LONDON: A Brunswick partner and two Shandwick board directors have joined forces to set up Shared Value, a financial PR and investor relations agency.
LONDON: A Brunswick partner and two Shandwick board directors have
joined forces to set up Shared Value, a financial PR and investor
relations agency.
Bill Stokoe, previously an international partner at Brunswick, has
teamed up with Shandwick’s Andrew Best and Matthew Hooper for the new
venture, which is backed by US-based investment fund Modern Asset
Management. MAM’s involvement with the new shop was prompted by requests
by its clients for a UK-based financial PR expert.
Stokoe said that Shared Value will focus on high-growth technology
providers in the media, telecom and IT sectors. Additionally, the agency
will do PR for mergers and acquisitions and capital market activity.
Among its initial clients are Millicom International Cellular, NetCom
and the Modern Times Group.
’What we’ve previously seen is the separation of IR and PR,’ said
Stokoe.
’This is a trend that we believe can be challenged.’
Shared Value will have a staff of 10 by the first quarter of 2000 and
around 15 full-time employees by the end of the year. While the agency
will be based in London, Stokoe said he eventually hopes to open offices
in continental Europe and the US.
Best and Hooper have yet to determine their exact departure date from
Shandwick.
