MMGY Global adds UK and Middle East operations.
KANSAS CITY, MO. – MMGY Global nnounced that it has acquired Hills Balfour, Europe and Dubai’s leading public relations and marketing communications agency specializing in travel and tourism. The firm, founded by recognized industry leader Amanda Hills, has expertise in public relations, representation and marketing, with a focus on international destination and hospitality clients.
The acquisition, MMGY Global’s first major entree into Europe, includes Hills Balfour’s offices in London and Dubai, significantly expanding MMGY Global’s footprint and its ability to service existing and prospective clients worldwide. The addition of Hills Balfour brings the agency’s total number of employees to more than 400 and overseas offices to four, including Madrid, Taipei, and now London and Dubai.
As a result of Hills Balfour’s brand recognition and long-standing reputation as European and Middle East leaders, MMGY Global will retain the name, and it will now be known as Hills Balfour, an MMGY Global company. Hills Balfour’s Dubai operation will now be known as MMGY Dubai. The two firms will begin integrating operations this year.
Amanda Hills, Hills Balfour’s founder and CEO, will remain an integral part of the business, continuing to oversee London and Dubai’s overall operations. She will assume the new role of President, HB and MMGY London and Dubai, partnering with the MMGY Global senior management team to grow the agency’s European footprint.
“We are excited to welcome Amanda and her team to MMGY Global. Expanding our presence beyond Madrid, Hills Balfour is the right step into Europe for us, and we see our foothold in the UK market as an excellent base to expand across the key European and Middle East tourism markets,” stated Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global. “Their reputation in-market, along with a solid and long-standing client base and senior management team, made our acquisition decision an easy one.”
“Joining forces with MMGY Global is a truly exciting move for everybody involved. We have worked with MMGY and their team through the Travel Consul network for a number of years, and this official partnering was the obvious next step,” said Amanda Hills, founder of Hills Balfour. “Taking MMGY Global’s experience and strength of services across the creative, digital, research, and advertising spaces and extending this through Hills Balfour offers a complete solution and even greater benefit to our current client base and potential clients internationally.”
Hills Balfour is the fourth acquisition by MMGY Global since private equity firm Peninsula Capital Partners and Fine Equity Partners (investor Jeffrey Fine, founder of CIBT) made a significant equity investment in the company in February 2016. The investment further strengthens the company’s aggressive acquisition strategy, which includes global expansion and its commitment to integration across all travel marketing channels. Prior acquisitions included DK Shifflet & Associates, Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations, Myriad Marketing and Spring O’Brien.
MMGY Global was advised on the transaction by Grant Thornton on financial matters, by Foley & Lardner, LLP on legal matters in the U.S. and by Duane Morris on legal matters in the UK and Dubai. Hills Balfour was advised on the transaction by Cavendish Corporate Finance (Linda Sullivan, Partner, Head of Media and Digital) on financial matters, Osborne Clarke on legal matters and by tax advisors Stein Richards (Rolanda Hyams).
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