Global Strategy Group is a public affairs and research firm specializing in research, strategic communications, digital strategy, grassroots and grasstops organizing, marketing and branding. GSG clients include political candidates, corporations and advocacy organizations worldwide. In the United States, the company works with Democratic Party candidates and office holders.

Clients of the firm, which has been called "a ubiquitous presence in New York's circles of power" in a 2008 New York Times article, have included New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...

, who used the firm in his successful 2006 campaign, New York state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and New York Governor David A. Paterson. The New York state Democratic Party also uses the firm, as do many New York state members of Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. The firm is also one of the "top consultants to corporations and other special interests," according to an article in the Times.

"They have carved out the niche of being the premier Democratic political polling firm," William T. Cunningham, a political consultant, said in 2008. Political clients include or have included Iowa Governor Chet Culver, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin

Joe Manchin

Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...

, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, presidential candidate Al Gore Congresswomen Loretta and Linda Sánchez. The New York state Democratic Party and New York state members of Congress also consult with the firm. GSG has managed political campaigns in Albania, Aruba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Republic of Georgia, Trinidad and Venezuela.

In 2008, the firm's annual revenues were said to total about $20 million, and it had 50 employees. In addition to New York City, Global has offices in Washington, DC and Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

.

Along with its political roster of clients, GSG has been retained by large corporations, nonprofits and advocacy organizations like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Condé Nast, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Scholastic, Silverstein Properties, Starwood, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), United Way and Yale University, among others.
As of 2009 GSG was using the marketing tag, "Campaign to Win."

The firm was mentioned on the TV show The West Wing and is also referenced in a Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...

 board game question.

History

Jonathan Silvan, CEO, Jefrey Pollock, President and Jeffrey Plaut, Partner, started GSG together in 1995 as a boutique polling firm, conducting market research for political and corporate clients.

Since its founding, the firm has broadened its work beyond research and polling to include various communications services, such as public relations, planning and running political campaigns, paid media and advertising, grassroots and grasstops advocacy, and new media and interactive services and products.

Executives

The firm's top executives include:

• Jon Silvan, founding partner and CEO, has guided Global Strategy Group’s growth from a boutique market research firm into a nationally recognized, full-service public affairs and research firm. Jon’s clients include companies, organizations and individuals at the top of their fields, including World Trade Center developer Silverstein Properties, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), General Electric, and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA). Jon earned a dual degree in political communications and economic development from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and he currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Association for a Better New York (ABNY). Jon lives in New York City with his wife Marnie and their three children.

• Jefrey Pollock, president and founding partner, leads the firm’s research practice. He has advised several U.S. Governors – including Brian Schweitzer (MT), Joe Manchin (WV) and Chet Culver (IA) – Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Arlen Specter (PA), and many other members of Congress. He has also consulted on behalf of many of the world’s leading NGOs and corporations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Con Edison and Starwood. Jefrey earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, where he is currently an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy and Administration.

• Jeffrey Plaut, founding partner, serves as a strategic advisor and pollster to candidates and campaigns across the country. Recent clients include the New Jersey Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, U.S. Representatives Mike McMahon (NY) and Nydia Velazquez (NY), the Empire State Pride Agenda and The Daily Show. Jeffrey also leads the firm’s public affairs practice for unions, nonprofits and associations. An alumnus of Brown University, Jeffrey is a graduate of the Coro Foundation Fellowship for Public Affairs, an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University and advisory board member of the Bellevue/New York University Program for Survivors of Torture.

• Britt Power, partner, specializes in developing research and positioning strategies for clients looking to extend and promote their brands. Britt’s clients count on her when they are looking to launch services or products, expand their client base or gain a competitive edge within their industry. She is an experienced moderator and focus group facilitator and currently heads the firm’s Qualitative Research Department. Her client list includes some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Condé Nast, ESPN, Scholastic, Time Inc. and Victoria’s Secret. Britt earned a degree in communications from New York University.

• Scott Elder, partner, specializes in conducting strategic research for corporations, domestic political campaigns and associations. In a project manager role, Scott oversees the research process from survey design to data collection, data processing and analysis. Recent clients include Merrill Lynch, United Water, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. He also runs the firm’s market research practice for the trial consulting industry. Scott earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington in Seattle.

• Alan Sexton, Executive Vice President for Communications. Prior to joining GSG, Alan led the public affairs practice at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in New York, where he oversaw all aspects of the group’s work. An expert in corporate reputation, crisis management, brand positioning and influencer engagement, Alan was named one of the industry’s “40 Under 40” leaders by PR Week in 2010. While at Ogilvy, Alan managed global and U.S. communications campaigns for some of the agency’s best-known clients, including American Express, BP, the Ford Motor Company, LexisNexis and DHL. Alan’s track record of crafting successful campaigns for his clients has been recognized numerous times. In 2008 he and his client, FM Global, one of the world‘s leading commercial property insurance companies, won the PR News Platinum award for Global Campaign of the Year. The FM Global program was also named as a Global Campaign of the Year finalist in the 2009 PR Week awards, and shortlisted for two SABRE awards in 2008. Prior to Ogilvy, Alan spent several years with The Harbour Group, a public affairs and lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C. Before that, he worked on issues management and media relations campaigns as a member of the Public Affairs Practice at Ogilvy PR in Washington, D.C. Alan began his career in communications with a small public affairs firm in Dublin, Ireland, where he worked with a diverse group of clients that included British Nuclear Fuels and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association.

• Stephen Sigmund, senior vice president, Stephen Sigmund serves as Global Strategy Group’s Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Communications. Steve most recently served as the Chief of Public and Government Affairs for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he was the chief communications and government affairs strategist for the nation’s largest regional public authority and led the organization’s public efforts on the World Trade Center redevelopment. Steve has strong experience in New York City and New Jersey government and politics. He was the Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor for City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Acting Communications Director for Governor Jon Corzine in New Jersey. Steve’s experience extends into the private sector as well. Steve was a Vice President at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, a nationally recognized strategic and crisis communications firm. At RLM, Steve played a leading role on key top-tier clients like America Online, EMI Music and Pfizer. He was also a Vice President at AOL Time Warner and was Senior Director for the company’s Corporate Responsibility efforts, which included an ambitious initiative to improve technology literacy in public schools. In addition to his broad professional experience, Steve has written pieces for The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Trenton Times, and New York Observer, and he has served as an Adjunct Professor for Columbia University’s Strategic Communications Program since 2003.

• Justin Lapatine, senior vice president, manages Global Strategy Group’s public affairs practice area where he develops and executes full service campaigns on behalf of corporate, advocacy and political clients. Justin has managed grassroots, grasstops and coalition building campaigns for Silverstein Properties, the YES Network and Ultimate Fighting Championship. Named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns & Elections in 2006 and one of “40 Under 40” by City Hall News, Justin serves as consultant to the New York State Senate Democrats, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Candidate Bill de Blasio. Before joining GSG, Justin worked for Gore Lieberman in the 2000 presidential race and for Mark Green in the 2001 New York City Mayor’s race. Justin earned a B.A. in Political Science and History from Duke University and a Masters in Political Science from Columbia University.

• Tanya Meck, Senior Vice President, leads Global Strategy Group’s Connecticut office, based in Hartford and has extensive experience in public affairs, corporate communications and advocacy campaign coordination. Prior to joining GSG, Tanya served as Assistant Secretary of the State of Connecticut and Chief of Staff for the Secretary’s office. She has worked as a corporate communications director for a Fortune 500 company, as a non-profit development director, and as a political consultant to local, state and federal elected officials. Her professional experience includes television and radio appearances, keynoting seminars and conferences, and emceeing events. A Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, she majored in Behavioral Science and was an All-American athlete. Tanya earned her Master’s Degree in Public Policy Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Political clients

• Presidential Candidate Al Gore
  Al Gore
  Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
  
   (2000)
• U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd
  Christopher Dodd
  Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....
  
   (CT)
• U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
  Kirsten Gillibrand
  Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
  
   (NY)
• U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
  Mark Dayton
  Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
  
   (MN)
• Governor Joe Manchin
  Joe Manchin
  Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
  
   (WV)
• Governor David Paterson
  David Paterson
  David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
  
   (NY)
• Governor Pedro Rossello
  Pedro Rosselló
  Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
  
   (PR)
• Governor Dan Malloy
  Dan Malloy
  Dannel Patrick "Dan" Malloy is the 88th and current Governor of Connecticut. He was the Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut from December 1995 until December 2009. Malloy had been endorsed by the Connecticut Democratic Party on May 22, 2010 over 2006 Democratic U.S...
  
   (CT)
• Governor Brian Schweitzer
  Brian Schweitzer
  Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
  
   (MT)
• Governor Edward Rendell (PA)

Corporate clients

• American Express
  American Express
  American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
  
  
• Accenture
  Accenture
  Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
  
  
• Condé Nast
  Condé Nast Publications
  Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
  
  
• Connecticut Light & Power
  Northeast Utilities
  Northeast Utilities is a publicly-traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Berlin, Connecticut, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity and natural gas service to more than 2.1 million customers in New England....
  
  
• Disney Corporation
• ESPN
  ESPN
  Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
  
  
• General Electric
  General Electric
  General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
  
  

• General Growth Properties
  General Growth Properties
  General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
  
   (GGP)
• Goldman Sachs
  Goldman Sachs
  The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
  
  
• L’Oréal
• Merrill Lynch
  Merrill Lynch
  Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
  
  
• MTV Networks
  MTV Networks
  MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
  
  
• Oxford Health
  UnitedHealth Group
  UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a diversified health and "well-being" company. Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, UnitedHealth Group offers a spectrum of products and services through two operating businesses: United Healthcare and Optum. Through its family of subsidiaries and divisions,...
  
  
• Pershing Square
• Revlon
  Revlon
  Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
  
  

• Scholastic, Inc.
• Silverstein Properties
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts
• Tiffany & Co.
  Tiffany & Co.
  Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
  
  
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  Ultimate Fighting Championship
  The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
  
  
• USA Network
  USA Network
  USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
  
  
• YES Network
  YES Network
  The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
  
  

Nonprofit & Advocacy clients

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Boy Scouts of America - Greater New York Councils
• Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
• Columbia University
  Columbia University
  Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
  
  
• Commonwealth Fund
  Commonwealth Fund
  The Commonwealth Fund is a private U.S. foundation whose stated purpose is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, especially for society's most vulnerable.-History:...
  
  
• Henry J. Kaiser Foundation
• Learn NY

• NARAL
• New Jersey Institute of Technology
  New Jersey Institute of Technology
  New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
  
  
• New York University
  New York University
  New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
  
  
• NYC Department of Consumer Affairs
• NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
• Nature Conservancy
• Pew Charitable Trusts

• Planned Parenthood of NYC
• Robin Hood Foundation
  Robin Hood Foundation
  The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization, which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York, United States.-History:Founded in 1988, Robin Hood was the brainchild of hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones...
  
  
• Rockefeller Foundation
  Rockefeller Foundation
  The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
  
  
• Rutgers University
  Rutgers University
  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
  
  
• State University of New York
  State University of New York
  The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
  
  
• United Way of NYC
• Yale University
  Yale University
  Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...