WASHINGTON — FTI Consulting’s  strategic communications segment saw revenues rising to $58.4m in the first quarter of 2020, up 1.2% from the same period of time the previous year.

The quarterly lift in revenues was primarily due to higher demand for public affairs services, particularly related to the coronavirus outbreak, which had a larger, and dramatic effect, on the segment’s business.

“Last year about this time the quarter was a record quarter but we’re in a much, much different environment. The transactions, the IPOs, a lot of that has really softened and gone away,” said Mark McCall, the global leader of FTI's communication segment.

Much of the three months ending March 31 was consumed by “a really rapid transition into dealing with the Covid issue and crisis and litigation. It’s a much different business,” he said.

Adjusted segment EBITDA of $8.8m, or 15% of segment revenues, compared to $11.5m million, or 20% of segment revenues, in the prior year quarter.

The consulting firm as a whole also reported first quarter 2020 revenues of $604.6m, up $53.3m, or 9.7%, compared to revenues of $551.3m during the same time last year.

However  slight, the quarterly lift furthers the growth trend FTI’s communications segment saw in 2018 and 2019, during which revenue grew 16%.

McCall said the division’s challenge now is to help clients over the next year or longer adapt to whatever the business climate is post-pandemic.

“We are going to continue to accelerate into the back half of the year and 2021, getting through the immediate issues of health and safety and dealing with the Covid virus and what the new business environment looks like.”