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MMGY Global acquires Germany-based PR and marketing firm Lieb Management, expanding the company's European footprint. Lieb Management will now be known as MMGY Lieb, with founder and managing director Ralf Lieb remaining integral to the MMGY Lieb brand. MMGY Lieb offers marketing, sales, public relations and influencer relations services for the tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions) industries in Europe’s Dutch- and German-speaking markets. With MMGY Lieb comes other travel firms working in the German-speaking market, including LMG Management, specializing in international PR, and Piroth Kommunikation, which focuses on the German-speaking European market. “This is a significant move as we strengthen global services for our client portfolio, bolstering our expertise with the investment in this team of experts specializing in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland regional markets,” said MMGY Global CEO Katie Briscoe.
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Fish Consulting is acquired by Big Rock Brands, a private-equity owned holding company specializing in serving the marketing needs of the franchising sector. Fish will continue operating as an independent brand under Big Rock Brands and remain headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Agency president Lorne Fisher will continue to lead Fish and serve on Big Rock Brands’ board of directors. The acquisition of Fish Consulting marks the fourth by Big Rock Brands since it was created in 2020, when investment partners Greens Farms Capital LLC and Landon Capital Partners LLC acquired content marketing agency 919 Marketing. “The combination of Fish’s innovative storytelling with our data and analytics platform is certain to deliver strategic insights for our current and future clients,” said Big Rock Brands chairman Michael Kessler.
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| Madeline Chadwick, Marlene Neill |
The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations board of advisors has announced the appointment of two new board members: Papa Johns chief corporate affairs officer Madeline Chadwick and Dr. Marlene Neill, an associate professor in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media, and graduate program director for the Journalism and American Studies programs at Baylor University. “The goals of The Plank Center remain steadfast,” Dr. Karla Gower, director of The Plank Center, said. “The board is confident that our newest additions will continue our mission to empower and advance the next generation of emerging leaders in the profession.”
Page launches the Polansky Future Leaders Fund, which was established through a gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky... Ruder Finn reintroduces its website, ruderfinn.com, which will now feature a large language model (LLM) as its primary user interface... Higher Plane Media is launched by former Sloane & Company CEO Darren Brandt.
Champion, which specializes in restaurant, franchise and consumer brands, opens a Miami office, adding to its operations in Dallas and Los Angeles... Violet PR, a Montclair, NJ-based firm that focuses on economic development, commercial real estate and place branding, opens a second office on Park Avenue South in New York... Inflection Point, a founder-led, senior growth systems partner for startups and growth-stage businesses, launches... PRSA announces the recipients of its inaugural Women of Impact Awards. Honorees honorees were recognized during the PRSA Women of Impact Summit & Awards at the Union League Club of Chicago.
FleishmanHillard is shuttering its 20-member Dublin office as Omnicom Public Relations reorganizes its global operations... Vested acquires Watermark, a D.C.-based public affairs and special situations firm.... Matter earns two Pinnacle Awards 2026 Marketing & Communications honors for its clients.
Quad/Graphics launches Direct, a Quad Agency to help marketers create, execute and measure direct marketing campaigns in one connected offering... InnoVision Marketing Group SVP/senior creative director Giselle Campos and SVP/general manager Alanna Markey are among the first-ever winners of the San Diego Business Journal’s Indispensables Awards, which recognizes professionals who make the greatest impact within their organizations and across the San Diego business community... Park Place Technologies, an IT infrastructure services firm that works with Feintuch Communications, releases the second episode of its “The Savvy CIO” podcast. 
Ripley PR is named a silver winner in the TITAN American Business Awards’ Outstanding PR Campaign category... Excellera, a corporate-advisory firm, came in at number one in deal count, as well as fourth in deal value, in Mergermarket’s list of top EMEA firms... Thunderly is telling the stories of military veterans who transferred the discipline, organization and leadership skills developed in service to their country into successful post-military careers as franchise business owners, as part of its year-long "American Dreamers: The Stories of Franchising" effort.
