Rud Pedersen buys stake in French agency CNTVRS

Rud Pedersen Group has acquired a minority stake in CNTVRS (also known as Controverse), with an option to increase ownership over time. The business, which has 10 employees, will become Rud Pedersen’s exclusive office in France.

The public affairs and comms strategy consultancy was founded just 18 months ago by Caroline Marchetti, a former senior figure at global agencies including FleishmanHillard and Edelman. The firm has a range of international and French clients.

Rud Pedersen said it and CNTVRS have already worked “extensively” together on clients and “see the partnership as a foundation for future growth in the European market”.

The deal comes amid a period of growth at Rud Pedersen, which employs more than 420 people in 12 countries.

This expansion is following on the heels of Rud Pedersen's office opening in London, led by Jon Aarons – previously UK managing director of Sard Verbinnen, which merged with Finsbury Glover Hering last year. Rud Pedersen has also opened in Poland and entered Latvia via a minority acquisition of Riga's Vilands Associates.

Morten Rud Pedersen, president and chief executive of Rud Pedersen Group, said: *“The agreement with CNTVRS marks an important step in the development of our group. We are now present in the main European markets, such as Berlin, Brussels, London, Warsaw and now Paris, while continuing our expansion in Eastern Europe and the Nordics.

"Our growth is based on long-term investment to respond to our clients’ needs. We are seeing an increasing demand for aligned and effective solutions across Europe. In today’s market, it’s not enough to just offer teams in different countries, we need to align our teams and apply our best ideas to solve the issues at hand. With Caroline Marchetti and her team, we have found the best partner to share this endeavour with.”*

Marchetti said: “As we close a fantastic first year of existence, thanks to the trust of our clients and the extraordinary commitment of the team, the partnership with Rud Pedersen Group will give us access to the network of a public and corporate affairs consultancy ranking among the fastest growing and most highly regarded in Europe. Rud Pedersen Group’s expansion over the past five years has been remarkable and particularly promising. Building on the strengths of such a solid partner will enable us to accelerate our growth and strengthen even further the services offered to our clients.”

Prior to founding CNTVRS, Marchetti was founding partner of the consultancy MAARC. Her previous roles include senior vice-president and senior partner at FleishmanHillard, and executive director at Edelman.