MILAN—Fast-growing Italian corporate and financial communications firm Excellera Advisory Group is acquiring the Middle East and North Africa business of Instinctif Partners, the UK-based consultancy. Founder and CEO Samantha Bartel (pictured) will continue to lead the MENA operations, which will operate under a new name, IP Excellera.

The acquisition comes a little more than a year after Excellera acquired Italian financial communications specialist Barabino & Partners, and continues a growth strategy launched in 2022 with the support of Xenon Private Equity. Excellera now includes Barabino, public affairs firm Cattaneo Zanetto Pomposo & Co., Community, Excellera Intelligence, Public Affairs Advisors, and Value Relations.

With the addition of IP Excellera, the group’s total turnover will exceed $75 million, with a team of more than 350 professionals and an expanded international footprint. IP Excellera’s offices in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai will become part of a global network that includes locations in Bergamo, Berlin, Brussels, Genoa, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, and Treviso.

IP Excellera offers counsel on strategic communications, capital markets and investor relations, corporate reporting, and ESG & sustainability with a team of 60 consultants, including more than 100 corporate clients. The operation has achieved more than 20% annual growth for the last 5 years

According to Gianfranco Piras, chairman of Excellera Advisory Group and partner at Xenon Private Equity, "The acquisition of IP MENA marks a fundamental step in Excellera’s growth journey,” which he said involved attracting “high-value companies in fast-growing markets…. Entering the MENA region strengthens Excellera’s platform and broadens its scope, laying the foundations for long-term growth."

Samantha Bartel, CEO of IP Excellera, added: “It has been an amazing 12 years since we established in MENA. We will continue to build our value proposition so we can consistently offer our clients the very best advice across strategic communications, capital markets and investor relations, corporate reporting, and ESG & sustainability and service our growing client roster even better.”