Burson-Marsteller to partner InFocus PR

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong

Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public-relations and communications firm has announced partnership with public relations firm in Africa, including Accra-based InFocus PR.

The move form part of Burson-Marsteller’s strategy to be in most of the African countries to help address communications services on the continent.

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 affiliate to some 12 companies across the continent.

With InFocus PR coming on board, Burson-Marsteller flag will be in 27  countries across the continent.
These partner agencies, which will be rebranded to include the Burson-Marsteller global branding, will have InFocus PR becoming Infocus Burson-Marsteller in Ghana and Sierra Leone, Mali, Gabon and Burkina Faso.

“2014 marks 25 successful years offering strategic communications services to clients under the Arcay name,” said Robyn de Villiers, Chairman and CEO for Africa.

He noted that, “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 Limited, adding that “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.”