Publicis Groupe acquires German comms network CNC

Headquartered in Munich and founded in 2002, CNC employs 100 professionals and is present in 14 cities across Europe, Asia, North and South America.

CNC’s leadership under CEO Christoph Walther remains unchanged, while MSLGroup CEO Olivier Fleurot and MSLGroup president for the EMEA region Anders Kempe will join CNC's supervisory board, where Kempe will become chairman.

Walther said: ‘We are very excited to team up with Publicis Groupe's strategic communications network MSLGroup as it provides us with a truly global footprint.’

CNC's services range from strategic communications and reputation management to financial communications, crisis counselling including litigation advice, branding and public affairs.

In the IPO market, CNC has been the market leader in Germany since 2005. The consultancy has been involved in more than 100 transactions with a total volume of more than 180 billion euros, with a focus on cross-border mandates.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Its completion is subject to the usual anti-trust approvals.

Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Levy said: ‘CNC is one of the premier strategic and financial public relations firms in Europe, with a client base that is outstanding. I have followed CNC's success story with interest and I am impressed by the company's entrepreneurial spirit. The skill set will fit perfectly into our group and our strategy to make Germany one of our key hubs.’

This article was first published on prweek.com