APCO Worldwide Expands M&A and Competition Offer Providing Global Strategy for Clients

WASHINGTON – March 22, 2023: APCO Worldwide broadened its Mergers & Acquisitions and Competition offering with key new senior hires to help clients overcome the regulatory and communications challenges of high-profile, complex M&A and antitrust investigations in global business hubs, APCO Chief Executive Officer Brad Staples announced today.

Cecilio Madero and Rachel Brandenburger further strengthen APCO’s client advisory services with focuses on merger control, antitrust investigations and litigation, state aid, cartels and foreign investment.

“It’s no wonder global CEOs find antitrust and M&A scrutiny increasingly difficult to navigate,” Staples said. “Regulators have reset their priorities in the face of new global trade realities, and the transition to a greener and increasingly digital economy. In this new landscape, corporate leaders seek out seasoned counsel and integrated solutions to achieve their business goals. APCO’s strengthened competition team brings the expertise and insights to guide the C-suite through these challenges.”

Pamela Passman, managing director of APCO’s New York office and global chair of Corporate, added, “Cecilio and Rachel have been on the frontlines from several vantage points, in government, as practitioners and representing global companies, on critical antitrust and competition matters. Their deep knowledge of the regulatory landscape in key markets around the world further enhances our work with leading companies across the tech, health, energy and other sectors.”

With over 30 years in DG Competition, the European Commission department responsible for EU antitrust law and policy, Madero brings an insider’s perspective and knowledge of complex competition matters. As Deputy Director General of DG Competition, many of the cases he led are now recognized as landmark decisions adopted by the European Commission. In these roles, Madero interfaced with competition authorities around the world on antitrust and mergers.

Brandenburger is a globally recognized international antitrust, competition and regulatory policy advisor. She is a trusted advisor on high-stakes, strategic issues at board and senior executive levels to businesses and governments around the world. Her background in private practice and government in Europe and the United States makes her unique in her field. Brandenburger was special advisor, international, to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, based in Washington, D.C. (2010-2013), a partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, based in Brussels and London, and a senior advisor and foreign legal consultant to Hogan Lovells in New York.

“The new team members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience helping clients navigate the complex regulatory and legal landscapes in key markets across the Atlantic and around the world,” Theo Moore, managing director of APCO’s Brussels office, said. “Their insight will help both clients and colleagues better understand and overcome global business challenges.”

Madero and Brandenburger will work with APCO’s team of experts in M&A, antitrust, competition, litigation and crisis management—spanning Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, London, New York, Rome, Tokyo and Washington. Benjamin Faull will head the global M&A and Competition offer. He has been an anchor of APCO’s M&A and competition work in both Brussels and New York for the last decade, developing strategies and leading public affairs and communications campaigns that protect reputations across government, financial and consumer audiences and advance winning outcomes for clients.

Successful mergers and acquisitions and other antirust and competition matters increasingly depend on an integrated communications campaign, as regulatory reviews are now often shaped by a wider range of stakeholders influencing the outcome. For more than 30 years, APCO has acknowledged these needs and works with clients to anticipate and mitigate risks. The firm develops integrated communications strategies, formulates clear and compelling messaging, and engages effectively with the full range of stakeholders, influencers and media that impact the desired outcome. APCO aims to create an environment where business needs and concerns about the future of the industry are understood, and informed regulatory outcomes are achieved.