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Wunderlich Kaplan Communications, a woman-owned firm with offices in New York and Miami, is opening an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new office will work with firms based in the MENA region as well as with US brands looking to expand into the market. WKC is also appointing Noor Taher, a Saudi native and award-winning strategist, as partner in the MENA division. For over a year, WKC and their all-women team has been working with clients in the region such as Good Intentions (a global creative consultancy helmed by Taher and Grammy award winner Swizz Beatz) and the Craft Group (a Riyadh-based construction and architectural firm). “Having had success with opening doors, igniting conversations and turning skepticism into intrigue, we are thrilled to expand our agency's presence in the country,” WKC chief executive officer Gwen Wunderlich.
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Development Counsellors International launches C Studios, a sister agency that is a collaboration with Belfast-based OCO Global. Based in the Netherlands, C Studios is led by DCI veteran Steve Duncan as managing director. The new agency specializes in account-based marketing, advertising, content creation, marketing strategy, SEO, and web design and development, with a focus on delivery in the EMEA region. “DCI has had our eye on expanding into Europe for a number of years, so we are thrilled to combine our place marketing expertise with OCO’s experience working with global economic powerhouses on international expansion and foreign direct investment,” said DCI president Julie Curtin.
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MAD Global Strategy is expanding to the Pacific Northwest with the opening of a Seattle office. The new location joins the firm’s existing offices in New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It will be led by Gary Evans, who most recently served as vice president of government affairs and community relations at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, a leading health system in Washington state. “MAD Global already has a footprint in the Pacific Northwest with clients in the tech, energy, and healthcare sectors in and around Seattle, so it made smart business sense to grow our presence in Washington state. There is no better person to lead that effort than Cary Evans,” said founder/CEO Mike DuHaime. MAD Global works with clients in sectors including healthcare, energy, sports and tech.
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| Jon Schmid |
Cook + Schmid president and CEO Jon Schmid will serve as 2023 president of the San Diego chapter of Lambda Alpha International, a global organization comprised of top professionals working in land use. Cook + Schmid, which specializes in public outreach, community engagement and thought leadership campaigns, has supported major initiatives and developments in the region, including the Port Master Plan Update, Chula Vista Bay Front Master Plan, affordable housing, homelessness and healthcare. “San Diego is at an important crossroads, with many transformational development and infrastructure projects queued up or underway,” said Schmid. “The depth and breadth of LAI’s membership and its collective knowledge, as well as the tremendous resources offered by the international organization, will be instrumental as we navigate the future of the region.”
Mark Allen & Co. acquires Alban Communications, establishing its first Miami office... Buchalter, a business law firm, launches a crisis management and strategic response group... 5W PR expands its beauty practice to include TikTok Shop-aligned PR campaigns and creator amplification strategies.
Caster Communications is acquired by long-time agency leaders Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard... DiGennaro Communications launches The Authority Studio, a freestanding content strategy and production offering... The Brandman Agency, which specializes in luxury travel and lifestyle, rebrands as Brandman.
Public Inc., a social impact agency based in Toronto and New York, acquires Rocket Social Impact, an advisory firm that works with nonprofit and corporate social impact organizations... Ruder Finn launches “What’s Next: The Ruder Finn Podcast,” a new platform hosted by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden... Crowe PR joins United Partners Network, a network of independent PR agencies with members across more than 65 markets worldwide.
Ruder Finn launches rf.Voices, an integrated influence offering that brings together AI-powered influencer marketing, customer advocacy and paid amplification under one measurable framework... The Pollack Group is accepting applications through March 31 for The Big Red Grant, a $40,000 pro bono strategic PR and marketing engagement program awarded to a nonprofit organization ready for growth... D S Simon Media releases a report that says almost seven in ten producers (68 percent) are more interested in airing a story when they know it has been optimized for AI.
Precision Strategies, an integrated strategy and marketing agency with offices in Washington and New York, acquires Firehouse Strategies, a DC-based public affairs firm... AVENIR GLOBAL acquires London-based Thinks Insight & Strategy... Good Company, which bills itself as a “cultural engineering firm,” is launched by DJ Hardy, a veteran of Johannesburg-based communications consultancy arxna and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and Casey Stickles, who has worked at 5WPR, Rubenstein and MWW.
