SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Founded 27 years ago by Tracey Cain, public affairs and strategic communications consultancy Australian Public Affairs (APA) will become part of H/Advisors, Havas’ global strategic communications advisory network. This will be H/Advisors’ first owned operation in Australia and an important next step in its strategic growth plan across Asia Pacific. On closing, the firm will be renamed H/Advisors APA.
This acquisition is part of the continued investment in Havas’ capability across strategic communications and regulated environments. Working alongside other agencies in the network, H/Advisors APA’s leading, insight-driven strategic counsel will add important new expertise and geographic reach to the network’s global clients as it continues to expand across borders. It will also further strengthen Havas’ presence in Australia, adding new capabilities to better serve its clients.
The local leadership team which includes CEO Tracey Cain, Deputy CEO Phil McCall, and CFO Kathryn Higgs, will continue in their roles.
Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and Global CEO of Havas, and Chairman Vivendi said, “APA as part of Havas and H/Advisors will enable us to further accelerate our plans for developing our public affairs, financial PR, and strategic communications offering across the APAC region. We are delighted to welcome the talent, experience, and smarts of Tracey and her team to our Havas family.”
Tracey commented, “For nearly three decades, we have built APA as a high-quality, evidence-based firm with expertise in regulated sectors and complex stakeholder environments. The logical next step for us is to partner with Havas and H/Advisors to expand the services offered and the reach of our client base. We have ambitious plans and are excited to take the next step with H/Advisors and the broader Havas family.”
James Wright, Group CEO of Havas Creative Network Australia, shared, “As the Australian consulting landscape reforms amid recent crises, opportunity is emerging for strong, capable, and values-driven global challengers that bring local knowledge and smart thinking. With complementary skills and alignment, H/Advisors APA will be perfectly positioned to fulfill the requirements of corporates, governments, and NFPs in need of a new approach. We look forward to integrating Tracey and her team into the Havas Village in the coming months.”
Neil Bennett and Tom Johnson, Global Co-CEOs of H/Advisors, concluded, “Our group’s strategy of adding leading strategic communications advisory firms in the core financial capitals around the world and growing them continues with this exciting new partnership. Not only is APA widely respected as the leading public affairs agency in Australia, the firm’s platform and growth ambitions will play a critical role for us as we look to expand our presence throughout the APAC region.”
