WPP's Cohn & Wolfe agrees to acquire majority stake in Six Degrees PR and Alphabet Consulting to expand its India operation

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NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohn & Wolfe, a leading brand communications agency, today announced it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in full-service public relations agency Six Degrees PR and its content and integrated marketing subsidiary Alphabet Consulting, with offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Part of an aggressive growth plan in the region, the deal builds on Cohn & Wolfe's Mumbai and Delhi offering and solidifies the agency's Asia-Pacific presence by growing its footprint in the region to 11 offices. India boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the new agency, Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees, is well-poised to deliver integrated marketing solutions to regional companies, as well as multinational clients looking to expand in India.

Founded in 2009, Six Degrees is known for its consulting approach, counseling C-Suite clients on challenges across the communications spectrum. Six Degrees has extensive public relations, public affairs, crisis management and digital media experience and delivers content and integrated marketing campaigns through subsidiary Alphabet Consulting.

"India is a strategic priority for Cohn & Wolfe, and Six Degrees has the entrepreneurial culture, seasoned talent and drive to succeed that will help us capitalize on the tremendous opportunity for growth here," says Donna Imperato, Chief Executive Officer, Cohn & Wolfe. "The agency's presence in Bangalore, the country's technology hub, and their work in technology, finance and corporate complements the Cohn & Wolfe India team's extensive lifestyle and consumer experience."

"We believe that Cohn & Wolfe is the best partner for the culture, passion and energy of Six Degrees and Alphabet Consulting," says Rishi Seth, Co-Founder, Six Degrees. "We are excited to start this new journey to make a bigger play for growth through integrated marketing services." 

"Our measure of success is having built a reputation for being amongst the most respected PR firms in India," says Zacharia James, Co-Founder, Six Degrees. "Alignment to a global agency with a strong people orientation and methodologies is the next logical step in our journey. We believe Cohn & Wolfe will provide us the required impetus to build on our success, stay relevant to our people's aspirations and become a global partner to our clients with a full service offering."

Cohn & Wolfe, which opened offices in Delhi and Mumbai in 2012, represents clients across a range of industries and is particularly known for its leading travel and tourism practice. Cohn & Wolfe India doubled revenues in 2014 with key clients including Austrian Airlines, Cleartrip, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, RCI, Ruckus Wireless, Swiss International Air Lines and Wyndham Hotel Group. Cohn & Wolfe's existing business will become part of Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees.

Six Degrees represents clients across multiple sectors, including technology, travel, infrastructure, manufacturing, finance, aviation, hospitality and entertainment. Current clients include regional and multinational companies such as Amadeus, Cushman & Wakefield, Dalmia Bharat Group, Hughes, Ingersoll Rand and Nokia.

Rishi and Zach become Group CEOs, leading the Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees team of 70 professionals across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, and report to Imperato. Six Degrees CEO Karan Punia becomes CEO of the new company, reporting to Rishi and Zach.

About Cohn & Wolfe

Cohn & Wolfe, a global communications agency, builds brands and corporate reputations through an uncompromising commitment to creativity. The agency's strategic approach unearths fresh, relevant insights leading to communications solutions that deliver measurable business success. Over its 45-year history, Cohn & Wolfe's brand marketing work and world-class digital media campaigns have attracted top brands around the world, winning awards at the Cannes Health Lions, the Global SABREs and the Global PRWeek Awards. With a creative network of more than 1,200 employees in over 50 offices across North America, EMEA and Asia, the agency has been named a Best Place to Work by The Holmes Report, PRWeek and PRNews. Cohn & Wolfe is part of WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY), the world's largest communications services group.  

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