LONDON—Sermo, the independent network that is made up of 13 consultancies across 15 countries, has reported fee income of £27 million ($42.3 million) in 2014, an increase of 12% on 2013.

The uptick comes against an overall global PR industry increase of 7%, as revealed by the World PR Report.  Sermo's growth was driven by local and global business wins from its constitutent firms, which include Talk PR (UK), RSVP (Russia/Singapore), Approach (Brazil), Flare Communications (Hong Kong) and Nota Bene (Spain).

New business came from numerous consumer and luxury clients, including Pernod Ricard, Nespresso, Dyson, Mercedes Benz, and Moet Hennessy. Sermo agencies in Russia, India, the Middle East and Australia reported the highest growth rates – 44%, 24%, 20% and 20%, respectively.
 
"Sermo’s partners are all leaders in their markets and it’s testament to the power of the Sermo model, built on relationships not ownership, that the network saw such strong growth last year," said Tanya Hughes, president of Sermo Communications.

"Our shared investment in, and commitment to, nurturing great talent, inspiring creativity, and helping each other to develop our offers and improve client service, will continue to pay dividends and lead to further growth this year."