic, artistic and design content. The goal is to re-create the emotional and creative world of the brand, containing the cultural and psychological references that justify the price. Here, the communication focus switches to PR and events, with advertising playing a supporting role.

Absolute luxury (brands such as Hermes and Brioni): a similar approach to the aspirational segment but with an even greater importance attached to building the brand’s emotional environment. Messages about product characteristics are now in the background, as aesthetic content dominates the positioning and the aim is to generate a perception of exclusivity. Advertising is not used with these products and communication programs are driven by PR and events.

IPREX EMEA President Christian Hannestad (The Communications Business, Edinburgh) commented, “This analysis of the development of international luxury branding demonstrates the importance of working closely with high quality partners in markets around the world. Continuous research has fine-tuned the approach of the Foundation’s members, delivering strong brand positioning in diverse markets worldwide.”

Santo Versace (centre), with Kathy Tunheim (Tunheim Partners and IPREX Worldwide president) and Christian Hannestad (The Communications Business and IPREX EMEA president)

The Desk

The Desk is a corporate PR specialist working across a broad range of sectors and with particular expertise in health, public services and the environment – especially sustainable development and renewable energy.

Offering a full service from corporate communication strategy through to programme delivery, the firm has built its reputation on interdisciplinary teams whose members bring extensive experience in industry and media.

The Desk has a strong international track record and works with organizations based in France and elsewhere. Current clients include ANRU (National Agency for Urban Renovation), BBC World News, Campingaz (Coleman Group), Wyeth (the corporate foundation), Etablissement Français du Sang (the French blood institution) and Solairedirect (the leading solar power provider in France).

Co-founder Angélique d’Estève said: “We are very attached to the famous motto ‘Unity makes strength,’ and we also strongly believe in the benefits of globalization. That’s why our team is very proud to join IPREX and to belong to this big and worldwide PR family. Thanks to this corporation, we all have a new capacity to exchange and work around the world with agencies who share the same values and backgrounds as us.”

NewCap

NewCap is a financial and corporate communication firm working with small and mid cap companies listed in Europe and the US. Founded in 2000, it is organised around three areas of expertise: investor relations consultancy, financial public relations, and process and tools management.

NewCap’s highly experienced consultants maintain a network of bankers, fund managers, sell-side and buy-side analysts, and financial journalists, and the firm has won two NYSE Euronext “Best Investor Relations & Financial Communications” awards for its IPO work in the last two years.

A member of the National Investor Relations Institute, NewCap has a wide-ranging client list including Bleecker, Bordier & Cie, Cliffs, Entrepose Contracting, Environnement SA, EuropaCorp, ESI Group, Immobilière Dassault, IMS International, Groupe Monceau Fleurs, Mastrad, Novagali Pharma, Novasep, ORPEA, Outremer Telecom, Safetic, Vivalis and Züblin Immobilière.

CEO Pierre Laurent commented: “Capital has never been more global, financial regulation more international. NewCap delivers effective financial and corporate communications within international regulatory constraints. We are happy to bring our experience of working for clients internationally for effective cross-border PR within the IPREX network.

“We will be able to assure our clients access to independent, local firms possessed of the specialist skills needed to successfully communicate their messages in the world’s key financial markets and address the growing need for integrated communications across a broad range of stakeholders.”

IPREX EMEA President Christian Hannestad (The Communications Business, Edinburgh) welcomed The Desk and NewCap: “We’re continuing to deepen our specialist services in IPREX EMEA in response to the evolving needs of our clients. The Desk and NewCap are both at home in the international arena and their high quality work and client focus fit very well with the approach of IPREX partners worldwide.

“Clients increasingly look for international perspectives and delivery, and the independent agencies in the IPREX EMEA group are profiting from our global footprint.”

Peter Leburn of Colliers International said: “Junction 24, with its excellent transport infrastructure and high quality accommodation, delivers on all counts for Matrix Energy Solutions. The strategic location of the development will be further enhanced by the completion of the M74 extension.”