I have a good feeling about 2018.

Getting here has been a blur. It’s hard to believe it’s been only three short months since we announced the merger of FleishmanHillard Canada and High Road.

But now that contracts are signed, our email signatures updated, and the website is live, we can take a step back and look at all we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.

Since sharing our news, things have been busy. From internal planning to meeting with employees and clients, it’s been non-stop. One of the most exciting things has been the overwhelmingly positive feedback from both current and prospective clients. Across the board, they have welcomed the idea of a new entrant into the market, especially one with the pedigree and depth only a united FleishmanHillard HighRoad can bring. Our clients have inspired us to maintain the momentum from our launch announcement.

Internally the story was much the same. Our team rose to the occasion and quickly began working collaboratively on existing client files. We’ve introduced clients to FHR’s broader service offering – showcasing our technology clients the benefits of our Public Affairs expertise, or introducing our reputation clients to our digital and social strategists. Just recently, our crisis communications-certified team was invited to present to several leaders in the financial services space, a growing vertical for FHR.

On the new business front, FHR is proving to be a winning combination. We’ve already celebrated some significant wins, including mandates from two major brands in the healthcare vertical. Along with our strong consumer and technology practices, healthcare continues to be a core strength for us. Our team is quickly ramping up on these new files, and I hope to be able to share more details very soon.

I am inspired by how quickly our two teams have integrated – not just from a client perspective, but also culturally. In fact, I swear I saw our head of public affairs wearing Birkenstocks, and a few High Roaders have started sporting ties (no, not really, but I can tell they want to). As part of the merger, I made a point to travel to each of our four Canadian offices to hear from the team about what they envision from FHR. I’m happy to report there is a ton of energy and excitement as you walk through each of the offices.

In addition to our Canadian team, our chief operating officer Katherine Fletcher and I also made a trip across the pond to visit our inspiration for the merger, FleishmanHillard Fishburn. While in London, we had the opportunity to meet with our colleagues Jim Donaldson and Ali Gee as well as other FleishmanHillard Fishburn team leads. Since their merger in 2015, FH Fishburn has consistently been one of the top 10 agencies in that highly competitive market. It was a pleasure to meet with John and Ali who provided a lot of guidance, support and advice to us over the last year as we embarked on this journey. It also gave us a chance to dig deeper and see firsthand the unique culture they’ve built.We came away from the visit re-invigorated by the opportunity before us. FH Fishburn’s continued growth, along with our current new business wins, affirms for me that FHR is on the right path.

As we move into 2018, I’m incredibly optimistic about our talented team, amazing clients and the opportunities before us. Happy New Year!

I have a good feeling about 2018.

Getting here has been a blur. It’s hard to believe it’s been only three short months since we announced the merger of FleishmanHillard Canada and High Road.

But now that contracts are signed, our email signatures updated, and the website is live, we can take a step back and look at all we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.

Since sharing our news, things have been busy. From internal planning to meeting with employees and clients, it’s been non-stop. One of the most exciting things has been the overwhelmingly positive feedback from both current and prospective clients. Across the board, they have welcomed the idea of a new entrant into the market, especially one with the pedigree and depth only a united FleishmanHillard HighRoad can bring. Our clients have inspired us to maintain the momentum from our launch announcement.

Internally the story was much the same. Our team rose to the occasion and quickly began working collaboratively on existing client files. We’ve introduced clients to FHR’s broader service offering – showcasing our technology clients the benefits of our Public Affairs expertise, or introducing our reputation clients to our digital and social strategists. Just recently, our crisis communications-certified team was invited to present to several leaders in the financial services space, a growing vertical for FHR.

On the new business front, FHR is proving to be a winning combination. We’ve already celebrated some significant wins, including mandates from two major brands in the healthcare vertical. Along with our strong consumer and technology practices, healthcare continues to be a core strength for us. Our team is quickly ramping up on these new files, and I hope to be able to share more details very soon.

I am inspired by how quickly our two teams have integrated – not just from a client perspective, but also culturally. In fact, I swear I saw our head of public affairs wearing Birkenstocks, and a few High Roaders have started sporting ties (no, not really, but I can tell they want to). As part of the merger, I made a point to travel to each of our four Canadian offices to hear from the team about what they envision from FHR. I’m happy to report there is a ton of energy and excitement as you walk through each of the offices.

In addition to our Canadian team, our chief operating officer Katherine Fletcher and I also made a trip across the pond to visit our inspiration for the merger, FleishmanHillard Fishburn. While in London, we had the opportunity to meet with our colleagues Jim Donaldson and Ali Gee as well as other FleishmanHillard Fishburn team leads. Since their merger in 2015, FH Fishburn has consistently been one of the top 10 agencies in that highly competitive market. It was a pleasure to meet with John and Ali who provided a lot of guidance, support and advice to us over the last year as we embarked on this journey. It also gave us a chance to dig deeper and see firsthand the unique culture they’ve built.We came away from the visit re-invigorated by the opportunity before us. FH Fishburn’s continued growth, along with our current new business wins, affirms for me that FHR is on the right path.

As we move into 2018, I’m incredibly optimistic about our talented team, amazing clients and the opportunities before us. Happy New Year!

Angela Carmichael
President
With over 20 years of communications experience, Angela leads our talented FleishmanHillard HighRoad team and plays an integral role helping our clients through issues, crisis management and corporate reputation initiatives. She inspires her teams to produce compelling programs that are insightful, creative and drive business success for our clients.
Angela Carmichael
Présidente
Avec plus de 20 ans d’expérience en communication, Angela dirige notre équipe de professionnels doués chez FleishmanHillard HighRoad et joue un rôle essentiel dans l’accompagnement stratégique de nos clients lorsqu’ils font face à des crises et est une ressource clé indéniable dans les démarches de ces derniers à maintenir ou croître la réputation de leur entreprise. Elle inspire ses équipes à développer des programmes percutants et efficaces misant sur la créativité, et s’assure que chaque membre chez FHR contribue à la réussite commerciale de nos clients.