Thrive acquires New Zealand PR agency East Agency
Independent public relations company, Thrive PR, has acquired New Zealand PR firm East Agency and hired founder Lucinda Kennedy.
Kennedy: “We are strategically advantaged to help brands launch globally”
The founder and director of East Agency Kennedy is set to join Thrive PR as head of the New Zealand office. Kennedy previously consulted to Thrive as it was starting up.
Before starting East Agency, Kennedy previously worked as a senior account supervisor at Baltz & Company for four years, before she become a style director at Bauer Media Group New Zealand in 2014 for 18 months.
The acquisition comes six months after Thrive opened offices in Brisbane and Auckland, expanding its presence from Sydney and Melbourne.
Since launching in Auckland, Thrive has obtained new local clients including Emeralds Foods, Triumph and Cisco.
Thrive managing director, Leilani Abels, said: “I’m particularly pleased that there has been solid interest from local brands and other companies within the APAC region wanting to work with our Auckland office.
“The acquisition of East Agency further strengthens our local market knowledge and reach. It is a natural fit for us given the company’s knowledge of the NZ food, wine, sport, tech and leisure markets.
“Lucinda has more than a decade of experience, having worked on the agency side in NZ and New York and on the ‘media-side’ with time at Bauer Media as a senior journalist.”
Kennedy said: “This acquisition allows us to draw from Thrive’s 17-year history, bringing our clients exceptional PR and digital insights while leveraging Thrive’s expansive resources.
“We see a real opportunity to deliver remarkable results for Thrive’s Kiwi clients, both at home and abroad. Our team here is working closely with the Australian offices to guide New Zealand clients across the ditch to grow their businesses in the Australian market.
Companies based internationally have been approaching Thrive to manage their Australian and New Zealand PR requirements, Kennedy claims.
“We can show them how to maximise their budgets in the region, streamline communications, tailor creative and influencer strategies and deliver commercial results far more effectively than they would using two different PR agencies.”
The agency has 40 employees throughout its four offices, and clients including Optus, Twitter, AGL and Coles.
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