CHICAGO, June 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - GTCR Canyon Holdings, an affiliate of GTCR, today announced its intent to form a premier global public relations cloud company by bringing together industry leaders Cision and Vocus, Inc.
The combined company will bring new software tools, content and services that help organizations of all sizes to enhance their performance in acquiring and retaining customers. When the combination is complete, Cision and Vocus customers will benefit from sharing access to the world's most comprehensive and accurate influencer database, the foremost news distribution service, the industry's leading media monitoring and analytics services, as well as Vocus' new marketing automation platform.
"Combining Cision and Vocus will allow us to leverage each company's strengths across a larger combined customer base, accelerate investment in innovative functionality and increase adoption of public relations and marketing software worldwide," said Mark Anderson, GTCR Managing Director. "With visionary leadership, smart investments and a relentless focus on customers, we believe the new organization enables us to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities in the public relations and marketing software industry."
As part of its strategy for the new company, Peter Granat has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Vocus, Inc. and President of an affiliate Canyon Holdings. The appointments are effective immediately. Granat previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Cision AB.
"The public relations and marketing industry is experiencing a fundamental transformation," added Mr. Anderson. "Peter is a recognized visionary and advocate for the industry. His extensive experience coupled with his proven track record of operational excellence makes him the ideal leader as we prepare to move into the next chapter of innovative growth."
"I've seen marketing and PR undergo substantial changes over the past decade," stated Mr. Granat. "But I also believe we are only at the beginning. Together, Vocus and Cision will help our customers take advantage of these increasing changes. I am very excited by this opportunity to build out the leading platform and services for communication professionals worldwide."
About Vocus
Vocus provides leading cloud-based public relations and marketing software that enables companies to acquire and retain customers. The company offers products and services to help clients attract and engage prospects, nurture and convert customers, and measure and improve marketing effectiveness. More than 16,000 annual subscription customers across a wide variety of industries use Vocus software. The company is headquartered in Beltsville, MD with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.vocus.com or call (800) 345-5572.
About Cision
Cision is a leading provider of cloud-based PR software, services and tools for the marketing and public relations industry. Marketing and PR professionals use our products to help manage all aspects of their brands – from identifying key media and influencers to connecting with audiences; monitoring traditional and social media; and analyzing outcomes. Journalists, bloggers, and other influencers use Cision's tools to research story ideas, track trends, and maintain their public profiles. Cision is present in Europe, North America and Asia and quoted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange with revenue of approx. SEK 0.9 billion in 2013. For more information, visit http://www.cision.com.
About GTCR
Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare and Information Services & Technology industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy™ - finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $10 billion in over 200 companies. For more information, please visit http://www.gtcr.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements made herein with respect to the tender offer and related transactions, including, for example, the potential benefits of the merger and the combination with Cision, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections.
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