The V+O Group, parent company of V+O Cyprus, announced that it has reached a strategic agreement with one of the largest and fastest growing communication groups internationally, SEC Newgate, that will see the latter gradually acquire a 70% stake in the group over a period of five years.
In a press release, V+O Group said that SEC Newgate will acquire a 5-year deep participation in the V+O Group, reaching 70% of the share capital, while at the same time V+O will maintain its brand name as well as its organisational and administrative autonomy. Meanwhile, the presence of SEC Newgate's Global CEO Fiorenzo Tagliabue on the Board of Directors will further strengthen the existing management team, led by Thomas Varvitsiotis and Yiannis Olympios, which remains committed to the growth of the Group's customers and employees.
Referring to the agreement, V+O founders Varvitsiotis and Olympios stated: "V+O, since its foundation, is much more than just two initials. It is a group of opportunities, growth and continuous development. And today's agreement comes to confirm exactly this philosophy of ours. It is the beginning of new paths of development, expansion, growth for the benefit of our people and our customers. Our agreement with SEC Newgate, a world leader in the communications industry, ensures us, while maintaining the autonomy we are used to and need, to achieve synergies, to expand our capabilities and our horizons, to grow even more. At the same time, it is a great success of our experienced and multi-talented team of 180 people, but also of our dedicated and dynamic management team who have been with us since our inception."
The General Manager of V+O Cyprus, Panos Tsiridis, added: "Our joining the SEC Newgate network is a great opportunity for both V+O Cyprus and the Cypriot market. We stand to gain unparalleled expertise, privileged access to international centres of power as well as to every continent, and untold resources that will multiply the possibilities for our clients. We are excited about this new phase of our growth."
Fiorenzo Tagliabue, Global CEO of SEC Newgate, said among other: “We welcome the new colleagues of the V+O Group, with whom we look forward to working closely in the coming months and years. V+O Group's strong footprint in the Southeast Europe region and the teams' excellent work and expertise in advocacy and strategic communication were particularly attractive from the outset and we are already looking forward to the synergies we can develop together."
SEC Newgate is among the 20 largest communication groups internationally and specialises in strategic communication, public affairs and advocacy services with a focus on research and data analysis. It has a presence on five continents (Europe, Asia, Australia, America, China) a network of 53 offices and 1,200 employees worldwide and is one of the fastest growing communication networks internationally. In 2023, SEC Newgate was awarded Global Agency of the Year in Public Affairs and Corporate Communication at PRovoke's Global SABER Awards in Washington.
Through this agreement, the V+O Group creates even stronger growth prospects, with further internationalisation of its presence, expansion and strengthening of the services it already provides, but also further expansion of its footprint in new sectors, markets, geographies, while at the same time, it is emerging as a strong arm for SEC Newgate in the EMEA region, the company’s press release said.
The V+O Group consists of 13 companies with activities in seven countries in Southeast Europe (Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia), a strong team of 180 executives and is a communication consultant for more than 250 local and multinational companies that play a leading role in the wider region.
With a track record of 24 years, high growth rates of 27% in terms of revenue on average over the last three years and revenues of more than €20 million at Group level in 2023, V+O has succeeded in being today a reference company for strategic communication issues having a strong track record in the implementation of very important local and transnational projects in the wider geographical area. At the same time, thanks to its strong performance, V+O is the only Greek Group of communication consultants, with a stable presence for the last 4 years in the global ranking of the 120 Top PR Agencies (Global Top 120 PR Agency Ranking).
