H/Advisors has set out a shopping list of new markets for 2026, with Poland and Saudi Arabia at the top of its near term plans as the Havas owned strategic advisory network looks to round out its European footprint and deepen its Middle East presence. The group is also signalling fresh growth pushes in North America and selected emerging markets where it has worked with clients but does not yet have owned offices. The clearest move on the board is Poland. Stéphane Fouks, H/Advisors’ executive chairman, has said the network expects to establish a permanent presence through the acquisition of a local agency, with details to follow. The plan sits alongside what he has described as the group finishing its build up in Europe, after a run of deals over the past few years that have broadened H/Advisors’ bench across the region. In the Middle East, H/Advisors is preparing to open an office in Riyadh, expanding from project work in Saudi Arabia into an on the ground base. Fouks has said the firm has been active in the kingdom for more than a decade, including work linked to the AlUla tourism campaign and the Riyadh Expo 2030 bid. The shift to a permanent presence comes as global consultancies and communications networks race to build capacity in Gulf capitals, where government and sovereign linked spending continues to attract international advisers. The network’s broader 2026 map also points west. Fouks has described H/Advisors’ US business as strong in financial communications but less developed in other disciplines, with organic expansion now on the cards. The group has highlighted its role advising on Medline’s flotation in 2025, a deal valued at around $30bn, as an example of the scale of work underpinning its US ambitions. Beyond the US, H/Advisors is eyeing organic growth in Canada, Brazil and India, markets where it has worked with clients without owning offices. The approach reflects a selective expansion strategy rather than a simple flag planting exercise, with the emphasis on building positions in strategic markets alongside leading local agencies. The pitch leans on the network’s existing scale, which H/Advisors describes as more than 1,500 people across over 40 offices in more than 20 countries. The latest push builds on a recent deal that strengthened the group in German speaking Europe. In November 2025, Havas announced it had acquired a majority stake in Gauly Advisors, which joined the H/Advisors network, expanding its corporate and financial communications reach across Germany and the wider DACH region. That acquisition offers a template for what Poland could look like: a local firm folded into a global advisory brand operating inside one of the world’s largest communications groups....