Choosing between Lansons vs Teneo is not like choosing between two flavors of the same thing.
These two agencies occupy very different positions in the UK communications landscape, and understanding that difference could save you a lot of time, money, and frustration.
Lansons is the integrated comms specialist that grew from a financial services stronghold into a broader reputation management firm.
Teneo is the global CEO advisory machine that works at the intersection of strategic communications, financial transactions, and high-stakes corporate counsel.
Both Lansons vs Teneo are well-regarded, the and both command serious fees. But they serve fundamentally different needs.
So, the Lansons vs Teneo showdown begins here. Let’s get into it.
Lansons: The Integrated UK Comms Agency With a Record-Breaking 2024
Lansons has been a fixture in the UK communications market since 1989, when co-founders Tony Langham and Clare Parsons launched the firm in London.
Over 35 years, it has built a reputation for corporate, financial, public affairs, crisis management, and sustainability communications.
In 2023, the agency was acquired by Team Farner, a Swiss-headquartered communications group backed by Waterland Private Equity, operating across Germany, France, Spain, restructuring Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium.
Lansons now serves as Team Farner’s UK flagship, operating as Lansons | Team Farner.
And 2024 was their best year yet.
According to PRovoke Media, Lansons delivered record-breaking financial performance in 2024, growing UK fee income by 16% to £13.3 million, with a 93% client retention rate.
More than 70% of retainer clients have stayed for over three years. That’s a remarkable loyalty signal in an industry where switching agencies is common.
Additionally, Lansons coined the term “specialist situations” in 2024, a new category of advisory work for scenarios that aren’t full crises but require complex legal, operational, and regulatory expertise.
Lansons Key Facts
- Founded: 1989, London
- Current structure: Lansons | Team Farner (acquired 2023)
- Team Farner annual volume: ~$125 million
- 2024 UK fee income: £13.3 million (+16% year on year)
- Client retention: 93%
- Primary strengths: Integrated comms, financial services, public affairs, crisis, sustainability
- Notable clients: Invesco, Legal & General, Openreach, The National Lottery, Sky Bet
What Lansons Does Well
Lansons doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. Its work sits at the crossroads of reputation, regulation, and narrative. That’s a tight, coherent proposition — and it shows in the quality of its client relationships.
Corporate and Financial Communications: This is Lansons’ original home. The agency built its identity advising financial services firms on investor-facing communications, regulatory reputation, and stakeholder engagement. Invesco and Legal & General are not exactly low-profile clients.
Public Affairs: Lansons has a credible public affairs capability that connects communications strategy with policy intelligence. In a post-Brexit UK regulatory environment, this matters considerably to financial and corporate clients managing government exposure.
Crisis and Specialist Situations: The “specialist situations” concept is genuinely useful. It fills a gap between everyday reputation management and full crisis response, covering situations where legal, regulatory, and communications counsel must work together under pressure.
Sustainability Communications: The agency has invested in this area, notably bringing in an external science advisor for climate campaigns. Its work on The National Lottery’s ‘It’s a Game Changer’ campaign shows an agency that can operate beyond pure financial communications when the brief demands it.
Teneo: The Global CEO Advisory Firm Playing in a Different League
If Lansons is a precision instrument for UK integrated communications, Teneo is a full-spectrum advisory machine.
Founded in 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, Teneo started as a strategic communications firm and has grown into one of the most formidable advisory organizations in the world.
As of 2025, it operates in more than 40 offices globally, employs over 1,800 professionals, and carries a valuation of approximately $2.3 billion, backed by CVC Capital Partners.
Its clients include a significant number of the Fortune 100 and FTSE 100.
But here’s what makes Teneo genuinely unusual: it does not just do PR.
Teneo’s services span strategic communications, investor relations, financial transactions and restructuring, management consulting, physical and cyber risk, organizational design, board and executive search, geopolitics and government affairs, and ESG.
Correspondingly, it positions itself not as a PR agency, but as the global CEO advisory firm.
That positioning is deliberate. And for the right client, it’s extremely valuable.
Teneo Key Facts
- Founded: 2011, New York
- Valuation (2025): ~$2.3 billion
- Staff: 1,800+ across 40+ offices globally
- Majority owner: CVC Capital Partners
- Chairwoman: Ursula Burns | CEO: Paul Keary
- Primary strengths: CEO advisory, M&A communications, investor relations, restructuring, political risk
- UK expansion: Acquired Blue Rubicon (2015), StockWell, Pendomer Communications, Tulchan (2023)
- Notable advisors: Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Moore, former U.S. DNI Stacey Dixon, former CENTCOM Commander General Frank McKenzie
What Teneo Is Well Known For
Teneo’s advisory model is built around one central idea: that CEOs facing complex, high-stakes situations need counsel that operates across disciplines simultaneously, not separate agencies managing separate workstreams.
CEO and Executive Communications: This is the firm’s core identity. Teneo works directly with chief executives on their personal communications, leadership visibility, and strategic positioning. Few agencies operate at this level with this level of integration.
M&A and Financial Communications: Teneo’s acquisition of Tulchan in 2023 significantly expanded its M&A advisory capabilities in the UK and Asia Pacific. The firm advises on some of the most complex cross-border transactions in the market.
Restructuring Communications: Teneo’s financial advisory division , with 600 employees dedicated to ., makes it genuinely distinct. No other communications firm offers this level of financial advisory depth alongside its PR work.
Political Risk Advisory: The recent additions of former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Moore, former U.S. DNI Stacey Dixon, and former CENTCOM Commander General Frank McKenzie to its Global Political Risk Advisory team make Teneo’s geopolitical capabilities essentially unmatched in the agency world.
Read Also: MSL vs Hanover Communications: Healthcare vs Financial PR Battle
Lansons vs Teneo: A Direct Comparison
| Factor | Lansons | Teneo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 | 2011 | |
| Structure | Independent (Team Farner backed) | Global advisory firm (CVC backed) | |
| Staff | Part of $125M volume group | 1,800+ globally | |
| Primary focus | Integrated UK comms | CEO advisory, M&A, multi-discipline | |
| Financial PR | Yes – core strength | Yes – M&A, investor relations, restructuring | |
| Crisis comms | Yes – “specialist “ | Yes – high-stakes crisis counsel | |
| Public affairs | Yes – UK policy expertise | Yes – global geopolitics and government | |
| Best client size | Mid-to-large UK organizations | Fortune 100, FTSE 100, global institutions | |
| Pricing range | £8,000–£20,000+/month (estimated) | $25,000–$100,000+/month (estimated) |
The difference, ultimately, is scope and seniority. Lansons delivers excellent, senior integrated communications counsel, particularly for UK-focused organizations in financial services, energy, or the public sector.
Teneo, by contrast, operates at the level of global institutional complexity, CEO-level advisory, and cross-discipline integration that most agencies simply cannot replicate.
Who Should Choose Between Lansons vs Teneo?
Choose Lansons | Team Farner if:
- You’re a mid-to-large UK organization in financial services, energy, or the public sector
- You need integrated communications across corporate reputation, public affairs, and crisis
- You value long-term agency relationships with senior-level attention (93% retention backs this up)
- You want European reach through Team Farner’s network without paying global holding company rates
- Your communications challenge fits the “specialist situations” model, complex but not a full crisis
Choose Teneo if:
- You’re a Fortune 100 or FTSE 100 company advising a CEO through a high-stakes situation
- You need M&A communications coordinated with financial restructuring advice simultaneously
- You’re navigating significant geopolitical, regulatory, or cross-border corporate risk
- You require board-level advisory, not just communications campaign execution
- Your brief requires multiple disciplines, communications, financial advisory, risk, and people advisory, to work as one integrated team
Neither is ideal if:
- You’re a startup or SME with a multi-disciplinary PR budget
- You need niche B2B tech, consumer lifestyle, or-specialist expertise
- You want a campaign-focused creative agency, rather than a strategy-first advisory firm
Lansons vs Teneo: Pricing and Access
Lansons does not publish pricing publicly.
Based on the London independent comms market, retainers for this calibre of agency typically start at £8,000–£15,000 per month for foundational corporate communications programs.
Larger multi-workstream briefs will cost proportionally more.
Teneo similarly does not publish pricing.
However, given the seniority of its advisory team and the complexity of engagements it handles, realistic retainers for ongoing advisory relationships begin at $25,000+ per month and can climb significantly for large-scale M&A or crisis.
Lansons vs Teneo firms are investment-grade decisions. Approach either with a clear brief, a realistic budget, and a willingness to invest in the relationship over time.
What the Industry Says About Lansons vs Teneo
Lansons received recognition from PRWeek UK as an agency to watch in 2024.
Its 93% client retention rate, reported by PRovoke Media, is a verifiable signal of consistent client satisfaction.
A retention rate that high, maintained across a competitive market, suggests clients are seeing real value year after year.
Teneo, meanwhile, has grown from a $750 million valuation in 2019 to approximately $2.3 billion as of August 2025, a threefold increase that reflects aggressive growth through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.
Its WestExec Advisors unit, combined with recent senior geopolitical hires, positions Teneo as perhaps the only firm capable of providing fully integrated CEO, communications, financial, and political risk advisory at a global scale.
Both trajectories are impressive and reflect genuine market demand.
The question is simply which trajectory matches yours.
Conclusion: Lansons vs Teneo
Lansons vs Teneo is one of the clearest agency comparisons you’ll encounter in the UK PR market. Not because one is better than the other, but because they serve such different needs.
Lansons | Team Farner is the right choice for UK organizations that need integrated, senior communications counsel across reputation, regulation, and public affairs.
Its record 2024 performance, long-term client relationships, and “specialist situations” framework make it one of the most reliable mid-size agency choices in London.
Teneo, by contrast, is the right choice when the stakes are existential, when your CEO is navigating a hostile takeover, a geopolitical crisis, a major restructuring, or a cross-border M&A transaction that requires every advisory discipline working as one.
No other firm does this with Teneo’s depth.
Know your situation and your budget. Then make the call accordingly.
The wrong agency at the right time is still the wrong agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Lansons and Teneo? Lansons is a UK-focused integrated communications and reputation management agency, particularly strong in financial services and public affairs. Teneo is a global CEO advisory firm offering communications alongside financial advisory, restructuring, risk, and management consulting.
Is Lansons a good PR agency for financial services? Yes. Lansons has a 35-year track record in financial services PR, a 93% client retention rate, and clients including Invesco and Legal & General. It is one of the UK’s most respected financial communications firms.
What does Teneo specialise in? Teneo specialises in CEO advisory, M&A communications, investor relations, financial restructuring, political risk, and corporate crisis counsel. Its model makes it unique in the communications advisory landscape.
Is Teneo a PR agency? Teneo positions itself as a CEO advisory firm rather than a traditional PR agency. While strategic communications is a core capability, it operates across financial advisory, management consulting, geopolitics, and risk under one integrated model.
How much does Teneo cost? Teneo does not publish pricing. Based on its target client profile, Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 companies, and the seniority of its advisory team, realistic retainers start at approximately $25,000+ per month.
What kind of clients does Lansons work with? Lansons serves organizations in financial services, energy, the public sector, and beyond. Current clients include Invesco, Legal & General, Openreach, The National Lottery, and Sky Bet.