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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.”
IPREX names Big Picture PR in San Francisco, Precision Strategies in Washington, D.C., and Tiny Mighty Communications in Nashville as its first Americas Partner Cohort... Highwire launches AcroAnswers, a proprietary AI visibility platform... Big Red Oak and Naer Communications, a Calgary-based firm, form a partnership providing integrated communications and marketing services to clean energy companies and organizations across Canada.
Matter launches its Review Visibility Management service to address a shift in how companies across verticals earn trust online... A Queens school is putting out the message about Sept. 12, 2001 when people came together to help, comfort, rebuild and unite... Directive expands its Directive Communications division, which will bring PR, organic social, influencer marketing and paid social together under one integrated organization.
Praytell expands its Influence Department—which unites media, creators and social under one team... LRJ PR & Communications and Canopy Brand Group form an alliance that the firms say will bridge the operational divide between high-end brand design and strategic public relations... Twin Minds Media, Hispanic market specialist, increases the scope of its services in an effort to help brands build deeper connections with audiences through culture, storytelling, media and experiences. 
The People Platform, part of Stagwell's The Marketing Cloud, rebrands as Numetrix... Zapwater Communications has earned 17 finalist honors across two PR competitions: eight at the 68th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards, presented by the Publicity Club of Chicago, and nine at the 2026 PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards.. The Florida Public Relations Association presented 122 awards to individuals and teams from across the state at its 69th annual Golden Image and 3rd Annual Pinnacle Awards gala.
The Motion Agency acquires Vehr Communications, a Cincinnati-based strategic communications firm, effective Oct. 1... Lyceus Group, which specializes in financial services, is named a finalist for Public Relations Campaign at the 2026 ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Awards... IPSY, a curated beauty membership platform, launches IPSY Marketing Solutions, a full-funnel marketing and sales acceleration engine. 
