Latest news with #strategiccommunications
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Excellera enters the Middle East with the acquisition of Instinctif Partners MENA
The deal strengthens the international growth of the Group - a leader in corporate affairs, which now reaches $75 million in turnover, a team of more than 350 professionals, and a global network of 15 offices. Milano-Riyadh – Excellera Advisory Group ('Excellera'), Italy's leading corporate affairs advisory group, announces the acquisition of Instinctif Partners MENA, Instinctif Partners' Middle East operations throughout the region and in Arabic speaking North African countries, a leading strategic communications consultancy specializing in financial and corporate communications. The acquisition aligns with Excellera's growth strategy launched in 2022 with the strategic and financial support of Xenon Private Equity. It further consolidates the Group's position as a reference point in corporate affairs. Excellera today brings together some of the most prominent names in the sector: Barabino & Partners, Cattaneo Zanetto Pomposo & Co., Community, Excellera Intelligence, Public Affairs Advisors, and Value Relations. This deal will give Excellera a significant presence in the Middle East and Arabic speaking North African markets where Instinctif Partners MENA has been established for more than 12 years. The company will retain the same management team, led by founder CEO Samantha Bartel, and will operate under a new name, IP Excellera, marking the change in ownership of the company and Excellera's expanding footprint in one of the world's fastest-growing and most dynamic markets. With the addition of IP Excellera, the Group's total turnover will exceed $75 million, with a team of more than 350 professionals, further extending its international footprint. IP Excellera's offices in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai will expand the Group's global network, which already includes locations in Bergamo, Berlin, Brussels, Genoa, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, and Treviso, bringing the total to 15 locations worldwide. IP Excellera is a market leading, integrated strategic advisory firm with offers across strategic communications, capital markets and investor relations, corporate reporting, and ESG & sustainability. Its team of 60 talented consultants are drawn from the world's leading financial, government and academic institutions offering clients best in class advice so they can navigate risk, reputation and change. The company represents clients in the public and private sectors and has a portfolio of more than 100 corporate clients with a combined market value of over $3 trillion. IP Excellera has achieved more than 20 per cent annual growth for the last 5 years, cementing its position as a leading advisory firm in the region and setting a strong basis for growth in partnership with Excellera. IP Excellera's integrated service offering is complementary to Excellera's strength in financial communications and its leading position in M&A in Europe, which will enable organic growth across the Group. Gianfranco Piras, Chairman of Excellera Advisory Group and Partner at Xenon Private Equity, said: " The acquisition of IP MENA marks a fundamental step in Excellera's growth journey, confirming the soundness of our investment strategy and the Group's ability to attract high-value companies in fast-growing markets. At Xenon Private Equity, we have believed from the very beginning in the creation of a strong, competitive Group capable of establishing itself as a leading player in the corporate affairs sector and serving as a platform for further aggregation. Entering the MENA region strengthens Excellera's platform and broadens its scope, laying the foundations for long-term growth." Paolo Zanetto, CEO of Excellera Advisory Group, commented: " This transaction is another important step in our international development strategy. In an increasingly interconnected world, the EMEA region has become a natural arena for those, like us, who provide strategic advice on complex and global issues. With this deal, we are enhancing our presence in a key market for global finance and business, integrating a highly skilled team led by Samantha Bartel. We are excited to embark on this new journey together." Samantha Bartel, CEO of IP Excellera, added: ' We are delighted to be joining Excellera Advisory Group for the next stage of our growth journey. It has been an amazing 12 years since we established in MENA and I'd like to thank all colleagues for their hard work and dedication and clients for their loyalty, who have made it so special over the years. 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.' Julian Walker, CEO of Instinctif Partners, said: 'Following today's sale, we will focus on our core business and in our core markets. On behalf of us all I thank Sam and her team for such consistently great work and send our very best wishes for their future as part of Excellera.' Legal advisors to Excellera Advisory Group were Pinsent Masons and Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici. Deloitte supported the deal with financial due diligence, while PwC advised on tax matters. Legal advisers to Instinctif Partners MENA were Simmons and Simmons, and Instinctif Partners were advised on the transaction by SI Global. More information Excellera Advisory Group: Giovanna Biscaro Instinctif Partners Group Julian Walker Instinctif Partners MENA: Samantha Bartel
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
It's Time For Communications To Evolve—Or We Risk Irrelevance
Lars Voedisch, Founder & CEO at PRecious Communications ; international comms & growth advisor; startup expert; public speaker. getty In a business environment increasingly shaped by volatility, digital acceleration and stakeholder scrutiny, communications leaders face a critical inflection point. Generating media coverage or amplifying brand stories is no longer enough. Today's C-suites demand communications that directly support business goals, whether driving revenue, enhancing reputation, recruiting top talent or navigating environmental, social and governance challenges. In this new reality, communications must evolve into a strategic lever or risk becoming a vanity line item on the budget sheet. Traditional metrics—impressions, mentions and media hits—fail to capture what truly matters. These are not business outcomes. At best, they are visibility indicators; at worst, they are distractions. Modern organizations require communications that serve as a problem-solving function, one that can anticipate reputational risks, support market entry strategies, build trust in leadership and align messaging with purpose. Increasingly, companies are seeking partners who can do more than execute campaigns. They want advisors who understand industry dynamics, commercial imperatives and organizational challenges. Strategic communications today means: • Connecting messaging with measurable business impact • Managing brand and stakeholder trust during change • Influencing perception across owned, earned, paid and shared channels • Using analytics to drive predictive—not just reactive—insight This demands a shift within agencies and in-house teams alike. Evolving From Amplification To Advisory The future of communications lies in integration—where narrative meets performance, where media strategy supports talent attraction and where reputation becomes a measurable asset. This future also demands new capabilities: advisory sprints; environmental, social and governance (ESG) and risk audits; AI-assisted analysis; and leadership communications aligned with corporate transformation. Generative AI is changing the game, but it is not eliminating the need for communicators. Instead, it commoditizes basic outputs while amplifying the importance of human judgment, nuance and emotional intelligence. The leaders in this space will be those who combine technological fluency with strategic foresight—those who can use AI to enhance productivity while staying anchored in the business context. The message to communications leaders is clear: Evolve from amplification to advisory, from noise to influence. Shifting Your Mindset: Think Like A Business Strategist For agencies and in-house teams, the shift begins with a mindset reset. Communications leaders must move from content production to business translation. That means getting closer to strategy. Join product discussions, sit in HR briefings and dig into what sales is hearing on the ground. Introduce advisory sprints to identify areas of weakness early. Use ESG and risk audits to align narrative with accountability. Bring AI into the mix, but as a force multiplier, not a replacement. Most importantly, build fluency in the language of growth, risk and stakeholder value. The future isn't about more content. It's about sharper counsel, delivered sooner. You must be fluent in growth, risk, culture and transformation. Anything less may soon be seen as a luxury few can afford. Communications is no longer a siloed function. It is increasingly intertwined with investor relations, human resources, customer experience and even supply chain strategy. As businesses face pressure to demonstrate transparency and accountability, the role of communications is to ensure coherence between what a company says, does and stands for. This evolution is not just a shift in execution—it is a shift in mindset. It requires communicators to think like business strategists—to understand profit and loss dynamics, stakeholder priorities and the levers that drive both perception and performance. It calls for the integration of data with narrative, where analytics don't just prove value, but also inform direction. Perhaps most importantly, it signals a cultural shift within the function. PR and communications professionals must move beyond tactical proficiency and embrace a consultative posture. Those who can connect reputation management to commercial outcomes will increasingly be invited into earlier, more influential conversations. The Future Of Communications: Doing What Matters Today's boards and leadership teams are not interested in media coverage for its own sake. They want clarity on how messaging shapes sentiment, how positioning affects talent attraction and how brand purpose contributes to long-term differentiation. The implication is clear: The future of communications is not about doing more. It's about doing what matters. And that begins with aligning closer to the business itself. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
