The world''s fourth largest communications group, Publicis Groupe, has agreed to acquire leading Indian public relations consultancy Hanmer & Partners, subject to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval. A pan India consuting firm, Hanmer & Partners employs 350 professionals across 10 practice and vertical specialisations in 42 cities across India.

Mark Hass, global CEO of MS&L, said, "We''ve worked with Hanmer & Partners for
several years, and we have a very successful history of collaboration. Sunil Gautam (managing director of Hanmer & Partners) and his team will add significant new expertise and resources to the MS&L family in a region that is of growing importance to the public relations industry and MS&L''s global clients.

This acquisition is in line with Publicis Groupe''s commitment to expand its offering in high-growth emerging markets and is an important component of MS&L''s aggressive growth plans for Asia, where the firm already enjoys a significant presence in China, Japan and Southern Asia."

Following this acquisition, Hanmer will be aligned with Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L), one of the world''s most important public relations firms, and the Indian agency will be renamed Hanmer MS&L.

This acquisition significantly strengthens MS&L''s presence and capabilities in India, while offering Hanmer & Partners'' clients access to a global network.

Sunil Gautam, managing director of Hanmer & Partners, said: "Partnering with MS&L gives us the opportunity to build our client relationships both inside and outside of India. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join MS&L, and I think this will be a very fruitful and successful partnership for many years to come."

The Indian consulting firm specialises in public relations for a wide range of industries including consumer; lifestyle and hospitality; financial services; IT and telecom; media and entertainment; auto, aviation, engineering and infrastructure; and healthcare
communications. It works in tandem with its specialized division Hanmer Reach, a unit that helps clients reach audiences across different geographies and diverse cultures.

The firm has several divisions including Hanmer Interactive, a multimedia division that focuses on web-based solutions; Hanmer Events and Hanmer Advertising. Its clients include ACC, Network 18 (CNBC), Bharti Axa, Emirates, Enam, General Motors, ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential, ING Vysya, LG, Religare, Tata Sky, BPL Mobile, Henkel and Discovery Networks, among others.

Hanmer & Partners offers a bouquet of services including strategic counselling,
corporate image management, brand support, financial public relations, events and promotions, outreach, creative services, interactive services and crisis communications, apart from media relations.

Manning Selvage & Lee MS&L is one of the world''s leading global public relations firms. MS&L is the winner of PRWeek''s "best use of internet / new media" award 2006 and 2007 successively.

The Euronext-listed Publicis Groupe is the world''s fourth largest communications group,. the world''s second largest media counsel and buying group, and is a global leader in digital and healthcare communications, employing approximately 44,000 professionals.

Its three autonomous global advertising companies, Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, two multi-hub networks, Fallon and 49 per cent-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty; media consultancy and buying, two worldwide networks, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; interactive and digital marketing led by Digitas; Specialised Agencies and Marketing Services (SAMS) offering healthcare communications, corporate and financial communications, public relations, CRM and direct marketing, event communications, sports marketing and multicultural communications.