MARK PENN'S STAGWELL LAUNCHES RISK AND REPUTATION UNIT TO COUNSEL C-SUITE LEADERS ON EMERGING POLICY, POLITICAL, and SOCIAL ISSUES

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, today launched a business unit to deliver bipartisan, multidisciplinary political and communications expertise to C-Suite leaders navigating today's complex landscape of emerging policy, political, and social issues.

The Risk and Reputation Unit aligns political and financial strategists from Democratic strategic communications firm SKDK, Republican digital-first political and communication agency Targeted Victory, financial communications firm Sloane & Company, and Stagwell's corporate experts. A new solution to address the convergence of corporate reputation, product and purpose, the Risk and Reputation Unit will help business leaders audit the issues most important to their stakeholders, develop proactive and reactive strategies, and monitor and measure the impact of positions on business reputation and overall performance.

"Today's CEOs are under more pressure than ever to mix business and politics – but one misstep can wipe out a year of marketing and corporate reputation building and billions in shareholder value," said Mark Penn, chairman and CEO, Stagwell. "Too often, businesses rely on expertise from one side of the aisle or without considering the financial implications of their public positions. Our team goes beyond the purpose-marketing units in today's landscape to bring true, bipartisan political insights and tested business acumen closer to the war room."

"Leaders have minutes to make the right decision once a political issue takes over the conversation in or around their organizations – and they tend to make choices based on internal information with little outside perspective," said Ray Day, vice-chair, Stagwell. "We're providing the guidance leaders need to respond and strengthen their reputation in today's polarized world."

"Stagwell excels at connecting the best of the best to unleash transformative results for our clients. With this unit, we've connected two of the leading political firms in the country alongside our financial communications experts to help business leaders solve one of their biggest post-COVID challenges: reconciling product and purpose," said Alexis Williams, chief brand officer, North America, Stagwell.

The consultancy includes experienced strategists who have supported and held executive leadership positions at Microsoft, Ford, IBM, and more, as well as campaign strategists for 12 presidential races, 95 Senate races, and 175 House Races.

To inquire about the Risk and Reputation Unit, please reach out to [email protected]

About Stagwell

Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About SKDK

SKDK is a top national communications and political consulting firm bringing unparalleled strategic communications experience to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and labor unions, as well as political committees and candidates. With offices in Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Albany, SKDK offers strategic support to managing a crisis, protecting a brand, advocating an issue or winning an election. In 2020, SKDK was a key adviser to the Biden for President campaign and helped to make history by electing Joe Biden as President of The United States and Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black, Asian-American and woman, as Vice President. To learn more about SKDK, visit our website at www.skdknick.com.

About Targeted Victory

Targeted Victory is a digital-first political and communications agency.  Born out of campaigns, we bring speed and scale to our work on behalf of Fortune 500 companies.  Our roster of presidential-level campaign operatives, former House and Senate chiefs of staff, former television producers and global public relations and marketing professionals provide strategic guidance to our clients. Our decades of experience running political and corporate campaigns has taught us utilizing both national messaging and outreach, along with activating hyperlocal engagements, is the most effective way to tell a client's story.

About Sloane & Company

Founded in 1998, Sloane & Company is an industry-leading strategic communications firm focused on Corporate Communications, Media Relations, Investor Relations, Crisis Communications and Issue Management, Activism Defense and Proxy Contests, Transaction Support and Public Affairs. Sloane & Company has previously been recognized by The Holmes Report as Global Corporate Agency of the Year; and Crisis Agency of the Year, and in 2019 was ranked by Bloomberg #2 among communications firms for shareholder activism support, based on total number of campaigns.

Media Contact:

Sarah Arvizo
[email protected]

SOURCE Stagwell Inc.