NATIONAL Public Relations has acquired Octane Strategies, a firm specializing in public relations and public affairs. As part of the transaction, 11 employees will join NATIONAL’s Montreal office and two will join NATIONAL’s Ottawa office.
From left to right: Pierre Guillot-Hurtubise, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs and Social Acceptability (previously Senior Partner, Octane Strategies); Doris Juergens, Partner and National Vice-President, Strategy at NATIONAL; Serge Paquette, Managing Partner, NATIONAL Montreal ; Edith Rochette, Vice-President and Leader, Transportation and Urban Mobility Sector (previously Partner, Octane Strategies); and Daniel Charron, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications (previously Managing Partner, Octane Strategies)
Recognized complementary expertise
Octane holds recognized expertise in the areas of social acceptability, transportation and urban mobility, which will strengthen NATIONAL’s existing expertise in its Montreal and Ottawa offices and reinforce its leadership in these markets.
“We extend an enthusiastic welcome all members of the Octane team. As we are now in an extended growth phase, their arrival corresponds to a real need for additional, highly experienced professionals. This transaction will clearly benefit the clients of both firms, who will have access to a deeper pool of talent." Serge Paquette, managing partner of NATIONAL Montreal
A smooth integration
Octane Strategies’ managing partner, Daniel Charron, is appointed senior vice-president and leader of NATIONAL’s Corporate Communications practice in Montreal. The team serves a broad range of clients from among Quebec’s largest companies. Edith Rochette, a partner at Octane, also joins the Corporate Communications team as vice-president and leader of the Transportation and Urban Mobility sector.
Pierre Guillot-Hurtubise, a senior partner at Octane, is now a senior vice-president of NATIONAL Montreal’s Public Affairs practice, where he will be responsible for its social acceptability offering.
“We are delighted with this transaction, which allows the Octane team to join a highly reputable firm that has, for so many years, been a leader in public relations in Quebec and in Canada, with a successful track record in international growth." Daniel Charron, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications (previously Managing Partner, Octane Strategies)
Sustained growth in Canada and internationally
This transaction is part of the Firm’s long-term growth strategy, which aims to maintain and diversify its talent and capacity for the benefit of its clients. In Canada, the 2015 acquisition of Equicom, a financial communications and investor relations practice is an example of this. Internationally, in 2013 and 2016 respectively, Madano Partnership and SHIFT Communications joined the Firm, which restructured its corporate platform under the AVENIR GLOBAL brand in 2017 due to its expanding international business.