Category: PPHC Talent

Bipartisan Public Affairs Firm Formalizes Partnership with Leading Digital Advocacy Specialists

WASHINGTON – Forbes Tate Partners (FTP), a bipartisan, full-service, government relations and public affairs firm, today announced its acquisition of Engage, a DC-based digital media agency. The acquisition will cement the two firms’ long-standing partnership and enable the newly expanded FTP to advance its clients’ goals in even more seamless and productive ways in the face of an ever-changing advocacy market.

“Forbes Tate Partners just celebrated a decade in business,” said Jeff Forbes, FTP Founding Partner.  “Today’s announcement marks the next step in our firm’s evolution as we continue to deliver a competitive edge for our clients. Having successfully partnered with Engage on many projects in the past, we are confident they are a perfect fit for our firm’s culture. We are delighted to formally welcome them to the Forbes Tate family and to add their considerable ability and expertise to our team.”

Added FTP Founding Partner, Dan Tate, “The formalization of our partnership allows FTP a unique opportunity to add top-notch talent, expand our footprint, and, ultimately, be that much more effective on behalf of our combined group of clients, spanning the nation’s largest industries, from health care, energy and financial services to emerging technologies, telecommunications, and manufacturing.”

“Digital public affairs is hardly new, but Forbes Tate’s commitment to investing in innovation clearly sets them apart,” said Engage Managing Partner, Nick Schaper. “Engage has established best-in-class capabilities that blend winning creative and technology with decades of experience at the highest levels of public policy to achieve effective, measurable results.”

Engage Managing Partner, Erik Rapprich said, “We look forward to formally joining forces with our colleagues at Forbes Tate to begin this new chapter in our shared history and unlock the value of the significant opportunity ahead.”

Engage, a full-service digital agency providing technology, design and creative, advocacy, and advertising services, was founded in 2007 and employs 19 professionals who have partnered with Fortune 500 companies, leading advocacy organizations, and the largest trade associations in the United States.

In December ‘21, FTP went public on the London Stock Exchange AIM as part of the Public Policy Holding Company (stock ticker PPHC.L). It was once again recognized as one of Bloomberg Government’s top performing lobbying firms for 2021. Most recently, FTP was named a PRNEWS Top Elite 100 agency for 2023, a prestigious honor recognizing the firm as one of the leading public relations practices in the country.

To learn more about FTP and Engage, visit FTP’s website.

A leading firm in Sacramento becomes the newest addition to PPHC; first since IPO 

Today, we announce the acquisition of KP Public Affairs, a leading California lobbying, government affairs, and public relations firm. This is our first acquisition as a publicly listed business and complements our strategy to build and acquire lobbying and strategic communications assets in key state markets, as outlined in our IPO.  

California is the largest individual state economy in the US and is at the forefront of major issues including climate change, privacy, and labor regulations. KP has been ranked as one of the largest lobbying firms in California for more than 20 years, with current clients including many Fortune 500 corporations, industry associations, local governments, and small businesses.   

“The firm’s Managing Partners, Jonathan Ross, Michael Burns, Ed Manning, Patrick George, Alison MacLeod, Jeff Sickenger and their stellar team have long been one of the largest practices in California.  More importantly, their deep policy expertise and longstanding commitments to clients promises to make KP a strong addition. We have a proven track record of integrating outstanding, entrepreneurial businesses, and I look forward to working closely with the team.”  -Stewart Hall, CEO, PPHC

Following completion of the acquisition, KP will continue operating under its existing brand and with its longstanding and incentivized management team and staff, as a wholly owned subsidiary of PPHC. 

Read more about KP Public Affairs here.  

WASHINGTON- Seven Letter, a full-service strategic communications firm with offices in Washington and Boston, has announced the addition of Drew O’Brien to their leadership team. O’Brien will be taking on the position of partner at Seven Letter’s Boston, MA location.

O’Brien brings with him an extensive background working in both the private and public sectors. His most recent role was at Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), where O’Brien led the firm’s business throughout the Northeast region as executive vice president and managing director. O’Brien also served as president of Direct Impact, BCW’s grassroots communications and advocacy practice.

Prior to entering the private sector in 2016, O’Brien’s public sector experience included work in the US State Department as Secretary John Kerry’s special representative for global partnerships. Throughout his tenure at the State Department, O’Brien dealt with outreach to private companies and NGOs as the Office of Global Partnerships played a key role in the US Water Partnership, the Secretary’s Our Oceans Conference, the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and the US response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa in 2014.

“As far as strategic communications advisors go, there is no one better than Drew O’Brien,” said Seven Letter’s founding partner and CEO Erik Smith. “Drew’s background in the private and public sectors, and his intimate knowledge of the integral elements of communications and advocacy strategy make him a tremendous asset to both the clients with whom we partner and our internal team. Many of us have known Drew for decades and now we are thrilled to welcome him as a teammate and colleague.”

Seven Letter is a member company of PPHC, the Public Policy Holding Company.  

Read more about this story in PR Week and POLITICO Influence.

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Previously, Mathias was Chief of External Affairs at the National Park Foundation. At NPF he was responsible for the government relations, marketing and communications functions; and was also responsible for the Foundation’s advocacy, advertising, marketing and PR programming, including digital strategy and brand development. Mathias also served in various roles at Ogilvy from 1995 – 2017, including CEO of Ogilvy PR North America. In addition, Mathias was founder and president of Channel Rock Strategic Advisory.

Forbes Tate Partners is a bipartisan, integrated full-service public affairs consultancy specializing in government relations, traditional and digital communications, grassroots advocacy and third-party coordination, insights and polling, coalition management, and business development. FTP Is a wholly owned subsidiary of Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (PPHC)