Teneo has inked a six-month $840K contract to manage the communications department of Neom, which is the $500B mega-city that is supposed to be the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to diversity the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's economic base.

The contract, which became effective Nov. 1, follows Teneo’s earlier six-month deal to develop the overall narrative for Neom. That pact was worth $2.1M.

The New York-based firm’s duties include leading and staffing Neom’s PR unit to ensure that the development’s corporate messages and positioning are effectively communicated.

It also will develop a crisis preparedness capability to include protocols, materials and training programs.

The Neom team includes Padraic Riley, (NYC senior managing director); Jack Coster (NYC VP); Keri Sutherland (Dubai senior VP); Lauren Ramey (Dubai VP); Laurence Cook (Riyadh/Dubai managing director), and Tim Falconer (Dubai managing director).

Teneo, which bills itself as a global CEO advisory firm, was founded by Doug Band, who was President Clinton’s chief counsel; Declan Kelly, ex-Financial Dynamics CEO and economic envoy for Northern Ireland for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Paul Keary, who ran FD’s North American business.