PR EUROPE: MOSCOW - H&K to open Russian office

Hill and Knowlton is planning to open its own office in the Russian capital within the next six months. The agency’s president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Paul Taaffe, said H&K is being asked to service increasing numbers of international clients who want to expand into Russia and Russian businesses. Current Russian clients include Gazprom, the world’s largest supplier of natural gas. H&K has been working with the PR subsidiary of the former Tass news agency (now known as Inter Fax), and has a small team based in sister advertising agency J Walter Thompson’s Moscow office.