PARIS, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Publicis
Groupe [EURONEXT Paris: FR0000130577]announced today the
acquisition of strategic communications consultancy CNC -
Communications & Network Consulting AG (CNC).
CNC will become part of MSLGROUP, the flagship strategic
communications network of Publicis Groupe.
Headquartered in Munich,
Germany, CNC is an international strategic communications
consultancy group. CNC, which employs around 100 professionals, is
present in 14 cities across Europe, Asia,
North and South America. Since its
founding in 2002, the consultancy has regularly achieved
double-digit annual growth.
With an exceptional client portfolio, CNC advises large
corporations, mid-cap companies, institutions and individuals on
all aspects of strategic communications within their specific
markets. CNC's services range from strategic communications and
reputation management to financial communications, crisis
counseling including litigation advisory, branding and public
affairs.
In the IPO market, CNC has been the market leader in
Germany since 2005. The
consultancy has been involved in more than 100 transactions with a
total volume of more than 180 billion
Euro and has a particularly strong focus on cross-border
mandates.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, the completion of
which is subject to the usual anti-trust approvals.
CNC will be aligned to MSLGROUP. Its leadership under CEO Dr.
Christoph Walther remains unchanged.
MSLGROUP CEO Olivier Fleurot
and MSLGROUP President for the EMEA region, Anders Kempe, will join CNC's supervisory board
where Mr Kempe will become Chairman.
MSLGROUP will work to build seamless collaboration between CNC
and the rest of the MSLGROUP network.
In Germany, clients will be
offered the services of two consultancies:
- CNC with its particular focus on strategic, financial and
corporate communications as well as public affairs
- MSL Germany, with its broad capabilities across the
communications spectrum including social media, corporate
communications and reputation management. MSL Germany is
headed up by CEO Dr. Wigan Salazar.
"CNC is one of the premier strategic and financial public
relations firms in Europe, with a
client base that is outstanding. I have followed CNC's success
story with interest and I am impressed by the company's
entrepreneurial spirit. The skill set will fit perfectly into our
group and our strategy to make Germany one of our key hubs," commented
Maurice Levy, Publicis Groupe
Chairman and CEO.
Olivier Fleurot, CEO MSLGROUP, said: "Bringing CNC into
MSLGROUP makes us one of the top three networks in Germany, and at the same time gives us very
valuable additional strategic capabilities in other key markets. We
see considerable potential in matching and leveraging our
collective competencies and relationships."
Christoph Walther, CEO of CNC
added, "We are very excited to team up with Publicis Groupe's
strategic communications network MSLGROUP as it provides us with a
truly global footprint. While our current clients will enjoy
continued high-class service by the existing CNC offices, we will
be able to tap into the significant benefits offered by being part
of MSLGROUP."
About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, part of the
CAC 40 index] is the third largest communications group in the
world, offering the full range of services and skills: digital and
traditional advertising, public affairs and events, media buying
and specialized communication. Its major networks are Leo Burnett, MSLGROUP, PHCG (Publicis Healthcare
Communications Group), Publicis Worldwide, Rosetta and Saatchi
& Saatchi. VivaKi, the Groupe's media and digital accelerator,
includes Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group and
ZenithOptimedia. Present in 104 countries, the Groupe employs
54,000 professionals.
Web: www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter:@PublicisGroupe | Facebook:
www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe
About MSLGROUP
MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe's PR, strategic communications
and engagement group, advisors in all aspects of communication
strategy: from consumer PR to financial communications, from public
affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications to
event management. With more than 3,600 people, its offices span 22
countries. Adding affiliates and partners into the equation,
MSLGROUP's reach increases to 4,000 employees in 83 countries.
Today the largest PR network in Greater
China and India, the group
offers strategic planning and counsel, insight-guided thinking and
big, compelling ideas – followed by thorough execution.
www.mslgroup.com | Twitter: @msl_group
About CNC – Communications & Network Consulting
AG
CNC - Communications & Network Consulting AG is an
international strategic communications consultancy group which
advises large corporations, mid-cap companies, institutions and
individuals on all aspects of strategic communications within their
specific markets. With around 100 employees and represented in 14
cities across Europe, North America and Asia, and a particularly strong focus on
cross-border mandates, CNC is one of the world's leading
international strategic communications consultancies.
www.cnc-communications.com
Contacts
Publicis Groupe
Peggy
Nahmany
Martine
Hue
MSLGROUP
Trudi
Harris
CNC
Roland Klein
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Communication
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Partner
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SOURCE Publicis Groupe