Australian consultancy Straight Talk acquired by RPS Group
Straight Talk, a communications and engagement consultancy based in Sydney, has been acquired by Oxfordshire-based RPS Group. The UK consulting firm has a strong presence across the Asia Pacific with offices in every Australian state as well as in Wellington, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
RPS group is a strategy and management consulting firm which works across a diverse range of sectors including energy, mining, built and natural environments and urban planning. The firm – founded in 1970 – employees 5000 people around the world and has offices in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and Asia. RPS expanded into Australia Pacific in 2003 and have a thousand employees spread across 24 offices around the region.
RPS chief executive for Australia Asia Pacific Ross Thompson said of the acquisition; “Over the past twelve years, Straight Talk has emerged as an Australian leader in engagement for complex projects and initiatives under the leadership of director and founder Lucy Cole-Edelstein.”
“The team is passionate about facilitating meaningful dialogue between projects and people. They have built their reputation on a fundamental vision – that when it comes to decisions about our cities, communities and culture, every stakeholder has a voice and should have the opportunity to be heard. It’s a vision that RPS shares.”
“The synergies between each company’s beliefs, experience and capability aren’t just strong, they’re fundamental. We’re extremely excited to welcome Straight Talk to RPS,” Thompson said.
The consulting firm bought Straight Talk for an undisclosed sum in May 2018. Straight Talk is a Sydney-based communications consultancy that will be integrated into RPS’s Sydney CBD office. Straight Talk provide its clients with strategic advice based on community and stakeholder engagement.
Lucy Cole-Edelstein has been at the forefront of Australia’s growing consulting industry throughout the past two decades and has previously worked as a senior consultant for Philips Group and associate director at Elton Consulting.
Cole-Edelstein said that joining the RPS network was in line with Straight Talk’s growth strategy and will allow the firm to provide its clients with a greater range of expertise and international experience.
“Previous collaboration between Straight Talk and RPS on a range of projects revealed an undeniable opportunity to combine complementary skills, interests and approaches to engagement strategy, design and delivery,” said Cole-Edelstein.
“Becoming a part of team RPS will expose Straight Talk to new technical disciplines and project perspectives, helping us to facilitate even better engagement outcomes for the clients and communities we serve. By joining forces, RPS and Straight Talk can continue to build a future where positive, proactive, best-practice engagement is no longer the exception, but the norm.”
