Strategic advisory firm The Messina Group has rebranded as Fortius Global and has spun out its political campaigns work into a new business, MCM².

The campaigns practice will build, advise, and run campaigns for candidates, parties and causes in the UK and internationally.

Both companies are opening an office in London.

Jim Messina (pictured) will remain chief executive of Fortius Global and continue to set the vision for Fortius and its companies, including MCM².

As part of the rebrand, communications and public affairs company Greenbrier, which was acquired by The Messina Group in 2017, will integrate fully into Fortius.

Fortius operates around five core practice areas: strategic advisory; policy, regulatory and geopolitical; mergers and acquisitions; campaigns and coalitions; and communications.

Jim Messina established The Messina Group in Washington, DC, in 2013. In 2015, Messina advised David Cameron’s Conservatives in the general election.

Jim Messina, chief executive, Fortius, said: “We built this firm to carry forward the innovation and the culture from the 2012 Obama re-election campaign, and now under Fortius, our team can help clients tackle more complex challenges across more disciplines and geographies.

“For more than a decade, the Messina name carried our mission, but our success has always been driven by the extraordinary partners and people who bring that mission to life every day. Fortius reflects the firm we've become, the global ambitions we share, and the collective strength of the team building our future.”

Ty Matsdorf, partner at MCM², said: “Our political work has always been distinct from our corporate advisory business, and with its own name and leadership, we are in a stronger position to expand and grow.”

Fortius is Latin for ‘stronger’, while MCM² draws from the surnames of its four principals: Messina, Corrigan, Matsdorf and Mallet.