FleishmanHillard Fishburn launches international affairs unit
FleishmanHillard Fishburn (FHF) has launched an international affairs unit to deliver comms and issues management campaigns for countries, multilateral agencies and NGOs.
FHF International Affairs will support clients on economic, geopolitical and humanitarian issues including trade and investment, Brexit, foreign policy, disputes and international development.
The unit will focus on four areas on international affairs; country reputation and issues management, economic development, investment and trade, geopolitical challenges, and development and humanitarian causes.
The new unit will be led by Michael Hartt, director and partner and head of international affairs at FHF.
Clients require proactive IA support
Discussing why the agency has decided now is the time to create a specialist international affairs unit, Hartt said: “The current environment is more complex and intense than we’ve seen in years, with geopolitical, economic and humanitarian topics that normally receive little attention suddenly on the front pages and dominating political and business discussions.
“It allows us to be proactive in offering our support to governments, NGOs and multilateral bodies, and has created even greater demand for comms and public affairs counsel and campaigns.”
He added: “Equally important, it will provide our people at FleishmanHillard Fishburn with opportunities to have a real impact on meaningful issues.”
Disruption is here to stay
Part of the rationale for FHF creating the unit is that the current volatility in global affairs is set to continue for some time.
“We can’t expect this disruptive period to end any time soon,” Hartt explained. “Populist movements show no signs of slowing. Disputes over trade are unlikely to be resolved quickly. Countries are pursuing foreign direct investment in sectors that didn’t exist five or ten years ago. Addressing fundamental humanitarian crises will continue to require large-scale efforts.”
He concluded: “Media, politics, business and public opinion are operating and evolving incredibly quickly, so we develop campaigns that can match that pace but also reflect the serious, long-term nature of our clients’ needs.”
