GRC Partners + Porter Novelli
1. Business / Trading Name
GRC PARTNERS LIMITED / GRC Partners + Porter Novelli
2. Company number
6771554
3. NZBN
9429046668134
4. Entity type
NZ Limited Company
5. Business classification (Companies Office)
M696205 Business consultant service
6. Industry Category (LI)
Public Relations and Communications Services
7. Year founded
2022[1]
8. Addresses
100 College Hill
Freemans Bay
Auckland 1011
Level 3, Huddart Parker Building
1 Post Office Square
Wellington 6011
9. Website URL
https://grcpn.nz
also Clemenger Group website: https://cle.ms/company-list/#:~:text=GRC%20Partners%20%2B%20Porter%20Novelli,two%20longstanding%20specialist%20consulting%20firms
10. LinkedIn URL
https://nz.linkedin.com/company/grcpn
11. Company Hub NZ URL
https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429046668134
12. NZ Companies Office URL
https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/6771554
13. Social Media URLs
Gracosway Pty Ltd (AUS)
GRACosway itself is a joint venture between the Clemenger Group and GRACosway’s management; Clemenger (Australia/New Zealand’s largest marketing group) is ~73% owned by Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) and ~27% by local Clemenger staff. Therefore, GRC+PorterNovelli is indirectly part of Omnicom’s global PR empire. Omnicom PR Group includes firms like Porter Novelli, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum etc., meaning GRC+PorterNovelli can draw on global financial resources and is under Omnicom’s governance standards.
15. Key Shareholders
GRACosway Pty Ltd (100%)
16. Leadership
Mark William Watts (NZ)(Dir.)
Kirsten Elizabeth Mulley (AUS)(Dir.)
Richard Victor King (AUS)(Dir.)
Benjamin Maxwell Wilson (AUS)(Dir.)
17. Staff
Mark Watts (Managing Partner)
Talani Meikle (Partner)
Laurna White (Dir.)
Morehu Rei (Snr. Consultant)
Charis Wood (Snr. Consultant)
Megan Leeming (Associate)
Ashleigh Higgs (Associate)
17.a Staff that have held previous government roles:
Laurna White
Mark Watts
Talani Meikle
Laurna White
Morehu Rei
Charis Wood
18. Past Employees
19. Clients include
Johnson&Johnson
Milford Foundation
American Express
Pepsico
NZAS (New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter) / Rio Tinto
Millenium Corp
Scott Technology
Pedigree, a Mars company
Southern Cross Healthcare
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation
OfficeMax New Zealand
L'Oréal New Zealand
ExerciseNZ
MTANZ (Medical Technology Association of NZ)
Tūpore Infrastructure Limited
NZ Super Fund (see 2024 OIA request detailing “anticipated spend<NZ$50,000p.a.”)[3]
19.a Industries/sectors represented
Pharmaceutical
Financial
Charitable
Healthcare
Government
Retail
Personal Care Product Manufacturing
Barnardos Aotearoa
20. Publicly Disclosed Engagements
21. Affiliations
A member of the Clemenger Group, “New Zealand’s leading marketing and communications network.”
Registered Office:
Clemenger Group Limited
100 College Hill
Freemans Bay
Auckland 1011
“We also have a close association with Australia’s leading public affairs and corporate and financial communications counsel, GRACosway; and are part of Porter Novelli’s global network. Our board, led by GRACosway CEO Kirsten Mulley, reflects these close ties.”
GRC Partners + Porter Novelli Board:
Kirsten Mulley, CEO, GRACosway
Mark Watts, Managing Partner, GRC Partners + Porter Novelli
Richard King, Managing Partner – Public Affairs GRACosway
Ben Wilson, Managing Partner – Transactions & Corporate, GRACosway
Vineh Charan, Finance Director, GRACosway
It is the NZ partner of Dentons Global Advisors – ADC (previously Interel), through which it may cooperate with think tanks and NGOs.
Consultants are members of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand
22. Sponsorships / Collaborations
23. Events (held or organised by this organisation)
24. Political Donations
25. Controversies
26. Other information of note
27. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No record of claiming government wage subsidies during COVID-19
[1] https://www.telummedia.com/public/news/clemenger-group-nz-merges-specialist-consulting-firms/zov6nkon1g#
[2] https://campaignbrief.co.nz/2022/09/22/clemenger-group-forms-new-public-affairs-and-communications-consultancy/#:~:text=Clemenger%20Group%20NZ%20has%20today,reputation%20management%20agency%20Porter%20Novelli
[3] https://nzsuperfund.nz/assets/Disclosures/Official-Information-Act-Requests/OIA-2023-24/12-April-2024-OIA-response-to-spending-on-public-relations-and-communications-support.pdf#:~:text=Chillbox%20No%20commitment%20to%20minimum,Interest%20In%20Like%20Flynn%20Productions
[4] https://campaignbrief.co.nz/2022/09/22/clemenger-group-forms-new-public-affairs-and-communications-consultancy/#:~:text=Clemenger%20Group%20NZ%20has%20today,reputation%20management%20agency%20Porter%20Novelli
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz