Ad giant Omnicom Group's FleishmanHillard folded in to Impact BBDO

Dubai: The public relations agency FleishmanHillard has folded its Middle East business into Impact BBDO, the parent company of fellow communications firm Impact Porter Novelli (IPN).

Both owned by Omnicom Group, one of the largest media conglomerates in the world, the two firms previously operated independent of one another.

Now, FleishmanHillard has confirmed to Gulf News that it will join Impact BBDO, appearing on the company’s financial statements, while maintaining its name and its clients.

The company said that the move had led to three redundancies in the finance and digital departments, and that one senior manager had exited FleishmanHillard as a result.

The move is expected to provide FleishmanHillard, which has a larger global presence but a smaller regional footprint than IPN, with greater scale across the Middle East, while offering Impact BBDO clients the choice of two communications firms.

“Our team is thrilled by the move and the potential it brings us to build the FleishmanHillard brand in the Middle East and Africa,” said Lucy O’Brien, general manager and partner at FleishmanHillard Middle East.

It would also add the benefit of “giving our clients access to integrated creative services under one roof,” O’Brien added.

The company provides public relations services to firms such as Bosch, UBS, Agility, and FedEx, while Porter Novelli represents Souq, Marks & Spencer, and Western Digital, among others.

“Combined we have a deep client roster spanning a multitude of sectors and disciplines, and FleishmanHillard’s clients will only gain from a strengthened Middle East offering.”

In July 2018, Gulf News reported that the agency was restructuring its operations in Saudi Arabia following reports of financial issues.

Shake-up

Officials confirmed that the move had led to redundancies in the finance and digital departments, and that one senior manager had exited FleishmanHillard as a result.

The move is expected to provide FleishmanHillard, which has a larger global presence but a smaller regional footprint than Porter Novelli, with greater scale across the Middle East.