WPP's Cohn & Wolfe to acquire majority stake in Six Degrees PR and Alphabet Consulting

Rishi Seth and Zacharia James become group CEOs, leading the Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees team of 70 professionals across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, and report to Donna Imperato. Six Degrees' CE, Karan Punia, becomes CEO of the new company, reporting to Seth and James.

Brand communications agency Cohn & Wolfe will 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 Bengaluru. Part of an aggressive growth plan in the region, the deal builds on Cohn & Wolfe's Mumbai and Delhi offerings and solidifies the agency's Asia-Pacific presence by growing its footprint in the region to 11 offices. 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 and claims to counsel C-Suite clients on challenges across the communication spectrum. Six Degrees has public relations, public affairs, crisis management and digital media experience and delivers content and integrated marketing campaigns through its 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 capitalise on the tremendous opportunity for growth here. The agency's presence in Bengaluru - the country's technology hub - and its work in technology, finance and corporate, complement the Cohn & Wolfe India team's extensive lifestyle and consumer experience," says Donna Imperato, chief executive officer, Cohn & Wolfe.

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

"Our measure of success is having built a reputation for being amongst the most respected PR firms in India. Alignment to a global agency with 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," adds Zacharia James, co-founder, Six Degrees.

Cohn & Wolfe, which opened offices in Delhi and Mumbai in 2012, represents clients across a range of industries and is particularly known for its travel and tourism practice. Cohn & Wolfe India claims to have doubled its 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. Its current clients include regional and multinational companies such as Amadeus, Cushman & Wakefield, Dalmia Bharat Group, Hughes, Ingersoll Rand and Nokia.

Post the acquisition, Seth and James become group CEOs, leading the Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees team of 70 professionals across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, and report to Imperato. Six Degrees' CEO, Karan Punia, becomes CEO of the new company, reporting to Seth and James.

With a creative network of more than 1,200 employees in over 50 offices across North America, EMEA and Asia, Cohn & Wolfe has been named 'Best Place to Work' by The Holmes Report, PRWeek and PRNews. It is part of WPP Group (Nasdaq: WPPGY).