New Firm Integrates Government Affairs, Corporate Leadership and Capital Markets to Redefine Advocacy

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lane Bailey, former president of public affairs at a global public relations agency and prior to that chief of staff for Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), and A.J. Donelson, who previously managed the growth of two independent public affairs firms into acquisitions by publicly traded companies and is the former head of 3M's Washington government relations office, announced today the official launch of a new global advocacy and communications agency. Advocom Group is helping clients achieve success through the integration and leveraging of government affairs, corporate leadership, and capital markets strategies. With offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Beijing, and Brussels, Advocom Group already has clients in health care, food safety, manufacturing, technology, telecommunications and financial sectors.

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"Advocom Group brings together an organization's strengths and investments in government affairs, corporate leadership and capital markets to create a more powerful approach to advocacy, something we call Advocacy3 - advocacy with the power of 3," said Bailey. "In short, we devise powerful advocacy strategies that increase your potential to shape outcomes — whether your goal is to grow your business, seek guidance through capital markets or have a voice in government and public affairs and regulatory policy."

Advocom Group will help clients connect the dots between these three areas by developing and implementing advocacy and communications strategies designed to build brands, expand markets, protect investments, and help businesses grow. The firm specializes in building compelling narratives, aligned with business objectives, which foster trust and move interested stakeholders to act. Specific services include communications and media relations, message development and media training, crisis communications, social media strategies and content generation, private capital and capital markets advisory services, and lobbying and government relations.   

"We are proud to have assembled a team of professionals experienced in working at the intersection of advocacy and communications, business and government, and investment and public policy. Members of our team built successful careers working in government, with global companies, and for public relations and marketing agencies. We look forward to bringing that collective experience together on behalf of Advocom Group's clients," said Donelson.

The Advocom Group domestic staff and consultant leadership team includes:

• Christa Carey Dunn, with over 30 years' experience on Wall Street in sales and marketing, and substantial knowledge of equity markets and the investment community, Dunn is known for her ability to build relationships, foster effective communications and help organizations understand and solve capital market problems;
• Randi Kahn, a media relations specialist with a long track record of strategically placing clients' messages in front of the right audiences through the right outlets at the right times, specializes in public affairs and leadership positioning with significant experience in issue and brand awareness campaigns;
• Jeff Kimball, former communications staff person for Senators Rockefeller and Biden, an award-winning writer and published author on social media, and a former Wall Street executive with experience managing communications for start-ups, spin-offs and companies involved in mergers, acquisitions and crises, focuses on advocacy and integrated multi-media communications strategies and campaigns;
• Ken Levinson, a senior public affairs executive with a track record of success navigating complex legislative and political landscapes to achieve objectives of clients and principals; Levinson has more than twenty years of experience working with the U.S. Congress and Administration, the business community, and non-governmental organizations on a wide range of issues, including telecommunications, health care, tax and trade;
• Holly Page, former executive vice president of the Democratic Leadership Council, and a third party and strategic development expert with extensive relationships with influential organizations that span the political, media and policy spectrum; Page specializes in helping companies and industries advance their goals through innovative and effective ideas and alliances; and
• Carolyn Tieger, former head of Porter Novelli's Washington office, and considered one of the top public affairs strategists in the country, especially when it comes to tough legislative issues, corporate and industry crises, litigation, and issues management. 

Internationally, Advocom Group's work in China and Brussels is led by:

• John Russell, founder of North Head, part of the Advocom Global Network, focuses on public affairs and corporate communications services, in Beijing and Brussels;  Russell previously headed the public affairs and corporate communication practice in the Asia Pacific for Weber Shandwick; and
• Robert Magyar, one of the founding partners of North Head/Advocom Group with agency experience in China and Japan running numerous regional and global campaigns, supervises the Brussels operations and works directly with clients to address global and regional communication challenges in Asia and Europe.

For more information about Advocom Group please go to www.advocomgroup.com.                    

Contact: Randi Kahn
[email protected]
703-312-0148

SOURCE Advocom Group