Brunswick Expands in China

BEIJING and HONG KONG, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Brunswick Group, a leading corporate communications partnership, today announced its expansion in China and the opening of a new office in Shanghai on November 1st.  The Shanghai office will be Brunswick's third office in China and its 19th globally.  The opening reflects a growing client base of companies in China that require senior level support to address critical communications issues.

The new office in Shanghai will be founded by Po Ling Cheung, who joins Brunswick as a partner with more than 15 years' experience of communications in the region, including as co-head of Morgan Stanley's Asia Pacific corporate communications, looking after the Greater China market and Southeast Asia. 

Brunswick is also building on its seven year platform in China with the infusion of more top-class international talent.  Cindy Leggett-Flynn, one of the firm's most senior partners who has been based in Brunswick's New York office for the last 11 years, will relocate to Hong Kong as the Hong Kong Managing Partner, with an Asia wide remit.  Brunswick has also further expanded its capabilities to support clients' needs in investor relations and research with the appointment of two senior individuals who have joined the Hong Kong office from best-in-class agencies internationally.

"We are thrilled that Po Ling is joining us as a partner to help expand Brunswick's business into Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region, adding to the successful team of over 50 people we have in Beijing and Hong Kong," said Tim Payne, Brunswick Group's Managing Partner in Asia. "I am also delighted to welcome Cindy to China, where she will help us drive Brunswick's fast growing business with her wealth of experience in cross border M&A, crisis management and corporate and investor communications."

"The firm is making great progress internationally, and China has been particularly strong for us again this year.  We are privileged to be working on the leading M&A and crisis briefs in the region, and increasingly expanding our reach across Asia to support the growing needs of local and multinational clients," said Alan Parker, Brunswick's Chairman.  "We believe that no other firm rivals the breadth and depth of senior expertise found at Brunswick.  The team is well placed to help Chinese companies connect with the rest of the world, to give market specific insight to our international clients, and to prepare our clients for the challenges now facing all global companies."

About Brunswick Group

Brunswick Group is a private partnership with a growing team of nearly 500 people, including 82 partners around the world.  The firm has grown organically over 25 years and now has 19 wholly owned offices in 11 countries.  These include Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Stockholm, Vienna and Washington D.C.  The firm's service offer comprises corporate and financial communications, investor relations, internal communications and opinion research.  Brunswick was ranked by Mergermarkets, an independent organisation, as the top global merger and acquisition communications advisor in 2010 and 2009, as well as the top advisor across Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) in each of the last two years.

Po Ling Cheung

Po Ling is a highly experienced strategic communications professional, specialising in financial services and capital markets.  Previously based in Beijing and Hong Kong before settling in Shanghai since early 2008, Po Ling has diverse experience and deep knowledge of China and the Asia region.  Prior to joining Brunswick as a founding partner of its Shanghai office, she was Group Director, Business Development of KCS, a management consultancy spin-off of KPMG.  Before that, she worked for Morgan Stanley for more than nine years. She was an Executive Director of the investment bank and a co-head of corporate communications for Asia Pacific.  At Morgan Stanley, she worked with a number of the investment bank's clients on financial communications, corporate branding and crisis management.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Po Ling was the regional communications head at Banco Santander, Asia Pacific, and worked as a journalist for a number of print and electronic media, including the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Standard and Radio Television Hong Kong.  Po Ling earned a M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Cindy Leggett-Flynn

Since joining Brunswick in New York in 2000, Cindy has worked with many of the world's best known companies, advising on a diverse range of critical communications issues, including crisis, M&A, shareholder activism, change management following transactions and restructurings, and corporate reputation.  Cindy started her career in London, advising British and European companies on M&A and financial communications, and she has continued to focus on cross-border and multinational situations.

Prior to joining Brunswick, Cindy served as U.S. Head of Communications for biotech Chiroscience Group, through its subsequent acquisition by Celltech Group (now UCB). She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

Contact
Brunswick Group
Tim Payne
+852 3512 5000

SOURCE Brunswick Group