APCO launches Global Political StrategiesSM to offer high-level counsel on geopolitics, global economics, new market opportunities
Former heads of state, government ministers, senior diplomats lead worldwide strategic consulting service
Washington, D.C. (January 12, 2010) – APCO Worldwide announces the launch of Global Political StrategiesSM (GPS), a new international strategic consultancy division to support businesses, governments and NGOs on geopolitics, global economics and new market opportunities, President and CEO Margery Kraus announced today.
GPS offers advanced insight from a most senior team of international strategists who bring political and diplomatic experience gained in developed and emerging markets across the world. With high-level expertise from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe, the GPS team includes former presidents, foreign ministers, cabinet members and ambassadors, as well as former senior advisors to U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. APCO’s Darren Murphy, former special adviser for political communication to Tony Blair, serves as GPS managing director.
“Just as governments use diplomats and policy advisors to navigate international challenges, crises and conflicts, businesses and NGOs benefit from applying the techniques of diplomacy to help manage their own political, regulatory, legal and economic challenges,” said Kraus. “In this new era, success increasingly depends on understanding the global forces impacting economies and societies. GPS is a new kind of strategic offer, bringing together a genuinely global team of experienced former officials to help clients more effectively understand today’s complex and changing world – and to use that understanding to better navigate their futures.”
The founding group of GPS consultants includes: Tony Lake, former senior policy advisor in the Obama presidential campaign and national security advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton; Carlos Gutierrez, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Kellogg Company; John Kufuor, former president of Ghana and former chairperson of the African Union; Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president of Poland; Lalit Mansingh, former Indian foreign secretary and former Indian ambassador to the United States and the United Arab Emirates; Klaus Naumann, former chairman of the NATO Military Committee and former chief of staff of the German armed forces; Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Yukio Satoh, former permanent representative of Japan to the United Nations and former president of the Japan Institute of International Affairs.
GPS is a division of APCO Worldwide and will draw on the experience and support of APCO’s management, senior consultants and on-the-ground resources in more than 20 countries.
“Our goal is to make available the diplomatic and political experience of a first-class corps of individuals to help clients navigate the global changes impacting their businesses,” said Murphy. “Around the world, organizations are re-examining their priorities and looking at new ways to achieve their goals. GPS is a unique resource with the global understanding and geographic reach to help governments, businesses and NGOs better understand and manage future challenges.”
GPS consultants will work with clients across diverse sectors to better inform their board-level discussions, shape their business planning, understand new market opportunities and address their immediate and longer-term business and reputational challenges. GPS will deliver global strategic counsel to clients in a variety of areas, including:
- Political intelligence, risk assessment and problem solving
- Market entry and establishment
- Government systems for defense and security, communications and public-service reform
- Government relations and coalition building
- Regulatory and treaty development
- Trade and investment policy
- Competition and antitrust issues
- Global positioning and reputation management
- Policy-making processes in key capitals and international organizations
Headquartered jointly in Washington, D.C., and London, GPS will draw on its worldwide reach to serve clients in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit www.globalpoliticalstrategies.com.
Please direct interview requests to Laura Bromley at 202.778.1041 or lbromley@apcoworldwide.com.
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About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. APCO offers services related to business, industry and finance; media, public opinion and society; and government and public policy. The firm is a majority women-owned business. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.