Provokeglobal:“Our Business Model Is Different We Are A Group Of Entrepreneurs”
Date
10/29/2024 7:10:55 PM
(MENAFN- PRovoke)
WASHINGTON, DC - The path to scaling a local agency into a global powerhouse relies on cultural alignment, risk-taking, and a shared entrepreneurial vision, according to Fiorenzo Tagliabue, founder and CEO of SEC Newgate, speaking at PRovokeGlobal this week.
Talking to Paul Holmes about how SEC Newgate has evolved from a domestic player in Italy to one of the world's leading PR consultancies, Tagliabue advocated for a transformative business philosophy that views growth through a people-centered lens, saying:“Our business model is different than other experiences on the market; it's not just a group of companies; it's a group of entrepreneurs.”
Tagliabue founded SEC in 1989 with a mission to challenge the Italian PR industry's inward-looking nature and establish a consultancy that could serve as an international bridge. After two decades of steady growth, SEC began its path to global expansion, starting in Brussels. The last decade has seen a whirlwind of activity, from acquisitions across Europe and beyond, most notably the 2019 merger with UK-based communications group Porta , owner of Newgate.
Today, 33% of SEC Newgate's revenue comes from the US market, after it acquired American public affairs firm Global Strategy Group (GSG) in 2022, the first time an Italian company had done so.
Tagliabue said that a commitment to people was behind each acquisition:“The most important thing for me when evaluating a potential acquisition is the employees and the seller of the business.”
Rather than viewing deals as financial transactions, he approaches them as relationships, often making a final decision based on the quality and passion of the teams rather than market share.
“Generally speaking, I look first at the people,” Tagliabue said.“This is why I merged with Newgate in 2019. I had people of great quality in front of me; they were simply mismanaged.”
He said he viewed AI and data-driven insights as vital tools, but that human expertise remained central to interpreting data meaningfully for clients in an era of uncertainty, complexity, and volatility.“What AI provides us is more time and resources,” he said.
Tagliabue said SEC Newgate's future was outlined in Project 2030, an internal initiative that encourages team members across the firm's global footprint to contribute ideas and insights for navigating the PR industry's evolving landscape over the next five years.“After gathering insights internally, we'll launch a survey to include perspectives from both inside and outside the company, focusing on the key emerging topics. From there, we'll dive deeper into four or five main themes involving selected people from our team and beyond.”
Through this approach, SEC Newgate aims to cultivate a dynamic, adaptable workforce ready to lead the industry's transformation:“We're approaching it with a flexible, collaborative structure rather than a top-down model. This will be a valuable thinking exercise, helping us better understand the future.”
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