Draft:SEC Newgate

SEC Newgate is an independent global public affairs and corporate communications consulting group, headquartered in Milan, Italy, with over 50 offices in more than 20 countries globally. The group stems from the Italian consultancy SEC, founded in 1989 in Milan by Fiorenzo Tagliabue, who's global CEO of the SEC Newgate Group since its establishment in September 2019.

Early history
In 1989, Fiorenzo Tagliabue founded SEC Relazioni Pubbliche e Istituzionali in Milan. Tagliabue served as the CEO from its inception until 2017. In 2017, he transitioned to the role of president, while Paola Ambrosino assumed the position of General Manager. Under Ambrosino's leadership, the agency underwent significant changes, including a renaming to SEC spa. As of July 1, 2021, the Italian division has been rebranded as SEC Newgate Italia srl Società Benefit.

Starting from 1992, SEC consolidated and expanded its offer in Italy, with acquisitions and start-ups in key cities such as Rome, Venice and Turin.

2013–2019
2013 marked the beginning of SEC's internationalisation, with its first acquisition in Belgium: Cambre (now SEC Newgate EU), a Brussels-based European advocacy and communications firm founded by Tom Parker (currently Executive Chairman of the latter). Since then, SEC made other strategic acquisitions in Europe, such as Madrid-based ACH in Spain (now SEC Newgate Spain) and Berlin-based Kolh PR in Germany (now SEC Newgate Germany), Martis Consulting, a Warsaw-based agency (now rebranded SEC Newgate CCE) and Latin America, such as Bogotà-based Newlink Comunicationes Estrategicas in Colombia (Now SEC Newgate Colombia).

In July 2016, SEC is listed on London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) at £1.5 per share with a launch ceremony that saw the participation of the then Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in London, Minister Vincenzo Celeste.

In 2017, SEC acquired a 19.3% stake in another communications group listed at the London Stock Exchange, Porta Communications ltd, a deal that also involved commercial collaboration with Newgate Communications, Redleaf Communications, Publicasity and Australia's Engage Comms, now reaching a footprint covering UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Fiorenzo Tagliabue joined the Porta board as non-executive deputy chairman.

In 2018, SEC continued its expansion in Europe with the acquisition of the majority stake of CLAI (now CLAI SEC Newgate France), a Paris-based corporate advocacy firm founded by Eric Giuily (now CEO of the latter).

In 2019, on the 30th anniversary, SEC merged with Porta with a reverse takeover that ended on September 4 with the establishment of SEC Newgate Group at that time operating in 14 countries with 30 offices (The previous year, Porta Communications combined Newgate and Redleaf, appointing Redleaf chief executive Emma Kane and Newgate Australia managing partner Brian Tyson as joint CEOs (currently respectively SEC Newgate UK's CEO and SEC Newgate Australia's CEO).

2020 to present
From 2020, SEC Newgate Group has been boosting the expansion of its footprint and the consolidation of its role as key global public affairs and corporate communications group.

In May 2020, it ranked 30th on PRovoke Media Top 250 Global Consultancies Ranking, with fee income for 2019 amounting to $79,501,533. At the end of the same year, it completed the acquisition majority stake of Berlin-based Orca Affairs gmbH and launched a start-up in the US, SEC Newgate US.

In January 2021, SEC Newgate increased its stake in Newington from 60% to 100% and merged its two UK agencies, Newington and Newgate, to form one business rebranded as SEC Newgate UK, with Emma Kane as CEO and Mark Glover as Executive Chairman. In March, operations started in Central Easter Europe with the establishment of SEC Newgate CEE in Warsaw, Poland and in June, it acquired majority stake of Twister Communications Middle East, the Dubai-based branch of Italian PR firm Twister Communications Group, then rebranded SEC Newgate Middle East. October 2021 marked also the launch of the first thought-leadership initiative of the Group: ESG Monitor.

2022 is a key year for SEC Newgate: it delisted from the AIM stock market to go private, backed with €49 million investment from private equity fund Three Hills Capital Partners. In April, SEC Newgate acquired majority stake of US public affairs and research agency Global Strategy Group with founders Jon Silvan and Jefrey Pollock remaining as CEO and President, respectively). In November 2022, footprint in the American continent is completed with the acquisition of Mexican-headquartered another, with a number of offices in Central and Latin America.

In July 2023, global investment firm Investcorp announced it invested $100 million to acquire a majority stake in SEC Newgate.

In November 2023, PRovoke Media recognized the agency as the best Global Corporate/Public Affairs consultancy of 2023.

ESG Monitor
Since 2021, SEC Newgate has published its thought-leadership research study, to examine how Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) issues influence perceptions of business and government.

The first edition of the ESG Monitor was conducted on 10,000 people in 10 countries, whereas its second edition expanded the panel to 12,000 people in 12 countries.