Leading Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seeking credentials from UK-based PR
agencies.
The bank, whose parent company CS Holding is in the throes of a
worldwide restructure, is known to have contacted several agencies in
the last fortnight.
One industry source said the bank’s form of request implied it was
considering a European-wide campaign and that it sought an agency with
merger experience. However, the source added that it was not clear
whether Credit Suisse wanted merger experience to support its own merger
plans or to pass on to clients.
The move comes after a tumultuous six months for the Credit Suisse
group. In April, CS Holding suffered the embarrassment of having the
largest Swiss bank, the Union Bank of Switzerland, reject its moves to
merge.
Three months later, the group announced the current restructure, which
sees the creation of four new divisions dedicated to retail banking,
private banking, asset management and investment banking, and the loss
of 5,000 jobs.
Credit Suisse already uses The Communication Group in the UK (PR Week,
28 June).
