APCO Worldwide

What APCO Worldwide does

APCO Worldwide is a privately held global advisory and advocacy firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus as a one-person operation and now employing more than 1,200 professionals. The firm provides strategic communications, public affairs, crisis and issues management, geopolitical advisory, financial communications, and creative execution services to multinational corporations, governments, foundations, and non-profits across more than 35 countries, with offices in Washington, New York, Brussels, Beijing, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Denver, and beyond. Its core technology stack consists of proprietary research and measurement platforms — APCO Geopolitical Radar, Agenda 360, Reputation Insight, Agility Indicator, and the newly launched Global Bureaucracy Perception Index (GBPI) — that underpin advisory engagements and generate thought leadership. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements: retainer-based and project-based advisory, integrated communications campaigns, and specialized geo-commerce, trade, and crisis advisory, with quote-based pricing negotiated per engagement and multi-year contracts common among enterprise clients.

Name

APCO Worldwide

Legal name

APCO Worldwide LLC

Website

https://apcoworldwide.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

APCO Worldwide is a global advisory and advocacy firm providing strategic communications, public affairs, crisis management, and geopolitical advisory to multinational corporations, governments, foundations, and non-profits across more than 35 countries, supported by proprietary research platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: Professional consulting services provided to corporations, foundations, and governments for strategic communications, public affairs, crisis management, and geopolitical advisory. Revenue generated through retainer fees and project-based engagements.
2. Integrated Communications Campaigns: Creative and digital communications services including media campaigns, content creation, and multi-channel engagement strategies.
3. Geo-Commerce Advisory: Specialized advisory on trade, tariffs, sanctions, cybersecurity, and geopolitical risk management for multinational businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

APCO Worldwide is a global advisory and advocacy firm providing strategic communications, public affairs, crisis and issues management, and geopolitical advisory services to corporations, foundations, and governments. The firm delivers retainer-based and project-based engagements that combine strategic counsel with creative execution, supported by proprietary research and analysis platforms such as the APCO Geopolitical Radar and Agenda 360.

Product overview

APCO Worldwide is a global advisory and advocacy firm offering strategic consultancy services. The portfolio consists of core service lines (Geo-Commerce & Risk, Crisis/Issues & Litigation, Executive Positioning, Creative Strategy & Design) complemented by specialized research products (Agenda 360 analysis platform, APCO Geopolitical Radar intelligence tool) and proprietary measurement tools (Reputation Insight, Agility Indicator). The firm also develops proprietary research indices such as the Global Bureaucracy Perception Index (GBPI) created with Horizon Group, and produces content series like the 'Let Go & Lead' podcast. Services span corporate communication, public affairs, government relations, and sector expertise in health, financial, technology, media, telecom, and government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APCO Center for Trade, Investment and Market Access: A specialized center focused on trade, investment and market access advisory services
• Agenda 360
• APCO Geopolitical Radar
• Reputation Insight
• Global Bureaucracy Perception Index (GBPI)
• Let Go & Lead

Products and services

• Geo-Commerce & Risk Advisory Strategic advisory service that helps multinational businesses navigate asymmetric risks, competing national interests, trade tariffs, sanctions, and political agendas by combining global geopolitical insights with on-the-ground knowledge across markets.
• Crisis, Issues & Litigation Communications Crisis communications and issues management service covering preparation, activation, modeling, and recovery strategies to help clients navigate threats such as product recalls, litigation, and multistakeholder crises.
• Executive Positioning Reputation management, employee engagement, thought leadership, and corporate responsibility service that helps executives earn and maintain trust with marketplace and employees.
• Creative Strategy & Design (.Pomelo) Full in-house creative capability including media campaigns, digital ads, commercials, and multi-camera productions delivered through a dedicated media studio for content creation.
• APCO Center for Trade, Investment and Market Access Specialized advisory center focused on international trade, investment strategies, and market access services for clients operating across borders.
• Global Bureaucracy Perception Index (GBPI) World's first benchmark measuring how citizens and businesses experience government services at point of delivery across 13 countries, providing actionable insights across Transparency, Time, Affordability, Predictability, and Accessibility indicators.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Horizon GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026APCO partnered with Horizon Group to develop the Global Bureaucracy Perception Index (GBPI), the world's first benchmark measuring citizen and business experience with government services. The partnership combines APCO's policy expertise with Horizon Group's research capabilities to produce comparable evidence on bureaucracy performance across 13 countries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Edelman: Largest privately held global public relations firm with comparable full-service communications, public affairs, crisis, and advisory offerings to corporations and governments, overlapping directly with APCO's core service portfolio.
• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications firm specializing in corporate, public affairs, and financial communications — directly overlapping APCO's crisis, M&A advisory, and geopolitical advisory practices with a similar senior-advisor-led model.
• FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications segment): Publicly traded advisory firm whose Strategic Communications segment offers public affairs, crisis, and corporate communications directly competitive with APCO's advisory service lines.
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies: WPP-owned global public relations and public affairs firm offering crisis communications, government relations, and corporate advisory, providing near-direct competition to APCO in nearly all service lines including EU regulatory work.
• Weber Shandwick: Interpublic Group-owned global PR firm with public affairs, healthcare, and crisis practices, frequently co-bidding with APCO on integrated communications mandates for multinational clients.
• FleishmanHillard: Omnicom-owned global public relations and public affairs agency that competes with APCO on public affairs, healthcare communications, and corporate reputation mandates.
• Ketchum: Omnicom-owned global PR firm with strength in public affairs, corporate communications, and sector-specific campaigns, overlapping with APCO's enterprise communications service line.
• Teneo: Global CEO advisory and strategic communications firm with strong public affairs and crisis practice, frequently competing with APCO on executive positioning and high-stakes reputation engagements.
• Burson (BCW): WPP-owned global communications agency providing public affairs, crisis, and corporate communications — directly comparable in scale and capability mix to APCO across multiple geographies.

Emerging players

• Portland Communications: Independent EU-focused public affairs consultancy (part of Portland/NN-group) whose Brussels and public-sector work directly competes with APCO's Brussels public-affairs practice, particularly on EU tech and competition mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/apcoworldwide
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apco-worldwide
• Instagraminstagram.com/apcoworldwide
• Facebookfacebook.com/apcoworldwide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about APCO Worldwide