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Ogilvy Government Relations has signed a one-year $240K deal to provide government affairs and US Congressional outreach to Qatar as the tiny oil-rich Gulf State returns to the good graces of its neighbors.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt slapped a trade, travel, and diplomatic blockade on Qatar in 2017 for its cozy ties with Iran and support of the Al-Jazeera satellite TV network.
They lifted that embargo last month.
Ogilvy, which had worked for Qatar as a subcontractor to Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, has agreed not to work for any MENA nation or company controlled by one, for one year following the termination of its Qatar program.
The WPP unit has Democratic veterans Moses Mercado and Karissa Willhite handling the Qatar business.
Mercado was chief of staff to Democratic Majority Leader Dick Gephardt and joined Ogilvy in 2007 from the Democratic National Committee, where he was deputy executive director for intergovernmental affairs.
Willhite, a seven-year Ogilvy veteran, was deputy chief of staff for Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and policy director at the House Democratic Caucus.
Mercado and Willhite report to Hamad Al-Muftah, deputy chief of mission at Qatar’s embassy.
Impact Management Group, which is headed by Republican operative Terry Benham, works to build US support for Ukraine.
Rational 360 has ironed out its six-month $1.2M contract with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to position it as a “sophisticated global investment fund.”
APCO has signed on to promote this month’s visit of Ahmed Al Khateeb, head of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism, to the US.
The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism has signed on Montieth & Co. for strategic communications and media relations duties as chaos grips neighboring Haiti.
Edelman is negotiating a formal contract with the Bahamas for strategic communications on issues impacting its reputation abroad.
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