Sydney-based communications agency, Honner, has been acquired by global independent marketing and public relations agency FINN Partners.
The agency will now be known as ‘Honner, A FINN Partners Company’ and all Honner employees will become FINN employees.
Sydney and Melbourne will join FINN’s global footprint, bringing its worldwide office count to 37 and expanding its Asia Pacific team to approximately 250 professionals.
Honner founder, Philippa Honner, joins FINN as Managing Partner and FINN Financial Services Practice Lead for APAC — with a mandate of expanding FINN’s financial services practice throughout the Asia Pacific region, including further building the agency’s strong foothold in the Australia market.
She will also become a member of the APAC leadership team and, alongside Honner’s senior leadership team, work closely with regional leaders in Greater China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.
FINN currently works with a wide range of leading global financial brands including Charles Schwab, Chubb, Deutsche Bank and Natixis.
As part of the FINN APAC region, Honner will be overseen by Howard Solomon, FINN founding managing partner and APAC lead, who also leads the firm’s efforts on the West Coast of the US.
Howard Solomon noted FINN already had an established presence in Australia through its market leading travel and arts practices, working with current and past clients such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales on its major expansion project, known as Sydney Modern; the Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale; Destination New South Wales which FINN represents in the US and UK markets; Intrepid Travel; and the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Honner to the FINN family,” stated Solomon.
“Australia is a key growth market in the region and one we have been looking at very carefully for years. This move further deepens our financial services expertise in APAC and gives us critical mass to support the growing demand from both local and global financial brands in the region. We are very pleased to welcome the Honner team and look forward to growing our collective presence.”
Finn added the acquisition “builds on the momentum we’ve established across APAC”.
Last year the agency acquired RICE Communications.
“FINN’s APAC business has grown significantly, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the firm’s global fees. With Honner joining the firm, FINN APAC now has approximately USD$19 million in fees, further strengthening our ability to serve clients seamlessly across the US, EMEA and APAC.”
Honner Founder Philippa Honner said joining FINN was an exciting next step for the Honner team and the agency’s clients.
“Joining forces with FINN gives us an incredible platform to progress our ambitions to be the leading marketing and communications agency supporting corporate and financial brands across APAC,” Philippa Honner said.
“We look forward to working closely with our FINN colleagues across the region and spending time with our clients to demonstrate the impact of tailored communications strategies across complex APAC markets.”
Ryan Barr, FINN global financial services practice lead, said the firm continues to see strong opportunities across traditional banking and asset management, alongside rapid growth in fintech, private markets, and the digitization of financial infrastructure across APAC.
“Honner is a natural fit for FINN. Their leading position in Australia, together with our established presence across Singapore, Hong Kong, Greater China and the broader region, strengthens our ability to support clients wherever they need us most.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Philippa, and she is the kind of trusted, senior counsel that defines our approach globally. She adds further depth to the integrated marketing and communications services we provide to clients around the world,” Barr added.
