Hill & Knowlton has Agreed to Acquire Majority Stake in Global Tanitim Halkla Iliskiler A.S.

ISTANBUL, Dec. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- International communications firm Hill & Knowlton has today agreed to acquire a majority stake in the Turkish public relations consultancy Global Tanitim Halkla Iliskiler A.S. (Global Tanitim).

The company will be rebranded as Global Hill & Knowlton and will continue to serve the Turkish market in terms of both domestic blue chip clients and multinationals. Turkish clients will benefit from access to Hill & Knowlton's global footprint and extensive network experience while multinational clients of Hill & Knowlton will benefit from expert advice in the local marketplace provided by the country's leading professionals.

Dave Robinson, CEO Middle East, Turkey & Africa for Hill & Knowlton, commented: "Turkey represents an increasingly strategic market for us and for our clients. The time is right to make this step into a country which is certain to play an important role in the region's wider economic development and which has shown impressive growth over the last years. Global Tanitim has a very impressive reputation in the market and represented a very good fit with the Hill & Knowlton ethos and approach. We are very confident this partnership will provide significant value to our clients both current and future."

Ceyda Aydede, Founder and President of Global Tanitim, commented: "We are delighted to take this important step forward with such a strong partner as Hill & Knowlton. They understand the dynamics of the Turkish market as well as the opportunities for growth and our cultures are a good fit from which to develop our services and deepen our offer to both domestic and international clients."

George Flessas, CEO of CIVITAS S.A. (a strategic shareholder in Global Tanitim) commented: "Turkey is a market which is rapidly internationalising and realising its potential on a global stage. For Global Tanitim to continue to provide value to our clients and continue to exploit growth opportunities, it is important that we internationalise too. As the world's most international and longest established PR consultancy we are very confident that our partnership with Hill & Knowlton will significantly enhance our offer to the market and enable substantial growth in the coming years."

Notes for editors:

About Hill & Knowlton

Hill & Knowlton, Inc. is a leading international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational and global clients.  The firm is headquartered in New York, with 79 offices in 44 countries, as well as an extensive associate network.  The agency is part of WPP, the world's largest communications group.

About Global Tanitim

Global Tanitim was founded in 1989 by Ceyda Aydede, who remains the President of the company today. The company's service quality was recognized in June 1999 with an ISO 9002 quality certificate. Global Tanitim also became a signatory of the United Nations' Global Compact agreement in 2002.

In 2008 CIVITAS S.A. the leading PR consultancy in Greece became a strategic investor in Global Tanitim and formed a partnership to develop international opportunities for the company.

Today Global Tanitim enjoys a market leading position in Turkey with a diverse and extensive client base of blue chip domestic clients and multinational companies including Exxon Mobil, Siemens, RIM (BlackBerry), Ernst & Young, easyJet, Calik Group, Yasar Group, Zorlu Real Estate & Groupama Insurance.

SOURCE Hill & Knowlton