Finn Partners Announces Acquisition of Johnson King

-- Finn Partners Expands Operations with the Acquisition of Highly Respected European Technology Specialist

LONDON, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Finn Partners today announced the acquisition of Johnson King expanding the firm's international presence and firmly establishing its European technology credentials.  With annual fees of approximately $3 million and just over 20 employees, the firm is ranked as one of the leading independent B2B tech agencies in Europe.  Johnson King will continue to operate under its existing brand for now, and will be known as Johnson King, a Finn Partners company. It will report into Chantal Bowman-Boyles, Managing Partner, who leads Finn Partners' London based European headquarters, and will work closely on a day to day basis with the rest of the Finn Partners global tech team.  Johnson King's experienced senior management team —Mike King, Claire Ayles and Flora Haslam—will continue in their leadership roles with the new venture. 

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Johnson King is headquartered in London with additional offices in Paris and Munich. With this acquisition, the combined Finn Partners/Johnson King European offices will have revenues of approximately $4 million.  The acquisition complements the strong growth Finn Partners has seen since its launch in late 2011 and is an important next step in the global expansion of the firm.

As well as bolstering the firm's European offering, the acquisition means that Finn Partners now has approximately 350 staff working out of its 11 global offices, with 75 staff dedicated to serving clients in the technology sector.

Founding Partner, Peter Finn said today, "Given that technology is our largest practice area it is appropriate that the first firm we have acquired in Europe is a tech agency. The addition of the Johnson King team adds important bench strength to our global tech team. We look forward to additional steps in the years ahead to continue to broaden the scope of our European operations, and support the growth of our tech practice."

On the new partnership, Chantal Bowman-Boyles commented, "I have come to know the leadership team of Johnson King well over the past 12 months and am impressed with the depth of their B2B tech expertise, and also with how well the Johnson King culture mirrors the Finn Partners culture of collaboration. Both firms have a strong commitment to creating a 'best place to work' environment and to delivering award winning work for their clients.  I am sure that together we will grow our team and client base further in Europe."

"We're excited to be able to deliver a broader range of services as part of a very well regarded, fast growing, international firm," said Mike King, founder and chairman of Johnson King.  "The cultural fit between Johnson King and Finn Partners is uncanny and we are looking forward to using our collective talents, geographic reach and enthusiasm to contribute further to Finn Partners already impressive growth.  There is no doubt that joining forces with Finn Partners is a great opportunity for all who are associated with Johnson King."

Both Finn Partners Ltd and the London office of Johnson King Ltd will move into a larger combined office in London by the end of 2015. 

About Finn Partners
Finn Partners was launched in late 2011 to realize Peter Finn's vision to create a leading public relations agency dedicated to shaping a bold new future in which innovation and partnership are strong drivers of the brand. Finn Partners specializes in the full spectrum of public relations services, including digital and social media. Our specialty areas include technology, consumer, travel/economic development, education, global issues, arts, health, and public and corporate affairs. Finn Partners was named "Best New Agency" in 2012 and "Best Agency to Work For" in 2013 by the industry's Holmes Report.  Headquartered in New York City, the company has approximately 350 employees, with regional offices in Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, London, Paris, Munich, Los Angeles, Jerusalem, San Francisco and Washington D.C., and has additional international capabilities through both PROI and Global Reach. Find us at www.finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter @finnpartners.

About Johnson King
Johnson King is a multiple award-winning European PR consultancy that delivers highly effective PR programmes for technology firms.  Formed in 1992, the agency has offices in the UK, France and Germany.  Its clients include CyberArk, Equinix, Gigamon, LogRhythm, SSE Telecom and Verne Global.  More information can be found at www.johnsonking.com.     

CONTACT:
Finn Partners: Chantal Bowman-Boyles/Renee Martin
Phone number: +44 (0) 7918 900 940/+1 646-307-6334
e-mail address: chantalb@finnpartners.com/renee.martin@finnpartners.com