Buck has acquired strategic employee communications firm Caburn Hope in a bid to expand its existing UK communications business, Concert.
Caburn Hope - founded in 1993 and is based in Sussex - focuses on strategic employee and change management communications, ranging from high level consultancy and communications planning to tactical campaigns to improve employee engagement and return on investment.
Buck said the acquisition of Caburn Hope and its integration into Concert would "complement and amplify" its pensions and benefits communications business, turning it into a "full-service, employee communications practice that can have a positive impact on every facet of the employee and member experience, including wellbeing".
It said the purchase would also further aligns its UK employee communications capabilities with those of its employee communications business in North America.
Concert will be jointly led by Peter Walsh - the founder of Concert Consulting, the business acquired by Buck last November - and Elizabeth Spencer-Phillips, a founding director and lead strategist at Caburn Hope.
Buck UK managing director David Piltz said: "Caburn Hope has developed a reputation for excellence with both their UK and multinational clients. I'm delighted to introduce their strategic approach to employee communications to our clients as we help them continue to deliver on the social contract they've established with their people."
Buck chief executive Jack Freker added: "The acquisition of Caburn Hope in the UK is another notable milestone in Buck's expansion over the past two years. By creating a full-service strategic communications business focused exclusively on employee and member communication programmes in a highly competitive market, we'll continue to provide the best possible service for our clients."
Spencer-Phillips agreed: "We're passionate about the value people bring to any business, and it was critical that we identify an organisation that's equally committed to taking a people-centric approach to how they operate. We've found that partner in Buck."
Buck said it "remains committed" to making further acquisitions in the UK in the areas of pensions, investments, employee benefits, and engagement, supporting its mission to deliver an even deeper set of solutions for its clients.
