Hanmer MS&L to be born in India; MS&L appoints APAC president

India - Publicis Groupe is to acquire Indian PR firm, Hanmer & Partners, accelerating its expansion in India and strengthening Manning Selvage & Lee's (MS&L) presence and capabilities in high-growth market.

The acquisition, which is subject to the approval of the Indian government's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), will see Hanmer align with Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) and will be renamed Hanmer MS&L.

"We've worked with Hanmer & Partners for several years, and we have a very successful history of collaboration. Sunil Gautam and his team will add significant new expertise and resources to the MS&L family in a region that is of growing importance to the public relations industry and MS&L's global clients. This acquisition is an important component of MS&L's aggressive growth plans for Asia, where the firm already enjoys a significant presence in China, Japan and Southern Asia," Mark Hass, Global CEO for MS&L, said in a statement.

Recently MS&L had promoted Glenn Osaki from SVP and senior director, Asia Pacific, to president, Asia Pacific.