LONDON — APCO Worldwide has made two acquisitions in EMEA, buying Dubai-based public policy, government affairs and regulatory affairs firm NGC International Advisory and Rome-based public affairs specialist Strategic Advice.

NGC, which has a team of 12, serves clients across the MENA region, with operations in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan. NGC managing partner Mohamed Bahaa will serve as NGC International Advisory’s CEO and APCO’s managing director of public affairs in the MENA region.

Bahaa said: “APCO and NGC share deeply rooted values—prioritizing dedication, expertise, passion, equality and diversity—and this common bond makes us stronger collectively. The practice of public affairs is a fairly nascent one in the dynamic MENA region, but one that is critically important to multinational companies and other clients looking to align their objectives with key government priorities, secure their permission to operate, and achieve their goals.”

APCO’s MENA president Mamoon Sbeih (pictured, left) added: “This acquisition further reinforces APCO’s public affairs offering in the MENA region, providing clients with enhanced public policy advisory and support, government relations and communications management, regulatory affairs support and management, policy and regulation monitoring, industry groups and associations management and executive training programs.”

Independent consultancy Strategic Advice, which has a team of seven, was founded by Gabriele Cirieco in 2007, after six years as an associate director at APCO in Rome. He said: “I am delighted to return to APCO, where I started my career more than 20 years ago. Now, more than ever, in a quickly changing world, APCO’s presence in Brussels and in other international hubs is key for Italian companies. Joining forces with APCO allows us to provide clients with presence and support where critical decisions are now made.”

APCO’s Europe president Paolo Compostella (pictured, right) added: “I am delighted to welcome Gabriele and all other Strategic Advice colleagues to APCO. It is a welcome return and an injection of additional insights and expertise to a team that has been experiencing extraordinary growth for over a decade. Thanks to our new colleagues we are further deepening APCO’s roots in the Italian ecosystem and strengthening our networks in key businesses, industries and across national and regional institutions. The acquisition was a strategic investment in our core service of planning and executing multi-stakeholder campaigns that are truly integrated at European and global levels.”

The addition of NGC and Strategic Advice continues the recent expansion of APCO’s advisory capabilities. In March, APCO expanded into financial communications with the acquisition of Camarco in London, and added change, transformation and employee engagement expertise with the acquisition of Gagen MacDonald in Chicago.