APCO Worldwide is the largest employee-owned independent in global public affairs — founded 1984 by Margery Kraus, taken back from Grey Global Group in a 2004 management buyout, and operated since January 2015 under CEO Brad Staples. The firm runs across 30+ locations in 80+ markets with more than 1,200 employees and approximately $225 million in revenue. The category position is geopolitical: regulatory, public-policy, and crisis work for Fortune 500 clients across the U.S., EU, MENA, and Asia.
| Founded | 1984 by Margery Kraus in Washington, D.C., as a consulting subsidiary of law firm Arnold & Porter |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| CEO | Brad Staples (CEO since January 2015, based in London) |
| Founder & Executive Chairman | Margery Kraus (CEO 1984–2014; Executive Chairman since January 2015) |
| President & MD, Operations | Evan Kraus |
| President, North America | Kelly Williamson |
| Employees | More than 1,200 |
| Geographic Reach | 30+ locations operating in 80+ markets across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific |
| Revenue | ~$225 million (Margery Kraus, 2024) |
| Ownership | Independent, privately held. Employee-owned via Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The largest majority women-owned global advisory and advocacy consultancy. |
| Structural Moment | September 2004 management buyout from Grey Global Group restored full independence |
| Proprietary IP | APCO Insight (research practice) · Champion Brand Index and the 4A framework (Alignment, Authenticity, Attachment, Advocacy) · Margy (AI support system, launched late 2023) |
| Recognition | Forbes America's Best Management Consulting Firms (2024) · Multiple-year Public Affairs Agency of the Year (PRWeek, PRovoke Media, The Holmes Report) |
| Website | apcoworldwide.com |
Overview
APCO Worldwide is one of the largest independent global advisory firms operating at the intersection of public affairs, corporate reputation, crisis communications, and geopolitical risk. The firm's category position is built around regulatory and policy-driven situations — work that is being decided as much in Washington, Brussels, Beijing, and Riyadh as in the trade press. The firm's senior bench includes former officials from the U.S. State Department, UK Foreign Office, European Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce, and equivalent senior policy positions across the firm's regional offices.
APCO is independent and privately held, employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and the largest majority women-owned advisory consultancy in the world. The firm's continued independence through the 2010s–2020s holdco consolidation wave — Omnicom + IPG, WPP's Burson merger, KKR's FGS Global acquisition — is the structural feature buyers cite when they engage APCO for sustained corporate-reputation retainer work outside the holding-company environment.
History and Ownership
APCO was founded in 1984 in Washington, D.C., by Margery Kraus as a consulting subsidiary of the law firm Arnold & Porter. The firm expanded to Brussels in 1986, establishing the transatlantic footprint that has remained a core strategic asset. Grey Global Group (a New York advertising holding company) acquired majority ownership in 1991. In September 2004, Kraus led a management buyout that returned the firm to independence — the structural moment that defines APCO today. The firm transitioned to employee ownership through an ESOP structure in the years that followed.
In November 2014, APCO announced that Brad Staples — then President, International, based in London — would assume the CEO role effective January 5, 2015. Margery Kraus moved to Executive Chairman the same date and remains active in the firm's strategic direction, including continued presence at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2026.
Leadership
Brad Staples — CEO since January 2015. Joined APCO 1996, led the firm's European business in Brussels, ran EMEA, then served as President International before the CEO appointment. Based in London. Built APCO's global antitrust and competition practice.
Margery Kraus — Founder and Executive Chairman. Founded APCO from a single Washington office in 1984. CEO 1984–2014. Joined the Arthur W. Page Center advisory board in 2024.
Evan Kraus — President and Managing Director of Operations. Senior next-generation leader. Margery Kraus's son. Eighteen years at the firm at the time of his appointment.
Kelly Williamson — President of North America. Began her career at APCO as an intern; rose through the firm to lead the North America business.
Practice Areas
- Public affairs and government relations. Regulatory strategy, policy advocacy, legislative engagement across federal U.S., EU institutions, UK, and regional governments.
- Crisis communications. Regulatory crisis, government investigation response, sovereign and political reputation matters.
- Corporate reputation. Sustained retainer work for Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporations.
- Geopolitical risk advisory. Cross-border corporate reputation, market entry, sovereign engagement — particularly across MENA, Asia (China, India, ASEAN), and Eastern Europe.
- ESG, sustainability, and corporate governance. Restructured in 2023 to integrate climate, human capital, and governance communications into a single offering.
- Healthcare and life sciences. Pharma, biotech, FDA-approval and post-approval communications, regulatory engagement.
- Technology policy advisory. Built out across Washington, Brussels, and London since 2023. Policy intelligence, congressional and regulatory mapping, reputational defense for product, deployment, and labor exposures.
- APCO Insight. The firm's proprietary research practice. Source of the Champion Brand Index and the 4A framework — Alignment, Authenticity, Attachment, Advocacy — originally published 2013 and still in active use as APCO's reputation-measurement IP.
Margy — APCO's Proprietary AI System
In late 2023, APCO launched Margy — a proprietary AI support system named after Margery Kraus. Margy is positioned as a member of the client-service team, providing real-time insights, trend forecasting, and content generation alongside the deep policy and regulatory experience of APCO's senior bench. The launch placed APCO among the first major independent communications firms to ship a named, in-house AI tool into the client-service workflow rather than relying on third-party AI vendors.
Recognition
Forbes named APCO one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms in 2024. APCO has been recognized as Public Affairs Agency of the Year multiple times by PRWeek, PRovoke Media, and The Holmes Report. The firm is consistently cited in tier-one industry surveys as one of the largest independent global communications firms and a category leader in public affairs.
Recent Coverage and Engagements
Operation Cannon — UK journalist investigation (February 2026). The Sunday Times reported in February 2026 that APCO had investigated the private affairs of several journalists when commissioned by Labour Together, a UK political lobbying group, to identify the source of reports about Labour Together's donor disclosures. The APCO report, named "Operation Cannon," was written by a former Sunday Times employee and was shown to Labour shadow cabinet members; it suggested two Sunday Times journalists were part of a Russian campaign against Keir Starmer. Labour Together sent a shorter version of the report to GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre, which declined to investigate. Prime Minister Starmer asked the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to investigate whether Labour Together director Josh Simons's conduct breached the Ministerial Code. Simons publicly said APCO had gone beyond what had been asked of them. The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) opened a separate investigation into APCO's conduct in the matter.
APCO Worldwide and Malaysia (2010 1MDB contract). Everything-PR's canonical case study on APCO's $20 million 2010 contract with then-Prime Minister Najib Razak — and what the engagement became after Najib's conviction. See: APCO Worldwide and Malaysia: How a 2010 PR Contract Aged Into a Cautionary Tale.
APCO Worldwide and India (Vibrant Gujarat). APCO's 2006 engagement promoting Narendra Modi's Vibrant Gujarat investment summit and the 2015 #ModiMediaGate controversy.
APCO and Facebook. The 2015 platform-client conflict-of-interest case study.
APCO's London office targeted by Palestine Action (September 2024). Activists from Palestine Action targeted APCO's London headquarters over the firm's representation of UK interests of Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.
Where APCO Sits in the Independent / Holdco Divide
The structural divide in global PR is sharper in 2026 than at any point in the past twenty years. The holding companies have continued to consolidate — WPP merged BCW with Hill+Knowlton to create Burson in 2024; Omnicom closed its acquisition of IPG in late 2025, consolidating Weber Shandwick into the Omnicom PR portfolio; KKR completed its acquisition of FGS Global from WPP in 2024. APCO has operated outside that consolidation wave: independent, employee-owned, headquartered in Washington with the multi-jurisdiction geopolitical footprint that holdco subsidiaries have historically struggled to replicate at senior-partner level.
The trade-off is real on both sides. The holdcos can offer integrated media, creative, and data services alongside PR; APCO offers senior-partner client ownership, ESOP-aligned long-term incentives, and confidentiality positioning that is structurally difficult for a public-company subsidiary to match. Buyers tend to engage APCO when the matter being decided is regulatory, geopolitical, or reputationally sensitive enough that confidentiality and senior bench depth matter more than holding-company distribution.
EPR Coverage
Everything-PR has covered APCO since 2009. The 2010 reporting on the Malaysia contract is preserved in the canonical 1MDB case study. The 2011 Margery Kraus interview — on ethics, client selection, controversial work, and what separates serious public-affairs practice from the rest — is preserved as a standalone piece. Founding-era coverage of APCO (1984–2004) is at everything-pr.com/apco-public-relations. Mid-era coverage (2004–2018) is at everything-pr.com/apco-worldwide-profile.
FAQ
When was APCO founded? 1984, by Margery Kraus, in Washington, D.C., as a consulting subsidiary of law firm Arnold & Porter.
Who owns APCO Worldwide? APCO is independent and privately held, employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The firm has operated independently since the September 2004 management buyout from Grey Global Group.
Who is the CEO of APCO Worldwide? Brad Staples. Appointed CEO effective January 5, 2015, succeeding founder Margery Kraus, who moved to Executive Chairman the same date.
How large is APCO? More than 1,200 employees across 30+ locations operating in 80+ markets. Revenue reported at approximately $225 million.
What is APCO's specialty? Public affairs, corporate reputation, crisis communications, and geopolitical risk advisory. The firm's heritage is policy and regulatory work — "business diplomacy" in Margery Kraus's original framing.
Is APCO a holding company subsidiary? No. APCO returned to independence in the 2004 management buyout from Grey Global Group and has remained independent and employee-owned since. The firm sits outside the WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, IPG (now Omnicom), and Stagwell holding-company structures.
What is APCO Insight? APCO's proprietary research practice. Source of the Champion Brand Index and the 4A framework (Alignment, Authenticity, Attachment, Advocacy).
What is Margy? APCO's proprietary AI support system, launched in late 2023, named after Margery Kraus. Provides real-time insights, trend forecasting, and content generation as part of the client-service workflow.
Key Takeaways
- APCO Worldwide is the largest employee-owned independent in global public affairs.
- Founded 1984 by Margery Kraus in Washington, D.C., as a consulting subsidiary of Arnold & Porter.
- Returned to full independence in the September 2004 management buyout from Grey Global Group.
- Brad Staples — CEO since January 5, 2015, based in London. Margery Kraus — Executive Chairman.
- 1,200+ employees across 30+ locations operating in 80+ markets. ~$225M revenue.
- Built on policy and regulatory work — public affairs, geopolitical advisory, corporate reputation, crisis.
- Launched Margy, a proprietary in-house AI support system, in late 2023.
- Outside the holdco consolidation wave — Omnicom + IPG (2025), WPP's Burson (2024), KKR's FGS Global (2024).
Founding-era profile: APCO 1984–2004 — Founding, Arnold & Porter origin, Grey Global era, 2004 buyout
Mid-era profile: APCO 2004–2018 — Independent buyout through 2015 CEO transition, Champion Brand framework era
Founder interview: Margery Kraus, APCO Worldwide — The 2011 EPR Interview
Case studies: APCO and Malaysia (1MDB) · APCO and India (Vibrant Gujarat) · APCO and Facebook (platform-client conflict)
Public affairs & government peers: BerlinRosen · Portland Communications · Rational 360 · Clyde Group · Kivvit (now Avoq)
Crisis & corporate advisory: Brunswick Group · FGS Global · Teneo · Joele Frank · Kekst CNC · Sard Verbinnen
Large independents: Edelman · Finn Partners · Ruder Finn · MikeWorldWide
