Harbour

Finsbury Glover Hering has acquired The Harbour Group, long-time PR firm for the United Arab Emirates.

Joel Johnson, head of FGH’s Washington office, founded THG with Richard Marcus in 2001 before leaving to join Glover Park Group in 2006.

He called THG one of the “nation’s preeminent advisory practices supporting foreign governments and businesses as they seek to navigate the political business and policy landscape in the US.”

Two veteran managing directors helm THG.

Richard Mintz joined the firm in 2006 after an 18-year run at Burson-Marsteller and a year at Brunswick Group. Matthew Triaca has 15 years of service and is an alum of DCI Group, B-M United Airlines and Edelman.

Mintz directs and manages the UAE account, while Triaca oversees day-to-day activities.

For the UAE, THG supports its DC embassy’s public diplomacy and communications program to sustain and enhance public awareness and understanding of the Arab state among US policymakers and opinion leaders.

The latest contract went into effect Jan. 1 and runs through 2023.

The agreement calls for THG to invoice the UAE up to $5.5M per year for professional fees, expenses, legal, compliances costs and third-party payments.

The firm also represents Abu Dhabi’s executive affairs authority.

THG is to be folded into FGH, which is part of WPP.