V+O forms a strategic alliance with the international communications group SEC Newgate

V+O Communication agency will become part of a major global communications group following the agreement between V+O Group and SEC Newgate, thus taking advantage of the worldwide and a broader network of global reach and expertise to be available to local Romanian customers.

SEC Newgate will acquire 70% of V+O Group over a five-year period, while V+O will retain its separate brand identity and organisational autonomy. SEC Newgate’s Global CEO, Fiorenzo Tagliabue, will join the V+O Group Board of Directors and strengthen the existing management team of all V+O companies under the leadership of Thomas Varvitsiotis and Yannis Olympios lead.

Commenting on the transaction, the founders of V+O, Thomas Varvitsiotis and Yannis Olympios, said in a joint statement: “After 22 years of continuous growth, it was time for the next step. V+O’s success has been based on our relentless dedication to our clients, a strong commitment to our people and a set of clear values. Joining forces with SEC Newgate will allow us to accelerate growth while remaining true to ourselves and these values. We also believe that our extended family of amazing colleagues will have greater opportunities for professional development.”

The agreement will provide V+O Group with greater scale, strength, and expertise, offering many additional and unique benefits to its customers and employees. V+O will expand its presence in new industries, markets, and geographies.

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At his turn, SEC Newgate’s CEO Fiorenzo Tagliabue said: “We welcome our new colleagues from V+O Group, who we look forward to working closely with in the coming months and years across all our geographies, starting from our Eastern EMEA business region, the initial and natural area for V + O to develop their activities with us. V+O Group’s strong footprint in the region and excellent work across advocacy and corporate communications was in fact highly attractive and coherent to our business and we already see a range of synergies”.

SEC Newgate is one of the fastest growing communications networks in the world. It is an insights and research-driven, global strategic communications and advocacy group with a network of 53 offices and 1,200 employees across five continents. In 2023, SEC Newgate was recognised as Global Agency of the Year in Public Affairs and Corporate Communication at the Global SABRE Awards by PRovoke in Washington, DC.

Loredana Visa, CEO for V+O Communication in Romania, said: “It is a huge milestone for our group and a great opportunity for the development of our business in Romania. We look forward into integrating the international expertise into our local services, for the benefit of our customers, as well as servicing the new strategic alliance’s customers with business presence in Romania or in our area of expertise”.

At present, V+O Group, a market leader in Southeastern Europe, is one of the largest independent and integrated agencies in the EMEA region with more than 180 employees. V+O Group, a multi awarded communication business, with 12 prestigious IPRA Golden Awards, is a trusted strategic partner and agency of reference to more than 250 companies across the region.

V+O Communication Romania is a multi-awarded agency and a catalyst of communication on the local market since 2006. V+O Group Romania offers clients 360 communication solutions – from strategy, creation, classic and digital PR services, social media, to services for print and audio-video production and event organization – through the companies V+O Communication, Bakers Digital, and Unlimited Production.