WASHINGTON: APCO Worldwide has acquired NGC International Advisory and Strategic Advice, agencies based in Dubai and Italy, respectively.
NGC specializes in public policy, government affairs and regulatory affairs, with operations in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan. The agency’s managing partner, Mohamed Bahaa, will serve as NGC CEO and APCO MD of public affairs in the Middle East and North Africa region.
While public affairs is a nascent practice in MENA, it’s one that’s critically important for companies trying to align their objectives with government priorities, Bahaa said in a statement.
Strategic Advice is an independent, non-partisan consultancy focused on public affairs, lobbying and strategic communications. The agency’s founder, Gabriele Cirieco, started his career at APCO more than 20 years ago before founding Strategic Advice in 2007, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Cirieco said in a statement that APCO’s presence in Brussels and other international hubs “is key for Italian companies,” adding that joining forces allows Strategic Advice to support clients “where critical decisions are now made.”
An APCO representative was not immediately available for additional comment on the acquisitions. Financial information about the deals was not disclosed.
NGC and Strategic Advice mark APCO’s third and fourth acquisitions of 2023. In March, the agency bought management consulting firm Gagen MacDonald and London-based financial comms shop Camarco.
While APCO had “a dip” in Q3 2022 due to inflation and talks of a recession, the firm still posted an 8% increase in revenue to $186.3 million globally, and was up 2.8% to $87.4 million in the U.S., according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2023.