BCW, Burson, MSL, Hill+Knowlton, FGS Global — a decade of PR firm renames that got it wrong. And what works when an agency has to rebrand.
New York is the capital of American PR. The major firms, sectors, and operators defining corporate, financial, fashion, media, and AI communications in NYC.
The top-ranked public relations agencies in 2026 \u2014 the holding-company networks (Omnicom, WPP, Publicis, IPG, Stagwell), the largest independents (Real Chemistry, Edelman, FGS Global), the M&A specialists (Joele Frank, Brunswick, Kekst CNC), and the AI Communications challengers. The EPR reference.
Roland Rudd founded Finsbury in 1994, sold to WPP for ~£40M in 2001, engineered its restructuring into FGS Global, chaired Britain Stronger in Europe and People's Vote, and co-founded Tortoise Media — which acquired The Observer in 2024. The Architects-tier case for the PR founder who builds beyond the firm.
Sard Verbinnen & Co is one of the most influential firms in the U.S. corporate crisis and special situations market. Founded 1992 by George Sard and Paul Verbinnen. Now part of FGS Global, the KKR-majority-owned strategic communications platform.