Grayling, the global Public Relations, Public Affairs, Investor Relations and Events consultancy announces the appointment of its six industry sector heads, with the aim to further develop its in-depth knowledge and understanding of each market it operates in, on a local and global level.
Michael Murphy, CEO Grayling said: “In order to be effective as a global consultancy we need to operate with an international mindset reflecting the way that many large companies and organisations work. We conducted detailed research among a wide range of stakeholders and clients and many of them emphasised the importance of having experts in specific fields. These new roles will sit alongside our existing geographic structure.”
The newly appointed industry sector heads are:
Energy, Environment and Industry - Russell Patten. (Based in Brussels) Russell has specialised expertise in EU policies relating to the environmental, energy, transport, as well as agricultural, food and drinks policies. A British national, Russell’s career in Brussels spans 20 years, encompassing a wide range of corporations, trade associations and European Institutions. He was secretary-general of the European Express Association from 1994 to 2003, is currently Secretary-General of Transfrigoroute International and was President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium from 2005 to 2007. He is currently Vice President of the EU Committee of the Chamber. He is a professor at the College of Europe, ISMAPP and the University of Kent. Russell is also the CEO of Grayling in Belgium.
Healthcare and Pharmaceutical - Stephen Lock. (Based equally in Moscow and Istanbul) Stephen joined Grayling in 2004 and currently runs Grayling’s businesses in Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus and our three offices in Central Asia. Stephen has over 18 years Public Relations consulting experience, especially in crisis PR, and 14 years in international public affairs and government relations management. At the start of his career, as a litigation PR practitioner, he worked on a number of 'class action' cases involving the pharmaceutical sector. More recently, he has advised over a dozen healthcare and pharmaceutical firms on issues ranging from market access and state funding; foreign direct investment and localised manufacturing; drug licensing and disease awareness and patient advocacy. This includes running a 17-country integrated publics relations and public affairs campaign on Hepatitis C across Central & Eastern Europe and the former Soviet countries.
Financial & Professional Services - Ilka Schwarz. (Based in Frankfurt) Ilka has worked in the communications industry for 17 years in both agency and in-house positions and specialises in corporate and marketing communications for the financial industry. Before joining Grayling, Ilka worked at Kohtes Klewes (now Ketchum Pleon), in the business development department of a German banking group and as a financial journalist. Ilka is currently Managing Director of Grayling Germany.
Technology, Media & Telecoms - Christine Boehlke. (Based in San Francisco) CEO of Grayling Connecting Point, our specialist Technology and Media Telecomms business, Christine has helped pioneer categories such as digital and Internet video, Internet shopping and entertainment, online fraud protection, virtual conferencing, mobile and wireless computing and customer relationship management. She has spearheaded corporate, branding and product programmes for global leaders such as Cisco, Dolby, Hitachi, Lego, Logitec, Symantec, Sybase and Tetris. Chris has more than 30 years experience in corporate positioning, branding, marketing and crisis management, and her integrated marketing expertise helps clients build revenue along with image and reputation.
Consumer Brands - Loretta Tobin. (Based in London) With over 20 years' experience in consumer marketing and public relations, Loretta is also the CEO of Grayling UK. During her 16 years with Grayling she has led campaigns for The National Lottery, Land Rover and Coca-Cola and prior to Grayling her. Consumer brand experience has encompassed Typhoo, MGF, Comet, npower, BUPA, Showerlux and a number of media sector clients. Loretta has been with the consultancy since 1994 and regularly champions the need for brands to get local to really engage with consumers and change their behaviour.
Government & Public Sector - David Beightol. (Based in Washington) David is the Chief Development Officer for Grayling sister company Dutko Worldwide as well as Managing Director for Dutko Government Markets. Prior to joining Dutko, he was Director of Government Affairs for the large multinational Johnson Controls, Inc., Senior Associate/Partner at International Business Resources, Inc. and from 1991 to 1992 served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs. In 1992, President Bush appointed David Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on the Los Angeles Recovery. From 1987 to 1991 he served as Director of Wisconsin Governor Tommy G Thompson’s Washington, DC office. Mr. Beightol began his political career in the U.S. House of Representatives, first in the office of Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) followed by the Science, Space and Technology Committee. In addition to his duties with Dutko Worldwide, David currently serves on the Republican Governors Association Finance Committee. David is also a member of Governor Mitt Romney’s 2008 Presidential National Finance team and serves as an advisor to both the Maryland Initiative of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Texas Rangers and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Contact:
Name: James Acheson-Gray, International MD, Grayling
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7932 1850
Email: james.achesongray@grayling.com
Source: http://www.prlog.org/10603837-grayling-appoints-global-industry-sector-heads.html
