LONDON: DeVries Global, part of Interpublic Group's Constituency Management Group, has merged with sister agency Slam PR in London, launching the firm's first office in Europe.
The newly developed DeVries Slam office has a team of 25 and is led by Slam PR MD Helena Bloomer, said DeVries chairman Jim Allman.
“When we were looking to build our global presence, we looked in-house, and out of all of the various PR offerings, Slam is the one that most resembles DeVries in terms of its ethos, its approach, and its client experience,” explained Allman. “We're both very lifestyle and consumer focused, and it looks like it's going to be a terrific marriage.”
Slam's clients include Zippo, Tanqueray Gin, PepsiCo, Beats by Dr. Dre, and Durex.
Bloomer said: “By becoming part of DeVries Global, we can offer [clients] the opportunity to work with great, like-minded people across the world.”
DeVries expanded at the end of June with a plan to launch five offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Singapore, and London, all of which are expected to be up and running by December.
“More clients are looking to us for global brand stewardship either on a strategic basis or on an activation basis, so we have been considering this for the last three years. That's why we decided we'd take the leap and do it all at once,” Allman said.
DeVries' Asia operation, which has offices in Beijing and Singapore with a team of 40, is led by former Weber Shandwick EVP Michelle Tham. She joined the agency this summer and is based in Singapore.
Both Tham and Bloomer have joined the DeVries Global leadership team, which includes Allman, DeVries New York CEO Stephanie Smirnov, global CFO Michael Thomas, and senior director of global client services Ivette Sanz Osso.
