Adfactors PR Acquires Majority Stake In Australia's SenateSHJ, Becomes First Indian Agency To Take Over Foreign Firm

Indian public relations firm Adfactors PR has acquired a majority stake in Australia's communications giant, SenateSHJ, becoming the country's first agency to acquire a stake in an international firm. The tie-up has been viewed as a strategic move by Adfactors PR to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and "create a cross-border platform for reputation, critical issues and change communications".

Founded in 1997, Adfactors PR is India's largest public relations and reputation advisory firm, handling more than 600 retained clients with operations spanning across India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and now Australia.

According to the agreement, SenateSHJ will retain its brand, leadership and client teams and continue to operate from its offices in Sydney and Melbourne after the tie-up. Nijay N Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Adfactors PR, who also oversees the firm's mergers and acquisitions and global initiatives, will join the SenateSHJ board.

'Shared Commitment, Common Ambition' Behind Tie-Up:

According to the joint statement released by the two firms, the partnership between Adfactors and SenateSHJ was built on "shared commitments and common ambitions".

"The transaction brings together two independent firms with complementary strengths, beliefs, a shared commitment to outstanding work and a common ambition to help their clients navigate reputation, stakeholder issues and change in an increasingly complex environment," the statement reads.

"SenateSHJ is a formidable business with an outstanding reputation, exceptional leadership and proven expertise in solving complex communication challenges. There is a strong alignment in the way our two organisations think about the world, clients, people and the role we can play in shaping the future," said Madan Bahal, co-founder and managing director of Adfactors PR.

Bahal said the partnership could help clients in India and Australia access opportunities across the wider Asia-Pacific region. "India and Australia are emerging as a strategic business corridor, and we trust the new partnership will help clients in both markets to create new opportunities in the wider Asia-Pacific region. We hope to explore more opportunities in the region to create a strong Asia Pacific presence," he said.

According to SenateSHJ co-founder and chair Angela Scaffidi, the firms have developed a close relationship over the past decade and that increasingly cross-border client challenges had made an international network more important.

"We have built a relationship of deep trust with Adfactors PR over the past decade. We feel a deep connection to the way they think and feel about the world, their people and the work they do with clients. There is strong alignment and great respect," she said.

"The problems clients bring us increasingly cross borders. Being part of a group with real scale across India, Asia Pacific and beyond means we can help them with more of those problems - without changing what has made this firm what it is," Scaffidi added.