BRUSSELS — BoldT, the business strategy and communications consultancy, has launched a specialist financial communications offer in response to increased demand from clients across Europe.

The launch of the new vertical comes after the firm hired Raphaël Delli, who formerly led banking group BPCE’s representation to the EU, as a partner in Brussels this July, with the aim of growing BoldT’s communications and public affairs services for clients in the financial services sector.

Delli, who is based in Brussels, will be joined in leading the new offer by fellow partners Morten Pettersen and Ole Asbjørn in Oslo, Jon Rhodes in London and Dominique Morel in Zurich.

The financial communications specialism will cover IPO support, transaction communications, leadership transition and crisis communications. BoldT is already working with a number of banking and other clients on complex financial situations.

So far this year, according to PwC, there have been 287 IPOs in Europe, raising €55.4 billion, compared to 64 IPOs raising €11.7 billion in the same first three quarters of 2020. There is also likely to be overlapping interest in the new specialism from BoldT’s public affairs clients, in the light of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ objective to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 – a drive which is being led by banks and financial services firms raising green investment.

BoldT founding partner Pettersen said: “We have long looked at the financial communications space as an area we wanted to expand our service offerings. Over the past year, we have made a number of strategic hires to bolster our expertise and with the recent arrival of Raphaël, it made sense to formally launch this new business vertical. There are a myriad of companies across Europe and around the world who need help better telling their stories to their most important stakeholders. And when they do, we will be there to help them do it.”

Delli added: “Since joining BoldT several weeks ago, I have been struck by the need in Brussels and across Europe for a consultants who could successfully deliver traditional financial communications support and public affairs in a complex European regulatory environment. We present a truly differentiated approach and I am confident that this new vertical will positively impact both new and existing clients trying to navigate an increasingly crowded and complex landscape.”

The consultancy is also planning to expand the team across its offices, including increasing headcount in the London office it launched a year ago, led by Rhodes and former APCO and Zeno leader Steve Earl.