The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that public relations firm Avenir Global has acquired three technology-focused agencies with 650 employees from British consultant Next 15 Group PLC for roughly $160-million, vaulting the Montreal-based company into the ranks of the world's largest communications platforms. The Globe's Andrew Willis writes that Avenir, parent to National Public Relations and 10 other PR firms, is purchasing a division of Next 15 called the Marker Collective. It is home to three agencies Archetype, Nectar and Outcast which focus on advising technology companies. Avenir is also buying an artificial-intelligence-powered media-intelligence platform called Delve. The Marker Collective agencies have 20 offices in Europe, Asia and the United States. The division has about 450 clients, including Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Nvidia. "Our strategy is to acquire and build companies that specialize in serving specific sectors," Over the past decade, Avenir made a series of acquisitions, purchasing Boston-based Shift Communications in 2016, Minneapolis-based Padilla two years later, and European agencies Cherry and Hanover in 2018 and 2019, respectively.