Hydra Strategy, the senior-only consultancy launched in January 2017, has appointed private equity specialist Sam Barton as a Partner.
Sam joins from Equus, a specialist private equity PR firm, where he was a Partner and led programmes for financial and corporate clients globally. He brings with him a long track record of advising major private investment groups, industry bodies, intermediaries, portfolio companies and start-ups on corporate reputation, crisis communications, media strategy and investor relations.
Sam’s clients include Invest Europe, formerly the European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association, and BaltCap.
In his earlier career, Sam was a financial journalist focused on the commercial property and private equity sectors. He holds an MBA from Durham University.
Commenting on Sam’s appointment, Hydra’s managing partner Stephen Benzikie said:
“Sam is a hugely respected operator in the PE sector, so we’re very pleased to have attracted him to Hydra. Despite PE’s considerable size – and its $500bn of available funds at present – it’s still a relatively young industry which is set to become an even greater part of the global economy. A number of our consultants have deep experience in this space and it will remain a key focus for Hydra.”
Sam Barton added:
“I am delighted to be joining Hydra at such an exciting time in the company’s development. This is a hugely impressive team whose calibre is matched only by their breadth of expertise. The philosophy and approach is one which I believe will be an extremely attractive to financial and corporate clients, and I look forward to helping Stephen and the team develop the Hydra business in the future.”
Based in Mayfair’s Grosvenor Street, Hydra offers both board-level advice and senior-only execution across all key areas of corporate communications, focusing on supporting CEOs and communications directors. The firm brings together some of the UK’s most senior communicators, and aims to deliver substantial integrated programmes, led by consultants with typically more than 20 years’ experience of advising leading companies.
Services comprise corporate, financial, IR, brand strategy, employee engagement and change communications, litigation support and the full range of digital communications.
Since launch, Hydra’s consultants have worked on programmes for NYSE-listed Choice Hotels, private equity firms Duke Street and Endless, corporate turnaround group Buchler Phillips, London Asia Capital, Encor Power and more than 10 litigation support projects.