The public engagement practice has become a pillar in Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada’s (H+K) broad suite of strategic services, and the firm is excited to announce its acquisition of Acertys—a leading Montreal-based public engagement company.

Building on H+K’s successful integration of Ascentum in 2012, and the subsequent—and substantial—growth of its engagement strategies practice, today’s announcement positions it as the foremost public consultation and engagement team in French and English Canada.

“Delivering critical and integrated business solutions for our clients’ most complex challenges is what we do best,” says Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of H+K Canada. “Combine our strategic thinking and communications, research and measurement capabilities, social and digital media strategies, creative services offering and flawless tactical execution with our enhanced engagement strategies services, and we are unmatched in Canada’s communications industry.”

The Acertys approach to engagement is rooted in its employees’ multidisciplinary backgrounds in urban planning, anthropology, engineering and environmental studies. And with deep experience in infrastructure projects across the province of Quebec, the team’s education and expertise is a unique fit within the H+K network.

With a strong client roster in Quebec—which includes private and public sector organizations working in the fields of urban development, real estate, transportation, energy and natural resources—Acertys’s existing client base complements H+K’s rapidly growing engagement projects across a wide range of industries.

“Joining H+K gives us and our clients access to the most comprehensive engagement expertise in the country alongside a massive pool of high-quality professional resources. This is a tremendous asset to meet the emerging needs and future challenges of stakeholder engagement and public participation,” say Jacques Bénard and Isabelle Verreault, former Acertys principals who are now both senior vice-presidents at H+K.

“This partnership is consistent with our commitment to build deeper and more meaningful connections with our clients’ audiences. The talents, skills and expertise that Acertys brings to H+K strengthens not only the Montreal office, but all of the services we offer throughout Quebec,” adds Dimitri Gourdin, senior vice-president and general manager, H+K Montreal.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada

With nine offices across the country, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada is a leader in both public relations and public affairs. Headquartered in Toronto, the company is the No. 1-rated strategic communications firm in the country. Its experts specialize in corporate communications, public affairs, marketing communications, crisis, energy, technology, health care, social and digital communications, financial communications and transactions. The only communications firm to have earned the Canada Order of Excellence for Quality from Excellence Canada, it has been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Canada for nine consecutive years. Its parent company, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Inc., has 88 offices in 51 countries as well as an extensive associate network; and it is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.

Acertys

Acertys is a leading consulting firm specializing in stakeholder engagement and public participation in the context of large-scale urban development, land-use planning, real estate, transportation, energy and natural resource projects. Building on the strength and experience of its multidisciplinary team, Acertys designs and leads innovative engagement and participatory processes for private and public sector clients. The firm is based in Montreal, employs a dozen professionals, and is active in all parts of Quebec.