The article was originally published in PR Noticias.
The communications and public affairs advisory phenomenon—this new elite circle that advises the world’s leading presidents, CEOs, and boards of directors—has already established a consolidated and strategic presence in Spain, impacting the business ecosystem. Madrid has become one of the few European capitals where the major global players in the sector operate, either directly or through alliances.
First, LLYC maintains a strategic alliance with FGS Global, the consultancy controlled by KKR, which strengthens its position as a leading partner in public affairs and corporate communications in Iberia and Latin America. For its part, Tinkle has been part of the H/Advisors group, Havas’ global advisory network, since 2022, and acts as a platform for Spain and Portugal for corporate and financial communications services, special situations, reputation management, and public affairs.
These firms are joined by the Spanish subsidiaries—with their own teams in Madrid—of the major international firms. Brunswick Group, led by Fiona Maharg-Bravo, a former journalist for the Financial Times and former director of international communications at Telefónica, is the pioneering “comms advisory” firm and the creator of the global benchmark model, specialising in financial communications, M&A, and crisis management.
FTI Consulting, led by Juan Ribera, integrates a multidisciplinary approach in its Strategic Communications division, combining financial communications, restructurings, litigation, and regulatory consulting. Finally, Teneo Iberia, the most recent arrival—at the beginning of this year—has opened its Madrid office under the leadership of Javier Ibáñez and Francisco Alba, focusing on CEO advisory and board-level consulting. The firm is part of CVC Capital Partners’ global portfolio.
Together, these five firms place Spain firmly on the global map of corporate influence, where strategic communication, geopolitics, and finance converge. This ecosystem reflects the maturity of the Spanish market and its role as a natural bridge between Europe and Latin America.
These new advisory firms specialising in strategic communication and public affairs are now playing in the same league as large law firms and management consultancies. Their projects encompass corporate restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, regulatory transactions, and strategic redefinitions, with fees and dynamics comparable to investment banking boutiques.
Their partners—drawn from journalism, diplomacy, politics, and consulting—are now regular interlocutors with the presidents, CEOs, and boards of directors of the IBEX 35, CAC 40, and FTSE 100. Brunswick Group, H/Advisors, FGS Global, FTI Consulting, and Teneo constitute the global “Top 5” of communications advisory firms, earning a place alongside the lawyers of the Magic Circle, the strategic consultants of the MBB trio (McKinsey, BCG, and Bain), and investment bankers.
The business was born in the 1990s, driven by Brunswick, the British firm that professionalised financial communication surrounding stock market transactions, mergers, and reputational crises. Three decades later, the category has consolidated itself as a new global power circle, valued for its influence, discretion, and political understanding of the markets.