APCO

public relationsPrivate

APCO  link () Website
File:APCO.jpeg
Founder	Margery Kraus
Type	Private
Staff	(2,024)
Commissioned by Josh Simons of Labour Together to build dossiers on reputable British journalists with the intent to discredit them

APCO is a public affairs and strategic communications consultancy headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus, who is now the firm's Executive Chairman. As of 2024, the firm operates in 35 locations with approximately 1,200 employees. It is among the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States.

APCO's work includes political consulting and crisis communications. Its staff includes former government officials and diplomats. Clients have included multinational corporations, governmental agencies, and non-profit organisations.

Background

Margery Kraus founded APCO Associates in 1984 as a subsidiary to Arnold & Porter, one of Washington's largest law firms, and from where APCO's name is derived. Grey Global Group, a New York–based global advertising and marketing agency, purchased majority ownership of APCO in 1991 from Arnold & Porter. On 28 September 2004, APCO announced its independent buyout from Grey Global and has thus become one of the largest privately owned public relations firms in the world.

In 2016, Kraus stepped down from her role as CEO, for the role to be filled by Brad Staples, who is a member of the London office. When speaking to PR Week, Staples announced a company-wide effort to centralise global account leadership, shifting some management roles to Europe, rather than the United States.

UK clients

Elbit Systems

In September 2024, the London headquarters of APCO was targeted by Palestine Action over its representation of the UK interests of Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. Activists from the group daubed the façade of the office building with red paint using repurposed fire extinguishers, blocked the entrance and locked the doors with a bike lock.

Labour Together

In February 2026 it was reported that PR firm APCO had investigated the private affairs of several journalists when commissioned by Josh Simons, CEO of lobbying group Labour Together, to ascertain the source of reports about Labour Together's late declaration of certain donations. The Sunday Times reported that the APCO report, named "Operation Cannon", was written by a former Sunday Times employee and was shown to Labour shadow cabinet members, falsely suggesting that two Sunday Times journalists were part of a Russian campaign to politically harm PM Keir Starmer. Labour Together sent a shorter version of the APCO report to GCHQ's UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which declined to investigate.

Keir Starmer subsequently asked the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards to investigate whether Simons' conduct had breached the Ministerial Code. Josh Simons claimed that by including this information in its report APCO had gone beyond what had been asked of them and welcomed the launch of an investigation into APCO's conduct by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA). The Guardian newspaper on 20 February 2026 reported that it had seen the emails to NCSC and disclosed some of their contents, and that there were calls for Simons to resign or be sacked. In March 2026, Simons said he had been "naïve" in his commissioning of the report because he "was 30 years old".

It was later reported that Tom Harper, a senior APCO executive, told a freelance contractor who had been hired on the project to destroy evidence of its actions.

References

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