The leadership of PR and reputation management agency, Bell Pottinger Middle East (BPME), based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is in discussions to formalize a separation from current owner Bell Pottinger Private Ltd. This follows the news that Bell Pottinger Private Limited in the UK is to be put into administration. As per BPME officials, as a separate legal entity, “BPME is not part of these proceedings and is therefore in a position to determine its own destiny”.
Due to the controversial contract in South Africa, Bell Pottinger has faced massive fire leading to the resignation of its chief, loss of clients and been removed from the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), failed sale attempt and a complete collapse of the business.
In an official press statement, BPME quoted: “BPME has been at pains to point out that at no point were its UAE directors ever involved in the winning or servicing of the Oakbay account in South Africa which has led to the sad demise of the UK business. Indeed, BPME’s UAE directors actually rejected the opportunity to work on the account. This reinforces BPME’s ability and intention to continue to trade under its own banner as a separate entity.”
The Directors of BPME are currently working on a proposal with the administrators of Bell Pottinger Private Limited in the UK, which would see the separation of BPME formalized and the ownership of the business transferred to its management.
As part of its future plans, BPME has elevated Amy Piek to Director with immediate effect. Ms Piek has worked in the Middle East for more than three years and has played an instrumental role in building the firm’s financial communications and investor relations practice.
“This is an extremely exciting opportunity for us. As an independent and financially secure business with a strong and experienced team in charge of its own destiny, it will now be open to us to consider a whole range of options. Our company has a long and proud tradition of working in the Middle East and it is now up to us to continue to build on that. With my fellow directors Tim Falconer and Amy Piek, I cannot wait to get started on the next stage of the journey,” said Archie Berens, Managing Director, BPME.
Reiterating that all is well for the company in the Middle East, Tim Falconer, Managing Director BPME added, “The scale of the opportunity ahead of us is significant, and we are also receiving enquiries from a wide range of potential investors, which we will consider on their merits. The injection of fresh capital would enable us to make our business even stronger, through the acquisition of fresh talent and the addition of more services, especially in the digital arena. Our business in the region remains strong and we are focused on continuing to deliver exceptional work on behalf of our clients.”
