Fleishman-Hillard returns to profit as turnover up 4%

IRISH PUBLIC relations firm Fleishman-Hillard moved back into the black last year, posting a pretax profit of €237,770 compared with a loss of €64,489 the previous year.

Accounts for the year ended December 31st, 2010, show that turnover increased by 4 per cent to just over €4 million in 2010, up from €3.85 million the previous year.

The public relations firm, which specialises in consumer and branding, public affairs, health and business communications, paid a dividend of €500,000 to its parent company, Fleishman-Hillard, during 2010. It last returned a dividend in 2007, when it paid €1.3 million.

Shareholders’ funds at the end of 2010 stood at €2.58 million, compared with €2.84 million at the end of 2009.

Managing director Rhona Blake said the increase in profits and turnover was due primarily to international business undertaken by the company on behalf of Fleishman-Hillard internationally.

“The increase in profitability was driven by significant international business during the year, such as work for the Qatar Foundation” she said. “Being part of a global network has been hugely important for us.”

In addition the company was involved in a number of high-profile campaigns for existing clients, such as Superquinn’s 50th anniversary and consumer campaigns for Bord Gáis and Ulster Bank.

Within its consumer and brand division, the company’s sports marketing performed particularly well, according to Ms Blake. This included preparatory work for the Solheim Cup which took place in Killeen Castle, Ulster Bank’s GAA football sponsorship and RBS Six Nations Rugby. The company is also managing next year’s American Football Navy and Notre Dame fixture at the Aviva stadium in Dublin.

Fleishman-Hillard employed an average of 26 people during the year, the accounts show, with staff costs just under €1.7 million.

According to Ms Blake the company has “performed strongly” in 2011, with a number of new business wins, including Boots and Chinese telecoms multinational Huawei.

Fleishman-Hillard was founded in 1990 by Rhona Blake, Julian Davis, and John Saunders, who was appointed earlier this year to the position of regional president of Fleishman-Hillard’s operations in Europe, the United Kingdom and Africa.

The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of the international PR firm, which has its headquarters in the US, in 2001.