Global integrated travel and hospitality marketing company, MMGY has announced the acquisition of Hills Balfour, Europe and Dubai’s leading public relations and marketing communications agency specialising in travel and tourism. The firm, founded by Amanda Hills, focuses on international destination and hospitality clients.
The acquisition, MMGY Global’s first major entrée into Europe, includes Hills Balfour’s offices in London and Dubai, significantly expanding MMGY Global’s footprint and its ability to service existing and prospective clients worldwide.
The addition of Hills Balfour brings the agency’s total number of employees to more than 400 and overseas offices to four, including Madrid, Taipei, and now London and Dubai.
MMGY Global says it will retain the Hills Balfour name, which will be known as ‘an MMGY Global company’.
Hills Balfour’s Dubai operation will now be known as MMGY Dubai and the two firms will begin integrating operations this year.
Amanda Hills will remain in the business, continuing to oversee London and Dubai’s overall operations. She will assume the new role of president, HB and MMGY London and Dubai, partnering with the MMGY Global senior management team to grow the agency’s European footprint.
“We are excited to welcome Amanda and her team to MMGY Global. Expanding our presence beyond Madrid, Hills Balfour is the right step into Europe for us, and we see our foothold in the UK market as an excellent base to expand across the key European and Middle East tourism markets,” said Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global.
“Joining forces with MMGY Global is a truly exciting move for everybody involved. We have worked with MMGY and their team through the Travel Consul network for a number of years, and this official partnering was the obvious next step,” said Hills.
Hills Balfour is the fourth acquisition by MMGY Global since private equity firm Peninsula Capital Partners (www.peninsulafunds.com) and Fine Equity Partners (investor Jeffrey Fine, founder of CIBT) made a significant equity investment in the company in February 2016.
