BUENOS AIRES: Hill and Knowlton is on the brink of buying Argentina's Fleishman-Hillard affiliate, Vox Consulting.
Vox, headed by PR veteran Monica Maturano, is barely a year old, yet market sources say it has already had several acquisition offers. It is believed one suitor was F-H itself, having offered to formalise its relationship by buying Maturano's agency.
If H&K's bid is successful, it could prove embarrassing for F-H, which switched to Vox as a local affiliate four months ago, having dropped the more established PR agency Mora y Araujo Comunicacion Institucional from its roster. F-H's Miami-based regional president, Rissig Licha, was unavailable for comment.
Vox clients include American Express and Hyundai.
If the deal goes through, Vox would be H&K's second acquisition in Argentina, following on from last year's purchase of Del Castillo Comunicacion.
