NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 21– Communications consultancy APO Group has appointed former International Criminal Court (ICC) spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah to lead its newly established strategic reputation and crisis communications division, targeting organisations facing growing reputational risks across African markets.

El Abdallah, who spent 15 years as the ICC’s spokesperson and head of public affairs, joins the firm as Chief Strategic Advisor for Reputation and Crisis Communications.

The appointment comes as organisations contend with reputational challenges driven by digital media, disinformation and heightened public scrutiny, increasing demand for crisis preparedness and coordinated communications strategies.

APO Group said the new division will advise multinational companies, financial institutions, governments and African businesses on crisis response, executive communications, reputation recovery and risk monitoring.

During his tenure at the ICC, El Abdallah managed communications around high-profile legal proceedings and institutional controversies, working with senior leadership and media organisations across multiple jurisdictions.

APO Group Founder and Chairman Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard said reputation management remained an underdeveloped area of the continent’s communications industry.

“For 15 years, Fadi managed institutional reputation during coordinated disinformation campaigns, sanctions crises, and war crimes trials, before a global audience and under permanent legal constraint,” Pompigne-Mognard said.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Bas Wijne, said the division would combine strategic advisory services with the firm’s existing communications and media distribution operations across African markets.

The new unit will offer crisis planning, rapid-response communications and recovery support, alongside intelligence to help clients monitor emerging reputational threats.

Founded in 2007, APO Group operates a press release distribution service and a strategic communications consultancy serving international and African organisations. Its clients include Emirates, Nestlé, Canon, DHL, the African Development Bank Group and the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The company says its Africa Newsroom distribution network reaches more than 450,000 journalists and news organisations across the continent, while its communications operations cover all 54 African markets.

The appointment expands APO Group’s advisory offering beyond media distribution and public relations into crisis management, a field in which organisations increasingly need to respond quickly to reputational threats across multiple markets.

However, the company’s claims about the reach and uniqueness of its services have not been independently established. The division’s commercial performance and ability to convert demand for crisis communications into sustained revenue remain to be seen.