H/Advisors Abernathy is a strategic communications firm specializing in M&A advisory, shareholder activism defense, crisis communications, and investor relations. Founded in 1983 as Abernathy MacGregor, the firm has operated for more than 40 years at the senior end of financial and corporate communications — advising boards, CEOs, and major transactions.
The firm is a founding member of H/Advisors — a global network of strategic communications firms with offices across Europe, Asia, and the Americas — and competes directly with Joele Frank, Kekst CNC, Brunswick Group, and FGS Global on major U.S. M&A and activism assignments.
Founded
1983 (as Abernathy MacGregor)
Headquarters
New York, NY; offices in Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Chicago
Top-ranked M&A communications advisor; sixth consecutive Private Equity Wire U.S. PR Firm of the Year (2025); Chambers-recognized crisis and litigation
Abernathy MacGregor was founded in New York in 1983, building one of the first dedicated financial communications practices in the United States. The firm developed deep expertise in M&A communications during the wave of corporate deal-making that defined the 1980s and 1990s, advising on hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts, and contested corporate situations.
The firm joined the H/Advisors network, connecting its U.S. practice to partner firms in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and other major financial centers. In January 2026, Carina Davidson was named interim CEO with Michael Hotra and Sydney Isaacs named co-presidents — a leadership transition reflecting ongoing succession planning at the partnership level.
M&A Practice
H/Advisors Abernathy consistently ranks among the top M&A communications advisors in the U.S. The firm publishes its own proprietary annual research on deal leaks — its sixth edition, released in January 2026, analyzed pre-announcement leaks of transactions valued at $1 billion and greater and found that more than 60 percent of the largest U.S. transactions in 2025 leaked before announcement. That research has made the firm a cited authority on deal process communications.
Activism Defense
The firm has a recognized shareholder activism defense practice, competing with Joele Frank and Kekst CNC on major contested situations. H/Advisors Abernathy was named Private Equity Wire's U.S. PR & Communications Firm of the Year in 2025 for the second consecutive year — recognition rooted in its private equity and financial services communications practice.
Private Equity & Hedge Funds
The firm has a dedicated practice serving private equity sponsors, hedge funds, and alternative asset managers — covering fund launches, investor relations, portfolio company communications, and reputation management in the financial community. This practice differentiates it from firms that focus primarily on public company advisory.
Why It Matters
H/Advisors Abernathy is one of the original financial communications specialists — a firm that has been advising on major transactions since before most of its current competitors existed. Its longevity and sustained rankings are a function of deep institutional relationships in the M&A and private equity ecosystems: relationships built over decades of advising boards and management teams through high-stakes situations.
Everything-PR has covered PR agencies, communications firms, and the evolving business of public relations since 2009.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
