NEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 15, 2009, the Financial Communications Society - a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving professional standards of the financial communications arena - recognized Allianz Global Investors (AGI) and Carpenter Group for their work in creating a new value-add program focused on helping advisors enhance their communications skills. "Communication is a critical part of the advisor-client relationship," said Cathleen Stahl, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing at Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC. "Recognizing this, Allianz Global Investors wanted to build a program that would provide advisors with the skills they need to communicate effectively with their clients regardless of the situation - from presentations to telephone calls." AGI partnered with Carpenter Group to create materials that were both engaging in their presentation of the subject matter and effective in their delivery. Carpenter Group positioned the program around the concept of "making a personal connection" and created a design system that ensured that advisors would take notice. Carpenter Group also developed a unique "program in a box" format that enabled AGI to make the program more accessible to advisors. According to Polly Carpenter, President of Carpenter Group, "The increasing importance that distribution partners are placing on practice management means that firms need to deliver high value content that is both accessible and readily applicable to everyday sales processes." About Carpenter Group Carpenter Group helps financial services organizations improve growth and profitability through practical business advice, branding and marketing, and creative implementation services, including technology-enabled solutions. Carpenter Group offers a unique combination of business acumen and creativity to help executives think through business issues, develop practical action plans and implement impactful programs. About Allianz Global Investors Allianz Global Investors, the asset management division of Allianz SE (NYSE:AZ), is a leading investment management company, with more than $1 trillion under management as of March 31, 2009. Allianz Global Investors offers access to a premier group of institutional investment firms, including PIMCO, NFJ Investment Group, RCM, Nicholas-Applegate and Oppenheimer Capital. The company offers investment solutions across a broad spectrum of asset classes and investment styles in a wide array of products, including mutual funds, managed accounts and closed-end funds. For additional information: http://www.carpenternyc.com/ (C) 2009. Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105-4800, http://www.allianzinvestors.com/, 1-888-877-4626. DATASOURCE: Carpenter Group CONTACT: Polly Carpenter of Carpenter Group, +1-212-431-6666 Web Site: http://www.carpenternyc.com/

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