Communication and Institutions

What Communication and Institutions does

Communication & Institutions (C&I) is a Paris-based lobbying and public affairs consultancy founded in 1983 by Olivier Le Picard, operating as SAS Communication & Institutions with a registered share capital of €171,300 and headquartered at 32 rue Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in the 2nd arrondissement. The firm is registered with France's Haute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique (HATPV) and the EU Transparency Register, and its leaders co-founded and currently lead the Association Française des Conseils en Lobbying (AFCL). C&I serves large enterprises, professional federations, public institutions, and foreign states across sectors including energy, finance, health, digital, luxury, media, sport, transport, and government, with a named reference list spanning Google, Apple, EDF, Chanel, Mastercard, GlaxoSmithKline, Netflix, and the European Parliament.

C&I delivers its work through six integrated service lines rather than a technology platform: public affairs and lobbying, regulatory monitoring and legislative intelligence, studies and research, digital advocacy, media relations, and crisis communications. The firm operates without proprietary software, APIs, or developer-facing tooling; its core "technology" is its consultant bench—trained at Sciences Po and specialist programs, with prior experience in political institutions and major companies—and a curated network of external economists, jurists, and pollsters assembled per dossier. Geographic reach across more than 60 countries is enabled by its affiliation with Omnicom Group and membership in the FleishmanHillard global network.

C&I earns revenue through bespoke professional services engagements governed by individually negotiated contracts specifying scope, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest policies, billing rates, and monthly activity reports. There is no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription product, and clients are acquired through direct enterprise sales, partner referrals, and the firm's industry-association and media visibility. The firm is independently owned by its partners and is not venture-backed, with no disclosed funding rounds or M&A activity.

Name

Communication and Institutions

Legal name

SAS Communication & Institutions

Website

https://cominst.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Communication & Institutions is a Paris-based lobbying and public affairs consultancy founded in 1983 that advises large enterprises, professional federations, public institutions, and foreign states across France and 60+ countries via the Omnicom/FleishmanHillard network. It delivers six integrated advisory service lines—public affairs, legislative monitoring, research, digital advocacy, media, and crisis communications—on bespoke contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional consulting services: C&I generates revenue through bespoke consulting engagements in public affairs and lobbying. Each mission is governed by a clear contract specifying scope, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest policies, billing rates, and monthly activity reports. Revenue derives from professional services fees for strategic advice, advocacy campaigns, legislative monitoring, studies, digital influence, media relations, and crisis communications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Communication & Institutions (C&I) is a Paris-based lobbying and public affairs consultancy founded in 1983 that advises enterprises, professional organizations, local authorities, and foreign states on representing their interests before public authorities. The firm delivers integrated advisory services spanning strategic lobbying, legislative and regulatory monitoring, custom research and studies, digital influence, media relations, and crisis communications, executed by dedicated consultant teams and supported by a curated network of external experts and global partners.

Product overview

Communication & Institutions (C&I) is a Paris-based lobbying and public affairs consultancy founded in 1983, offering a unified suite of advisory services rather than a software platform. Its core portfolio comprises six integrated service lines: (1) Public affairs and lobbying as the primary offering, supported by (2) regulatory monitoring and intelligence, (3) studies and research, (4) digital advocacy, (5) media relations, and (6) crisis communications. These services are delivered through in-house consultants supported by a global network of external experts and partners, enabling C&I to serve clients across more than 60 countries via its affiliation with Omnicom Group and the FleishmanHillard network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Affairs and Lobbying (Affaires publiques et lobbying) Core lobbying and public affairs advisory service providing strategic counsel for defending client interests before public authorities, engagement in decision-making processes, argument development, stakeholder mapping, coalition building, and event organization. Targeted at enterprises, professional federations, public institutions, and foreign states seeking to influence public decisions affecting their business.
• Regulatory Monitoring and Intelligence (Veille et analyse législative) Continuous monitoring of political, parliamentary, and governmental developments, identification of key institutional workstreams, legislative analysis, and recommendations aligned with the institutional calendar. Targeted at clients needing to anticipate regulatory and legislative change in France and Europe.
• Studies and Research (Etudes et recherches) Custom research services including needs assessment, tailored research team assembly with academic partners and think tanks, and targeted study diffusion to inform public debate. Targeted at clients needing rigorous, evidence-based inputs to support policy positions.
• Digital Advocacy (Influence digitale) Online influence strategy development, social media monitoring and trend analysis, key opinion leader mapping, digital campaign implementation, online reputation management, and coordination between online and offline advocacy. Targeted at clients seeking to extend lobbying and public affairs strategies into digital channels.
• Media Services (Médias) Media relations including communication tool development (op-eds, press releases, talking points), target media mapping, interview and press conference organization, and media training. Targeted at clients needing to articulate their positions to journalists and media outlets as part of public affairs campaigns.
• Crisis Communications (Communication de crise) Crisis management and reputation protection including expert network assembly, communication audit, crisis strategy definition, operational support, and multi-channel coordination. Targeted at organizations facing reputational crises that require coordinated public, media, and political response.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35 years of successfully completed lobbying and public affairs missions with documented increase in client influence and improved contribution to public debate.

Named customers36 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Good Lobby FranceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2023C&I partnered with The Good Lobby France alongside Euralia and Koz Conseil to provide pro bono lobbying support to associations and civil society organizations lacking resources to participate in public debate. C&I commits one to two days per month of staff time to The Good Lobby.
• EuraliaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 February 2023Euralia is a French lobbying consultancy that joined C&I and Koz Conseil in a pro bono partnership with The Good Lobby France, pooling resources to support civil society advocacy.
• Koz ConseilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 February 2023Koz Conseil is a French public affairs consultancy that co-founded the pro bono partnership with The Good Lobby France alongside C&I and Euralia.
• Omnicom Group Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC&I is an affiliate partner of Omnicom Group Inc., a major international communications and marketing group. This affiliation provides C&I with access to global resources, cross-referrals, and the credibility of a large network while maintaining independent ownership by its partners.
• FleishmanHillardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAs a partner of Omnicom, C&I works with FleishmanHillard globally to define and implement public affairs and lobbying strategies for clients in more than 60 countries through the FleishmanHillard office network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Good Lobby France: NGO network that structures pro bono lobbying support in France; C&I is a founding partner. Not a commercial competitor but a relevant ecosystem participant shaping the French lobbying landscape and C&I's CSR positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Global communications firm with strong public affairs and policy offering. Overlaps with C&I on corporate reputation, public affairs and crisis work for multinational clients in France and across Europe.
• Teneo: Global CEO advisory firm with corporate communications, public affairs and crisis offerings. Directly comparable on crisis communications and C-suite public affairs mandates for multinational clients.
• FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Global advisory firm with a substantial public affairs and crisis communications practice. Competes for the same large multinational mandates C&I serves, particularly on crisis, ESG and government investigations.
• APCO Worldwide: Global public affairs and strategic communications firm serving corporates, governments and NGOs. Overlaps with C&I on corporate lobbying, EU advocacy and crisis work, with a much larger international bench.
• Brunswick Group: International corporate communications and public affairs advisory firm. Competes for premium M&A, crisis and policy mandates for large European and global corporates, often overlapping with C&I's client base.
• FleishmanHillard: Global public relations and public affairs network and C&I's declared partner within Omnicom. Directly comparable in offering integrated public affairs, government relations, and crisis communications to multinational clients; C&I accesses its 60+ country footprint.
• Havas Paris (Havas Red & Havas Paris): Paris-headquartered global communications group with public affairs, PR and crisis capabilities. Competes with C&I for French corporate and institutional public affairs mandates.

Direct peers

• Euralia: Brussels-based public affairs consultancy focused on EU institutions. Direct peer in scale, geography (EU advocacy) and service mix; co-partnered with C&I on the 2023 Good Lobby France pro bono initiative.
• Koz Conseil: Paris-based independent lobbying and public affairs consultancy and C&I's co-founder partner in the Good Lobby France pro bono network. Closely comparable boutique-scale French public affairs competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/com_inst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communication-institutions

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Communication and Institutions