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Morrow Sodali, a New York-headquartered shareholder engagement and governance advisory company owned by TPG Growth, acquires strategic communications consultancy Powerscourt. The acquisition is part of Morrow Sodali’s plans to build a full-service advisory and shareholder services practice across Europe, with TPG’s backing. Powerscourt founder and CEO Rory Godson and managing partner Victoria Palmer-Moore will remain with the business to help build out the European platform. Based in London and Dublin, Powerscourt specializes in financial and capital markets communications, corporate campaigning, ESG advisory and political affairs. “Morrow Sodali is on a journey to become the undisputed best service provider in stakeholder relations and Powerscourt delivers complementary offerings in a key geography. The combination is also an ideal platform for growth as we look for further opportunities across Europe," said Morrow Sodali CEO, international, Christian Sealey.
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Stagwell’s The Harris Poll and Maru Group units are working together to create a suite of AI-based research products that will go to market as "Harris Quest." The unified brand’s suite of martech research offerings, which are set to eventually be fully interoperable with other Stagwell Marketing Cloud software and data tools, will initially include: QuestBrand (real-time brand tracking), QuestDIY (quantitative surveys), QuestPRO (survey and insights tools), QuestCX (customer experience management), Quest IC (insight community management) and QuestAI (digital qualitative and quantitative insights). "Stagwell Marketing Cloud is taking millions of data points from the world's most reliable polling organization and infusing it with a fully scalable software platform," said chairman and CEO Mark Penn.
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Motion, a Chicago-based, woman-owned agency that works with clients across the consumer, healthcare, non-profit, manufacturing and B2B industries, is acquiring Cincinnati-based Rick Miller Communications, effective January 1, 2024. RMC founder and principal Rick Miller will continue in his current role until the end of the year, after which he will support clients as a consultant. Mike Gehrig, previously a partner at FINN Partners, will assume the role of managing director of Motion’s Cincinnati office. Founded in 2009, RMC has provided public relations and content services, issues management, executive counseling and digital analytics to health care and consumer clients such as Myriad Genetics, Bethesda Inc./bi3, Lindner Center of HOPE and the Golden Lamb. “Cincinnati is where I was born and raised,” said Motion CEO and founder Kimberly Eberl. “I know how abundant the business opportunities are in the region, so when the chance to bring RMC onboard was presented it was an obvious move.”
The Communications Group, a Little Rock-based shop releases its first Public Affairs Marketing Trends Report... The Worldcom Public Relations Group votes Paris-based firm SEITOSEI•ACTIFIN into its global partnership... PRNEWS, a European PR-tech firm, relocates its U.S. headquarters to downtown Miami.
af&co., a San Francisco-based hospitality marketing and PR agency founded by Andrew Freeman, is marking its 20th anniversary... Notified launches Syndicated Articles... Crosby Marketing Communications selects four students from Anne Arundel Community College for its marketing scholars program.
KCSA Strategic Communications launches the KCSA AI Lab, which will develop proprietary AI systems to expand what strategic communications can achieve for PR and IR clients... Clipbook, a vertical AI platform for strategic communications and public affairs, closes a $3.3 million seed round co-led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital... VizSense, a Boston-based AI influencer marketing agency, teams up with holographic storytelling company Geminai, to launch what they say is the next frontier in brand experiences: interactive holograms powered by AI.
Ways Marketing Solutions, a Saudi Arabia-based marketing and communications group, teams with H&K alum James Drewer and Cake founder Mike Mathieson, to launch Ways Global Communications with HQs in London and Riyadh... UNICEPTA, a media intelligence provider within Stagwell’s The Marketing Cloud, launches an integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot... MAD Global CEO Mike DuHaime has been named to New Jersey Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team.
Ogilvy launches CultureCurrent, a social-first earned media offering that integrates cutting-edge technology with human cultural intuition to listen, identify, activate and amplify brand stories.... Forward Global, a risk and reputation management advisory firm, opens in Abu Dhabi... Lyons Broadcast PR marks its 20th anniversary with the introduction of new virtual production technology, enhanced media outreach tools, and integrated broadcast-digital strategies.
