LONDON—Omnicom agencies Fleishman-Hillard and Bernard Hodes have formed a strategic partnership in the UK to create a more complete corporate reputation, brand and talent engagement offering across the full employer brand lifecycle.

The partnership will see Bernard Hodes in the UK operating as a Fleishman-Hillard company. The two agencies will retain their individual identities and continue to offer their individual specialisms, as well as an extended dual offering.

Bernard Hodes specializes in employee branding, employee engagement and talent acquisition, and its expertise will complement Fleishman-Hillard's integrated communications and reputation capabilities, bridging what the two firms say is a narrowing gap between corporate and consumer brand experience.

"The increased role of employees in the building and management of reputation, and the growing synergy between the human resources and corporate communications agenda, has fuelled the move,” says John Saunders, Fleishman-Hillard president for the EMEA region. “With reputation increasingly a total boardroom issue, the combined capability means we can truly integrate and activate reputational campaigns across all stakeholder audiences."

Helen Rosethorn, CEO of Bernard Hodes in the UK, adds: "Employees, both current and future, are pivotal to the building and communication of a company's narrative, brand and reputation and yet are often addressed as a siloed audience. Our partnership with Fleishman-Hillard provides us with an exciting opportunity to build deeper conversations with both our respective clients and to diversify into innovative, new areas."