Capital MSL to be merged with CNC

Publicis Groupe’s PR and communications company MSLGROUP has announced that two of its specialist consultancies, CNC (Communications and Network Consulting) and Capital MSL, will merge to a combined entity adopting the CNC name.

With the move, the CNC network will have a presence in the Middle East through Capital MSL offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The merged new entity will commence opera- tions in January 2015, with 11 offices in eight countries.

Richard Campbell, founder and CEO of Capital MSL, and Roland Klein, currently managing partner of CNC London, will be joint managing partners in London, also overseeing growth in the Middle East, informed an MSLGROUP statement. Claire Maloney and Nick Bastin, both shareholders and managing directors of Capital MSL, will become partners in the new firm, alongside the existing 10 partners in the CNC Group.

Campbell said, “After a successful and highly enjoyable 13 years of growth as Capital MSL, we are convinced that this is the right step for our colleagues and clients, helping them to realise their own ambitions on a more international stage and in a more complex communications environment.”

Anders Kempe, EMEA president, MSLGROUP, said, “MSLGROUP’s financial and related speciality communications teams together generate well over $125mn in revenue, making us a topthree player in the space globally, and one with an impressive and growing hub in the important London market.”

MSLGROUP’s dedicated offering in the space includes CNC in eight markets, Kekst & Company in New York, Qorvis in Washington DC, JKL in the Nordic region, and Publicis Consultants in France.

Besides ongoing corporate advisory work, the network claims to have advised on mergers and acquisitions worth more than $200bn in 2013 across over 150 transactions.

Publicis Groupe acquired CNC in 2012. MSLGROUP intends to expand its presence in financial and international strategy consulting to Asia and Latin America.