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

14. Ultimate Holding Company

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

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