Burson-Marsteller Announces Further Strategic Moves In Africa

Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public-relations and communications firm, today announced further important strategic moves in Africa. Arcay Burson-Marsteller, which celebrates 25-years of success in Africa this year, and became a 51%-owned subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller in September 2011, has been renamed Burson-Marsteller with immediate effect and 12 of the company�s long-standing exclusive affiliates across the continent, including Accra-based InFocus PR have entered into new partner agreements, bringing them even closer to the global Burson-Marsteller group and raising the Burson-Marsteller flag in a total of 27 countries across the continent. These partner agencies, which will be rebranded to include the Burson-Marsteller global branding, include Infocus Burson-Marsteller in Ghana and Sierra Leone, Mali, Gabon and Burkina Faso; Prime Media Burson-Marsteller in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; Prime Media Burson-Marsteller in Benin; Media Link Burson-Marsteller in Liberia; Premium Burson-Marsteller in Cote d�Ivoire and Guinea-Conakry; Icon Burson-Marsteller in Cameroon and Niger; Optimum Burson-Marsteller in the DRC and Congo Brazzaville; Digital One Burson-Marsteller in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; Cactus Burson-Marsteller in Ethiopia and Djibouti; Majestic Ventures Burson-Marsteller in Rwanda and Burundi; Vivid Burson-Marsteller in Zimbabwe and Rikhozi Burson-Marsteller in Mozambique. They join the second Burson-Marsteller investment in Africa, Engage Burson-Marsteller, which was launched in July 2013 to cover Kenya and Tanzania. �2014 marks 25 successful years offering strategic communications services to clients under the Arcay name,� said Robyn de Villiers, �and over 20 years of exciting and rewarding times building up strategically sound and enduring partnerships with talented communications professionals right across the continent. I am immensely proud to see the company don the globally-renowned Burson-Marsteller livery in South Africa and to be instrumental in raising the Burson-Marsteller flag across Africa.� �We are thrilled to be moving even closer to Burson-Marsteller today,� said Mr.Torgbor Mensah owner of INFOCUS PR LTD �Global interest in Africa, including Ghana, is growing every year and we are well placed to provide effective, appropriate communications services to Burson-Marsteller�s clients in Ghana. And what better way to do this than under the brand of one of the world�s leading global agencies.� With its 53 country reach and more than 20 years of client service experience Burson-Marsteller Africa represents the pre-eminent network across the continent. The Burson-Marsteller Africa network is headquartered in Johannesburg and continues to be run by Chairman and CEO for Africa, Robyn de Villiers, who founded the network 25 years ago. �The African continent is one of the world�s strong emerging markets and key to our clients� global business strategies. Today�s announcement shows our ongoing commitment to ensuring that we are where our clients need us to be, ready to offer them strategic communications services that will contribute to their overall business success,� said Don Baer, Global CEO of Burson-Marsteller. Jeremy Galbraith, CEO Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: �When we announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Arcay Communications in 2011, I said that the next decade would bring immense growth in the PR industry across Africa and that we were committed to growing our business there. Two years on, having achieved a brilliant 35% revenue growth with Arcay Burson-Marsteller, referred more than 35% additional revenue to our network partners in Africa and having recorded a profit growth of 104% in 2013, in the midst of one of the worst ever global economic downturns, I am more than ever convinced of this view. Robyn�s leadership of our Africa hub office, our business in South Africa and our network of partners across the continent continues to prove a winning formula, allowing us to focus on Being More for our clients across our sixth continent.�