Steele & Holt

What Steele & Holt does

Steele & Holt is an independent, English-speaking corporate communications consultancy headquartered in Paris at 22 rue de la Paix, founded in 2013 by Daphné Claude (Founding Partner) and Laura Barkatz (Directrice Générale). The firm employs approximately ten professionals, all trained in sustainable finance, drawn from complementary backgrounds spanning corporate, agency, literary, and financial roles across France and international markets. It serves enterprise clients primarily in the financial sector — including global and European asset managers, private equity firms, activist and hedge funds, and financial institutions — with a client roster that has included BlackRock, Schroders, Fidelity International, Carlyle, BC Partners, Elliott, Candriam, M&G, Artisan Partners, Natixis Investment Managers, Edmond de Rothschild, and others.

The firm's core offerings are professional services rather than a software platform: strategic corporate communications consulting, press relations (France and pan-European), crisis communication and reputation management, activism and engagement campaigns (e.g., Elliott at Rallye/Casino, Artisan Partners at Danone), digital and social media communication strategy, spokesperson training and coaching, content creation, and impact reporting. International coverage is delivered through a network of strategic partner agencies across Europe, the UK, and the United States, enabling multi-jurisdiction press work without owned overseas offices. The offering is positioned as a cohesive consulting engagement model — combining strategic advisory with hands-on execution — rather than modular products.

The business model is professional services on a project and retainer basis, with pricing not publicly disclosed and tailored to engagement scope. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct senior-led relationships, leveraging founder and partner involvement, domain specialization in financial-sector communications, and the firm's independence and English-speaking positioning as differentiators against generalist Paris-based PR firms. Revenue is not disclosed; the firm is privately held with no external investors or parent company.

Name

Steele & Holt

Legal name

Steele & Holt

Website

https://steeleandholt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steele & Holt is an independent Paris-based corporate communications consultancy founded in 2013, serving enterprise financial-sector clients with press relations, crisis management, activism campaigns, and strategic communications via a team of about ten specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Communications Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Representatives (54184)

akta.pro primary industry

Investor Relations (IR) & Capital Markets Communications (MPAAADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI), Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF)

Keywords

• Corporate communications consulting
• Financial press relations
• Crisis communication advisory
• Reputation management services
• Activism and engagement campaigns

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Communications Consulting Services: Steele & Holt generates revenue through professional services fees for corporate communications, press relations, reputation management, and crisis communication consulting. The agency provides strategic counsel and execution services to financial sector clients on a project and retainer basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Steele & Holt is an independent corporate communications consultancy that places press relations at the heart of its advisory approach, primarily serving economic and financial sector clients. The agency provides strategic communications consulting, press relations across French and pan-European media, crisis communication and reputation management, activism and engagement campaigns, digital and social media communication, spokesperson training, and international agency network coordination — all delivered by a team of about ten professionals trained in sustainable finance.

Product overview

Steele & Holt is an independent corporate communications consultancy that offers a unified suite of professional services centered around press relations and strategic communication advisory. The agency provides corporate communications consulting, press relations, crisis communication and reputation management, activism and engagement campaigns, digital/social media communication, spokesperson training, and international agency network coordination. All services are delivered by a team of approximately ten professionals trained in sustainable finance, with no modular product architecture—the offering is a cohesive consulting engagement model rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Communications Consulting Strategic advisory services helping economic and financial sector clients communicate effectively, define positioning and key messaging, and manage their corporate image.
• Press Relations Building trust between clients and relevant media outlets (print, online, generalist, specialist, radio, TV) across France and pan-European press, with regular impact monitoring and reporting.
• Crisis Communication & Reputation Management Managing critical situations including restructurings, strategic operations, management changes, and social shocks to control potential image damage and actively preserve client reputation.
• Activism & Engagement Campaigns Supporting clients in making themselves heard and defending their role through agile activism and engagement campaigns, with all team members trained in sustainable finance issues.
• Digital Communication & Social Media Selecting relevant digital tools and creating effective strategies to diffuse client messages and prevent or resolve potential crises through social networks.
• Spokesperson Training & Coaching Preparing and training client spokespersons for media appearances, conferences, interviews, and written communications.
• International Agency Network Coordination Establishing and coordinating international agency networks across Europe, UK, and the United States to support multinational client communication needs.

Named customers23 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strategic Partner Agencies NetworkcoreOthersSteele & Holt collaborates with a network of strategic partner agencies throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This network enables the agency to provide coordinated international communications services to clients with global needs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Global financial and corporate communications advisory with strong asset-manager, PE, and activist-investor client base. Direct competitor for top-tier mandates that Steele & Holt pursues.
• Weber Shandwick: Global PR network with a financial-services practice; Robin Legros joined Steele & Holt from its Paris office, indicating overlapping talent flows and competing client mandates.
• Publicis Consultants: Network-owned French corporate communications consultancy; Robin Legros joined Steele & Holt from this firm, and it competes for similar banking, real-estate, and asset-management mandates.
• FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Large global consultancy with a substantial financial-PR and crisis-communications practice serving asset managers, banks, and corporates across Europe.
• Havas Paris (Havas Financial): Network-owned communications group with financial-sector expertise; competes for asset-manager and corporate communications mandates across France.

Direct peers

• Taddeo: Paris-based independent communications consultancy specializing in financial-sector and asset-management clients; closely comparable in size, scope, and client overlap with Steele & Holt.
• Citigate Dewe Rogerson: Financial-sector-focused corporate communications agency (now part of H+K Strategies) where both Steele & Holt co-founders previously worked. Directly competes for asset-manager and PE press-relations mandates in France and the UK.
• Cabinet Privé de Conseils (CPC): Independent French financial communications and proxy-advisory firm specializing in activist-defense and shareholder-engagement campaigns — a close functional peer to Steele & Holt's activism practice.
• Image 7: Independent Paris-based PR and financial communications consultancy with comparable asset-management and listed-company clientele; competes directly for French asset-manager mandates.

Emerging players

• Siècle Digital / Influence & Finance Boutiques: Smaller French financial-comms and digital-influence boutiques serving overlapping asset-management and PE clients; represent emerging competitive entrants in the niche Steele & Holt occupies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steele-and-holt
• Xx.com/steeleandholt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Steele & Holt