ISTANBUL — MSL has brought its brand to Turkey, naming an existing Publicis PR capability in Istanbul as MSL. The 12-strong team will be part of the integrated Publicis Groupe Türkiye offering, including Publicis İstanbul, Publicis Healthcare, Arc, Voden, Leo Burnett, Publicis Emil, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom, Spark Foundry, Zenith, DataWise and Performics.

Mehin Öner (pictured) will lead the office as CEO, making it the 34th office in the MSL network led by a woman. She was previously deputy managing director at Publicis One in Turkey – the group’s umbrella for its integrated agencies, which was rolled out in Turkey in January 2017 – and has also held senior positions at Weber Shandwick and Grayling in Istanbul.

Öner said: “The move links the PR capabilities in Turkey to MSL’s global practice and sectors. By working as part of the MSL global network, and with our local Publicis sister agencies, we offer our clients a strategic, data-driven and holistic solution that meets their broadest communication and business needs.”

Global CEO of MSL Guillaume Herbette said Istanbul was strategically important as it sits at the crossroad of Europe, the Middle East and Asia: “We have been eager to move into the Turkey market for some time now. Clients across our global network will benefit from our presence in Turkey where we now have a solid on-the-ground team with deep understanding of the local marketplace and strong relationships, community ties and social connections.”

In the last two years, MSL has converted existing operations around the world from Arc Worldwide and Leo Burnett to the MSL brand, including in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Thailand, the Czech Republic and Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as rebranding its six-office LeoComm network in the Middle East as MSL.