Corporate PR Agencies of the Year 2023

2023 Corporate PR Consultancies of the Year

The 2023 Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 125 submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across the region.

Consultancy of the Year winners are announced and honoured at the 2023 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards, taking place in Singapore on 27 September. Analysis of all Finalists and Winners can be accessed via the navigation menu or below:

Winner

SEC Newgate (Independent)

Backstory

The SEC Newgate brand was born from the 2019 merger of UK holding company Porta, which owned international corporate and financial consultancy Newgate, and Italian public affairs firm SEC, which had made several independent agency acquisitions in Europe. It took a couple of additional years before the brand was adopted by the Asia-Pacific, aligning itself with sister offices that operate under that name worldwide. The firm’s integrated services include public affairs and advocacy, financial and corporate communications, digital insights, research, crisis management and consumer PR.

Locations

Australia dominates SEC Newgate’s current Asia-Pacific footprint with 120 people, while there are smaller operations in Singapore (15) and Greater China (13), and a focus on expanding further into Korea and Southeast Asia.

Performance

SEC Newgate grew 14% to $22m in 2022, with each market contributing. Australia was up 16%, as the firm’s breadth across research, financial, corporate and PA, alongside a partnership with cybersecurity firm CyberCX, helped land complex assignments for Optus (successfully support of the TPG Telstra transaction review), ANZ Suncorp, Council of the Aging (government policy work), Star Entertainment Group (money laundering issues management) and Tabcorp (tax reform campaign). Singapore grew 25%, thanks to expansion beyond its traditional transaction work into private M&A, and corporate counsel for social enterprises and labour unions — including NTUC Income, Mercatus, First Campus and Fair Price. Greater China expanded 21%, winning increased professional services work in Beijing, adding to new business from Baring, iCapital, FalconX, and public affairs work for Hongkong Land and Uber.

People & Culture

Brian Tyson, managing partner of the Australian operation, also serves as global co-CEO, a recognition of the market’s critical importance to the firm, while James Hill oversees China and Singapore is led by Terence Foo, one of the country’s most respected financial practitioners. Singapore added two new associate directors and a digital lead from Zeno, while Mary Devereux arrived in Hong Kong to bolster content briefs.The firm has been proactive in terms of developing more flexible workplace policies, with an emphasis on providing resources that allow employees to work from home and provide assistance with mental health and other work-life balance challenges, including paid wellbeing leave when needed.

Thought Leadership & Work

In Australia, robust thought leadership activities include public affairs briefs around major events like elections and budgets, along with a new bi-monthly Mood of the Nation sentiment tracker with the Australian. More notably, perhaps, the firm has expanded its annual ESG Monitor from Australia into a successful global study. The firm’s CyberCX partnership offers specialised expertise in cyber security, while a new crisis comms app supports realtime responses to critical situations. Key campaigns include a SABRE nominated effort for Hongkong Land and Sino Group, along notable initiatives for Star Group, Tabcorp and Carnival Australia.

— Arun Sudhaman

Finalists

APCO Worldwide (Independent)

Backstory

A global public relations firm historically best known for its work in the public policy arena but now a broad-based corporate and public affairs player, APCO’s Asia-Pacific presence includes operations across Greater China, India and Southeast Asia, bringing its typically sophisticated C-suite expertise to a range of clients in ‘issues-rich’ environments. In particular, the firm has benefited recently from a restructuring designed to deliver a more seamless experience across Asia and the Middle East, along with the the addition of digital and data-driven expertise, This is supported by specialist depth in financial communications, investor relations, trade and change management (including further integration with subsidiaries Gagen MacDonald and Camarco), a focus on the healthcare and technology sectors, along with expertise in terms of in-demand areas such as geopolitical counsel, ESG and cybersecurity.

Locations

There are more than 130 fee earners spread across APCO’s Asia-Pacific operations, which include offices in Greater China, Japan, India, Singapore and Korea.

Performance

APCO grew by 9% to $16m in 2023, led by specific expansion from its sustainability (+199%) and technology (+28%) work, with Southeast Asia (+28%) and Greater China (+12%) performing particularly credibly. A bigger focus on bridging Asia with APCO’s formidable Middle Eastern presence, also helped, as the firm benefited from its ability to tackle such issues as supply chain resiliency, energy transition, population health and digital security concerns. There was new healthcare business from AdvaMed, Gilead and V2 Food, along with technology growth from AWS, Digital Prosperity for Asia, HP, Square, Microsoft, Dropbox, Dell, Apple, SAP, Intel and VMware. Sustainability benefited from expanded mandates for the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, PACE and Rebound, while APCO also geared up for COP28 with numerous assignments across energy, industry, food and water, economy, tech, investment and academia. In India, furthermore, APCO continues to grow its state government business along with specific G20 support for such clients as Accenture, HP, Intuitive and Waycool.

People & Culture

A strong local leadership team includes Southeast Asia MD JJ Lee, India MD Rahul Sharma, and China COO Anne Wang, while Japan is led by chairman Masayo Nagai and MD Seiko Indo, while global healthcare chair James Tyrrell is based in Singapore. Globally, the firm has invested in training and development throughout the Covid pandemic, and has also started to offer a more flexible approach to work. Last year, there were new programs such as APCO Encore — helping women caregivers reenter the workforce with flexibility — APCO Institute — offering new educational resources for training and development — and the APCO Alumni Program. APCO redesigned its offices to introduce more collaborative environments, and rebooted the Global Exchange Program and Myriam Ugeux-Gerault Fellowship allowing selected colleagues to visit other APCO offices across the globe to exchange best practices. There is also an elevated focus on diversity and inclusion, featuring a range of programs from the company’s DEI Council.

Thought Leadership & Work

APCO’s thought leadership and campaign work are closely intertwined, reflected in the market level intelligence it provides across a range of issues, including China’s Two Sessions, COP28, G20 and digital economy. This was reflected in its support for the Digital Prosperity for Asia Coalition and Rebound global recycled plastic exchange, along with global work for the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and digital economy counsel for the Karnataka Government.

— Arun Sudhaman

FGS Global (KKR)

Backstory

Yhe international consulting business of what was then Finsbury Glover Hering was formed at the beginning of 2021 by the merger of Finsbury (a UK-based financial consultancy that had absorbed the US business of Robinson Lerer), Washington public affairs consultancy Glover Park, and German corporate and financial powerhouse Hering Schuppener. In October of 2021, the firm acquired New York-based corporate and financial communications specialist Sard Verbinnen, deepening its credentials in the M&A arena and in crisis communications and becoming FGS Global. And earlier this year, private equity group KKR acquired a significant stake in the company, joining WPP and a host of FGS employees in the ownership agreement.

Locations

Several of the agencies that merged to become FGS had operations in the Asia-Pacific region and there are now 80 people spread across offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo, most of them relatively small but all staffed with seasoned professionals with significant experience in their respective markets.

Performance

Consistently cited as one of the top performing agencies in WPP’s extensive public relations portfolio, FGS experienced growth of around 8% last year, up to around $420 million in fees and holding on to its spot in the global top ten. Regionally, the number was a little lower, with the China slowdown taking a toll. Positioning itself as “the strategic advisor to the stakeholder economy,” FGS is one of the “go to” firms for ambitious Asian companies (such as AIA and Alibaba) financial powerhouses (Blackrock, KKR), and top-tier MNCs (VW Group, MHI, Panasonic). Other significant clients in the region include AlixPartners, FWD, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ORIX, and Société Générale. There was new business from AIA, APG, Bank of America, Cathay Pacific, JLL, Sumitomo Electric and more.

People & Culture

The regional leadership team includes BBC and Bloomberg veteran Ben Richardson, partner and head of Asia; Kirsten Molyneux, partner, Hong Kong, who joined in May 2022 and leads the Asian capital markets advisory and IR practice; Minako Hattori, partner, ad joint head of Tokyo; Claudia Kosser, partner and head of Shanghai; and Xiaoni Chen, partner and head of Beijing—the latter two promoted to partner earlier this year. Recent additions include Yan Xuan, an expert in cross-border public affars, as partner in Hong Kong; Iain Twine as partner in Singapore; and Taylor Brown as managing director in Hong Kong.

Thought Leadership & Work

FGS dominated the global M&A advisory ranking produced by mergermarket for 2022, and Asia was no exception: the firm was tops by volume and value of deals worked in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) and first in terms of value in the Japanese market. Highlights included supporting Nikon as the company launch a public tender offer to acquire German manufacturer SLM Solutions for €622 million and advising SATS on its successful €1.3 billion acquisition of Worldwide Flight Services. As a “strategic advisor on the stakeholder economy,” FGS was predictably involved in major reputational challenges beyond the M&A arena, helping Cathay Pacific to build its investor relations capabilities in the post-pandemic recovery, and launching a new “Global China Bridge” offering to help clients deal with the specific stakeholder challenges of cross-border business.

— Paul Holmes

Sefiani (Australia/Clarity)

Backstory

Robyn Sefiani’s firm, after more than 20 years as a trendsetter on the corporate and financial communications scene, enjoys a stature in the Australian marketplace that is out of proportion to its relatively modest (20 person) size. The past few years have seen a successful expansion and diversification strategy, with Sefiani transforming itself from a relatively traditional corporate and financial communications specialist into something broader, more creative, and more modern—all without losing sight of the strategic thinking that has set the firm apart since it was founded by Sefiani upon her departure from Edelman. In January, Sefiani was acquired by the fast-growing international network Clarity—its first office in the Asia-Pacific region—and will drive the group’s expansion in the region.

Locations

Sefiani covers all of Australia from its headquarters in Sydney. But the firm has longstanding international relationships even before the Clarity acquisition, which provides access to sister agencies in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Amsterdam.

Performance

While the pandemic was difficult, the past couple of years have seen a strong recovery, and last year Sefiani saw fees increase by close to 50% to around AU$4.75 million, while headcount increased from 17 to 23. New business last year came from Qantas (employee communications), Volvo Group (corporate and sustainability positioning), DocuSign (thought leadership), the Toyota class action litigation with Gilbert & Tobin Lawyers, Henkel Europe (sustainability messaging), Ansell (investor relations and issues management), Levande, Ego Pharmaceuticals, and Generation Life. They join a roster that includes EY, Airbus, Allen & Overy, Arcadis, Expedia Group, CrowdStrike, Hejaz Financial Services, McGrathNicol, OneVentures, and Australian Payments Network.

People & Culture

The firm’s response to the severe impact of the pandemic was exemplary. A decision was made to eschew any redundancies but rather reduce everyone’s working days. The whole team opted to “share the pain” of salary cuts—which paid off when the firm needed capacity to deal with the rebound of business that kicked in by the end of the year. Those decisions paid off in terms of strong employee retention during a year of strong growth, followed by the Clarity acquisition. Robyn Sefiani is now part of Clarity’s Global Presidents’ Board as president ANZ and reputation counsel, Mandy Galmes continues in her position as Sefiani’s managing director ANZ, Nick Owens continues as director, corporate communications & reputation management and Tina Peng continues as director, finance and operations.

Thought Leadership & Work

Sefiani has been at the heart of corporate transformation in Australia for two decades, with an “Agents of Change” positioning already feels familiar and authentic, referring to its own role but also to a preference for clients who contribute to a better future. Highlights of the past 12 months include crisis management and a subsequent workplace culture review following an employee suicide in the headquarters of a global professional services firm; reputation and media engagement support for a global aerospace leader following equipment performance issues with the Australian Defence Force; crisis management following widely reported misogynist comments by an ASX-listed manufacturing company’s CEO; and counsel to chair of a leading Australian organisation when suspected fraud was detected in one section of the nationwide organization.

— Paul Holmes

SenateSHJ (Australia/Independent)

Backstory

SenateSHJ, founded in 2002, bills itself as working on “projects that matter for organisations we respect” and its expertise in complex, high-end strategic communication services such as reputation management, crisis and issues, change communications, ethical healthcare, digital services and social, public affairs and social marketing helps it stand apart from others in the New Zealand and Australian markets.

Locations

Performance

Fee income was up modestly in 2022 to around $12.5 million, enough to earn SenateSHJ a place in the top 220 of our global ranking and to continue as one of the leading independents in the Australian and New Zealand markets. The firm added three new practices—the largest with a focus on social change—which were instrumental to growing the firm’s client list to more than 200, including the United Nations and New Zealand and Australian governments. Key Australian clients include: Bupa, Gilead, Biogen, VIC Gov, NSW Gov, Wesfarmers Health, HESTA, United Nations, Healthscope and Orygen Youth Mental Health, while in New Zealand the firm works with The Department of Internal Affairs, ASB, Ampol, Live Nation, Contact Energy, Chorus, Mondiale VGL, New Zealand Steel Limited, Tāwhaki, The Ministry of Business and Innovation, Sky TV and ofi.

People & Culture

SenateSHJ's commitment to a fair and equitable workplace led to being named PRovoke Media’s 2021 best Asia-Pacific midsize agency to work for. The agency’s D&I policy is rooted in creating an inclusive workplace where employees feel valued and respected because of their differences and backed by practices that promote diverse recruits, employees and leadership—and look for clues in exit interviews, surveys and salary reviews for ways to improve. Talent has long been a key differentiator for SenateSHJ: in addition to founding partner Neil Green, the leadership team includes group managing director Brendon O'Conner, previously a director at PwC Consulting in New Zealand; Angela Scaffidi, founding partner and head of change; Jodie Wrigley, head of health and social change; and Raphael Hilbron, managing partner NZ.

Thought Leadership & Work

In 2022, Senate delivered three key research pieces: The Crisis Value Erosion Index, a database-driven analysis that shows the financial and reputational cost of a crisis to listed companies; the Crisis Executive Experience, which demonstrates the experiences of executives in these crises; and the 2022 Togetherness Index, which looks at various communications elements and how they impact social cohesion. The firm’s work, meanwhile, continues to focus on high-profile issues and the trends that are impacting corporate reputation: it supported The Missed Foundation, which creates awareness of missing persons and provides support to families missing loved ones. It worked with the Victorian Department of Health, which enlisted SenateSHJ to help to improve public participation and engagement in the health system. It worked with Ampol to manage communication around its NZ$1.34 billion acquisition of Z Energy, one of New Zealand’s highest-profile transactions in 2022. And it supported the New Zealand government during an overhaul of the health and disability sector.

— Paul Holmes

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