Arun Sudhaman 06 Feb 2012 // 12:00AM GMT
CAMBRIDGE, UK--Autonomy, the UK software company that was recently acquired by HP in a $10bn deal, has handed UK and US PR duties to Edelman.
The decision follows a competitive review, revealed by the Holmes Report last year. Autonomy previously worked with UK incumbent Red Consultancy, which did not repitch, and Ogilvy PR in the US.
Edelman already handles a significant amount of HP business, including its PSG unit globally, and its IPG division in Europe. However, Autonomy corporate communications SVP Vanessa Colomar said that the firm’s HP relationship was “not a consideration at all” when deciding the current pitch.
Colomar added that Autonomy reviewed proposals from numerous firms in the UK, along with a smaller number in the US. While the company did not initially set out to consolidate the two countries, she noted that it would bring benefits to its global PR presence.
Colomar also told the Holmes Report that Autonomy’s purchase by HP, the largest European IT deal in history, would have no impact on its public relations’ objectives. The takeover was announced by former HP CEO Leo Apotheker as part of an ambitious effort to spin off the US tech giant’s PC unit, and shift to a higher-margin software and services model
Apotheker was ousted during the bid process, and new HP CEO Meg Whitman has reversed the PC spin-off plans, playing down the significance of the Autonomy deal.