The unit will be led by: Darrell Bricker, president and chief operating officer of North American Public Affairs; Pierre Giacometti, managing director of Ipsos France; Sam McGuire, director of Ipsos UK Public Affairs; and public affairs managers in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
The group is increasing its focus on global projects by following a "confederation" model to gain information on markets around the world, enhancing its corporate work in Germany, Spain and the UK.
New efforts will be taken to develop an international network of public affairs researchers, products and services in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Although Ipsos revealed consolidated revenues of €606m (£413.6m) for 2004, 6.3% up on the previous year's figures, growth slowed in Europe during the last quarter with reduced marketing activity among consumer goods.
McGuire said: "The development of this truly global offering is unique to Ipsos and stands to benefit both us and our clients -- in terms of our relationships with them, our reputation, the quality of our products, our costs, and our revenue.
"Public affairs is a strong driver of awareness and business development, and we expect to see the positive effects in the rest of the group."
The global approach follows on from similar steps by the North American integrated organisation to globalise its ASI and Loyalty business streams.
In February, Ipsos bought Montreal-based Descarie & Complices, which focuses on advertising research, and New York's Shifrin Research.
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