Leading PR Consultancy Expands and Appoints CEOs

Media Release

30 March 2001

Leading PR Consultancy Expands and Appoints New Chief Executives

Prominent PR company, Consultus, has expanded its operations into four service delivery brands that will function as part of the Acumen Group.

Consultus, with 21 years of experience, continues to offer full service public relations. The new brands are N.B.PR which also offers full service public relations, Encore, an executive training and coaching company, and Carrot, a niche marketing, design and media shop.

Acumen Group managing director, Michael Dunlop, says the changes are benefiting both staff and clients. "We believe Consultus had reached an optimum size for providing specialist services and living our brand values.

"By dividing into a number of separate brands - two general consulting and two specialist brands - we believe we can maintain the quality of our relationships and continue to further develop the depth of specialist services we offer," he says.

The group provides a broad range of corporate and marketing communications, including advertising. Core competencies include strategic business and communications counsel, government relations and investor relations, issues management, media management and training, event and sponsorship management, communication audits, team building and coaching, mentoring, design and branding, and advertising creative and media placement.

Michael Dunlop, formerly Consultus chief executive, is now managing director of the Acumen Group, and provides strategic counsel to clients across the group. Jane Sweeney, Auckland general manager since 1997, is now chief executive, Consultus. Jane was formerly New Zealand's Trade Commissioner in Paris.

Sue Chapman, former general manager sales and marketing TVNZ, has been appointed chief executive of Carrot. Sue has worked in the banking sector and has worked on major sponsorship and loyalty programmes.

Carrot combines the expertise of the company's marketing, design, branding, advertising and media placement specialists. The media accreditation that Consultus has had since 1989 will now be held by Carrot.

Glenys Coughlan-Dunlop will be leaving her role as CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand to become chief executive of N.B.PR. Prior to the TIA Glenys held roles at Saatchi and Saatchi and Air New Zealand.

N.B.PR already provides public relations consulting to clients in the education sector, tourism, travel, fashion, IT, telecommunications and building industries.

Encore is an executive training, coaching and mentoring company run by Maggie Eyre and Peter Beck. Maggie has been Consultus' in-house media and presentation skills trainer for many years. Peter joined the company late last year, and was formerly the vicar for St Matthews-in-the-City.

The Acumen Group will provide IT, finance and administration services for all four service brands. Each company has teams based in both Auckland and Wellington and the group has CEOs based in both cities.

"We are very excited about these changes and the new life they will bring to our relationships, and to the market," says Mr Dunlop.

For further information please contact:

Michael Dunlop phone 04 472-0991 Jane Sweeney phone 09 309 2900 Sue Chapman phone 09 309 2900 Glenys Coughlan-Dunlop phone 04 499 0104

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