Sunday 16 / June / 2024
Dubai: Kekst CNC, a leading international strategic communications consultancy, worked with OQ Gas Networks (OQGN) and the OQ Group on the landmark transaction.
The firm was appointed to develop a global and regional communications strategy, support the equity story development in close collaboration with banks and legal advisers, media train the executive team, speech writing, analyst/investor meeting preparation, corporate narrative creation for the website and IPO page, and delivering strategic media relations with global media and financial newswires resulting in unprecedented international coverage for the IPO.
The success of this project reflects Kekst CNC’s core competency of delivering financial communications advisory on complex transactions requiring carefully regulated disclosure. The global team, consisting of Kevin Soady, Katherine Fennell, Gregor Riemann, Victoria Douglas, Christopher Deifuss, and Stephan Göttel, worked closely with Kekst CNC partner agency OHI Leo Burnett in Muscat, which supported creative content, design, media buying and branding. The team provided a blend of close on-the-ground support in Muscat with remote advisory from London, Frankfurt, and Dubai, providing OQ and OQGN with regional best practices, combined with global know-how and expertise.
The OQGN IPO was a complex endeavour, marked by bilingual requirements, and a significant number of stakeholder groups involved. These included leading banks, local/international law firms, and regulatory bodies. In addition, the focus on the retail investment tranche enhanced the requirements to deliver and roll out an integrated marketing campaign which engaged investors in Oman and across the Gulf. The overall success reflects the well-managed coordination between Kekst CNC and its partners to deliver and execute an integrated global communications strategy.
Kevin Soady, Partner at Kekst CNC, said, “We are proud of what we have achieved together with OQGN and OHI Leo Burnett, truly working as one team and delivering success on such an important project. We expect to see increasing demand for this type of support as the Oman Investment Authority continues to bring companies to public markets. The Sultanate is on a significant transformative journey, with many companies on their route to privatisation – and it has been a privilege to have been involved in the advisory of OQGN’s IPO.”
Kekst CNC has had a presence in the region since 2005, with over 30 employees based in the Gulf working on mandates across the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, and Bahrain. Kekst CNC is a leading adviser for financial communications and transactions, it is a corporate member of the Middle East Investor Relations Association, and the firm was recently ranked as the #2 Global M&A adviser in Merger Market’s 2022 league table.
