LONDON — Strategic communications group SEC Newgate has reported a strong start to the year, with revenue rising 15% in the first half to €36.3 million and pre-tax profits up 53% in the same period to €2.3 million.

In its statement the group, which now has a team of around 600 across its 38 offices in 15 countries, said all its major businesses were ahead of budget “and in several cases are growing significantly on a like-for-like basis compared with the H1 2020 results.”

The numbers include three months of trading from Germany’s corporate and public affairs firm Orca, which the group acquired at the end of last year. SEC Newgate CEE, launched in March this year, is performing at break-even, while SEC Newgate US is now profitable, one year after its launch in New York and Washington.

Group CEO Fiorenzo Tagliabue (pictured) said: “Our performance in the first half was solid and significantly ahead of pre-pandemic levels. All the major businesses are ahead of budget and our new start-ups are performing strongly. We are implementing our ambitious growth plan and our industry is quickly returning to where it was pre-pandemic.

“Our focus is now on building the visibility of the SEC Newgate brand globally and awareness of the fully integrated, insight-led, advocacy and communications services we offer.”

Region by region, deputy group CEO Brian Tyson said the Asia Pacific region comprising Australia, Greater China and Singapore reported a “very strong” half year performance and its10 offices all reported high levels of business activity, including handling a “record-breaking” number of IPOs in Hong Kong, M&A, restructuring and fundraising mandates in Singapore and Australia continuing “its record 2020 performance to report an even stronger year on year performance for the first six months of 2021.”

He added that the Greater China business has moved back into profitability “which is testimony to a great team effort under the leadership of new CEO James Hill.”

In EMEA, deputy group CEO Tom Parker said performance has been “positive… against a highly complex trading backdrop,” with pre-tax profit ahead of budget, although the mixed Covid situation was still impacting some offices in the region more than others.

Parker said SEC Newgate CEE “got off to a flying start with a team of 20 people already in place and break-even financials putting it well ahead of forecast,” and there was good performance in France, Brussels and Germany, although trading was more challenging in Spain and Abu Dhabi, as a result of which the group’s Gulf region headquarters moved to Dubai with the acquisition of Twister Middle East, now renamed SEC Newgate ME.

For the Italian companies in the SEC Newgate group, 2021 had a better start than the previous year, with first half revenues up 13% and new clients including Bayer, Total, Porsche, Nescafé and PWC.

In the UK, deputy group CEO  Emma Kane said the business had delivered “strong financial results” for the first half, with new business wins in areas such as Green & Good, financial services, energy, tech, real estate, as well as IPOs and M&A transactions. At the start of the period, the Group’s other UK communications and advocacy agency, Newington, was merged into SEC Newgate UK.

All of the group’s agencies (excluding consumer shop Publicasity) will be rebranded under the SEC Newgate name by the end of this year.