Ketchum Announces Launch of Public Affairs and Lobbying Practice in Spain

Forms Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs, a Joint Venture with the Founders of Lenci Consulting  
 

 
 
New York, November 22, 2006 - Ketchum, a leading public relations and communications firm, today announced it is expanding its public affairs and lobbying capability through a joint venture with the founders of Lenci Consulting, a leading public affairs consultancy based in Madrid. The new firm, Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs, S.A., will service both local and global clients, providing support and advice on regulatory issues in Spain. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

“We are pleased to work with José Ramón Caso, founder of Lenci Consulting, with its decade of success in public affairs and lobbying, to bring a public-affairs capability to our clients with business needs in Spain,” said Jon Higgins, Senior Partner, EMEA, Ketchum. “This joint venture builds on Ketchum’s extensive experience in public affairs and demonstrates our commitment to strengthen and broaden our services through strategic ventures.”

 

José Ramón Caso, founder of Lenci Consulting, will serve as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs. Tony Noel, Director of Ketchum Madrid, will serve as joint Managing Director. José Ramón Caso has extensive experience in the Spanish government, serving as a member of Parliament for Madrid (1986-1993), Vice President of Congress (1986-1993) and EuroMP (1989). Since 1995, he has been CEO of Lenci Consulting and since 1999 he has served as Chairman of AGETT (Spanish Association of Temporary Employment Agencies). 

 

“Spanish companies increasingly are becoming more active in the international arena. Our integration into the Ketchum network enables us to expand the services we offer to clients in Spain and also to offer expertise to multinational companies with business needs in Spain through Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs,” said José Ramón Caso.

 

Lenci Consulting services clients across a wide range of industries including technology, media, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and energy. 

 

Ketchum already has a strong lobbying and public-affairs capability. In 2001, Ketchum acquired The Washington Group, a bipartisan Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm headed by former Congresswoman Susan Molinari (R-NY). Earlier this year through an acquisition by Omnicom Group, Ketchum began working with GPlus, one of the most respected European Union political-communications specialist agencies in Brussels. The partnership gives Ketchum and its clients access to public-affairs expertise across a wide range of European industry sectors, trade associations and governmental bodies. Peter Guilford and Nigel Gardner, both of whom had held senior posts with the EU Commission, founded GPlus six years ago. 

 

Global public-affairs assignments handled by the Ketchum network this year include the Russian presidency of the G8 and the World Economic Forum.

 

Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs will be located at Luchana, 23 – 4º, 28010 Madrid, Spain.

 

Earlier this year Ketchum Madrid was named Spanish Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report. 

 

 

Lenci Consulting has specialized in Strategic Governmental Relations since it was founded by José Ramón Caso in 1995. The agency has extensive experience with industries where regulation is key to their businesses (e.g., energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, etc.) and newly deregulated sectors, like telecommunications, media and technology.

 

An innovator in communication since 1923, Ketchum delivers seamless service around the globe through its 23 offices and 48 affiliates in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With its five global practices, Brand Marketing, Corporate Communication, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, and Technology, Ketchum offers clients a unique breadth and depth of marketing and corporate communications expertise. A leading global public relations firm and the PRWeek 2002 Agency of the Year, Ketchum is a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC; www.omnicomgroup.com). Additional information on Ketchum, its award-winning work, and past press releases can be found at www.ketchum.com