Doubles size of Asia Pacific presence with offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai
Hong Kong, June 4, 2014 – LEWIS PR, the global PR and digital communications agency, has acquired China PR specialist EBA Communications. The deal will see LEWIS reach US$65 million in combined global revenues this year. LEWIS PR was advised by McCracken Advisory Partners.
Founded by journalist Euan Barty, EBA Communications offers communications services in China to technology, consumer and other industries. It employs 50 staff across four offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Clients include Citrix, Gartner, Honeywell, Infineon, LINE, Regus, Tourism Australia, TE Connectivity and Universal Robots.
The LEWIS APAC network now covers eight offices: Bangalore, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. Claudia Choi, currently MD of EBA Communications will spearhead the combined growth plans in a new role as VP, Greater China. Euan Barty will continue in an advisory role following the acquisition.
The EBA mainland China offices will continue to operate autonomously as EBA Communications, a wholly-owned LEWIS company. The EBA Hong Kong office will merge with the LEWIS local office.
Quotes
EBA pioneered communications for global companies in China,” said Andy Oliver, Senior Vice President, LEWIS APAC. “The agency has a strong client base with many Fortune 500 clients. This heritage, knowledge and credibility is unmatched by any other agency in China and will be a strong addition to LEWIS’ proposition globally.”
“This is great news for EBA, its staff and clients. It gives us access to a thriving, fast-growing international agency network which has a demonstrable track record,” said Euan Barty, founder of EBA Communications. “We believe this offers the alignment of independence, culture, enthusiasm, creativity and career opportunities to help us develop our business.”
“LEWIS is one of the few global independent communications agencies,” said Claudia Choi, VP, Greater China at EBA Communications. “It is ambitious and fast-growing with a clear vision. We are especially keen to roll out the digital marketing services from LEWIS Pulse.”
“We’re on a mission to offer an alternative to the oligarchy of conglomerate-owned agencies that dominates our industry,” said Chris Lewis, Founder and CEO of LEWIS. “This is a significant milestone in our growth. It doubles our strength in APAC and opens up huge opportunities for us, both in Asia and globally. We expect business to cascade across our network, creating more opportunities for both staff and clients.”
About LEWIS PR
LEWIS PR is a global communications agency. In addition to traditional media and analyst relations, LEWIS specializes in social media, digital marketing and creative services. It works with companies to implement integrated communications programs on an international scale. LEWIS works with leading and emerging brands across multiple sectors, including automotive, consumer, government, healthcare, insurance, legal, non-profit, technology and telecom. LEWIS has more than 25 wholly-owned offices across the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific, with regional headquarters in London, San Francisco and Singapore.
