Havas PR North America Hires Renee Harper As Executive Vice President

NEW YORK, June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Renee Harper, CCO of the Newark public school system, has been named executive vice president at Havas PR North America. Harper will be based in New York, reporting directly to Marian Salzman, CEO, North America, and chair, Havas PR Global Collective.

Harper joins Havas PR N.A. at a time of meaningful growth at the agency; her appointment will further that expansion as she focuses on new business opportunities in the education, philanthropy and NGO sectors. She will serve as a strategic adviser to Salzman and will also serve as strategic counsel to the agency's newly won business for the UN Foundation. Harper's presence at Havas PR N.A. is one more example of the high priority it places on cause work, which includes its Baker's Dozen initiative—by which the agency donates about $1 million in services for every $12 million in billings. Some worthy organizations that have benefited from the group's commitment to giving include the Bob Woodruff Foundation and its Stand Up for Heroes benefit; #GivingTuesday, with which the agency is partnering at this year's Cannes Lions; and SafeandSound.org, an initiative for which Havas PR is providing media counsel.

"When Renee walked into my office, I knew I wanted her on the team within five minutes. She exudes integrity, passion and intellectual vitality—everything that matters to an agency on a growth trajectory, as well as to a global collective poised to win not on a command and control methodology but because we back extraordinary entrepreneurs bonded by shared values and commitment to like-minded clients," said Salzman.

Added Harper, "I am very excited to join such an entrepreneurial group as Havas PR N.A. And with its global scope, Havas is a natural fit for my experience and expertise in multiple regions around the globe, including the U.S., U.K., Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa."

In August 2011, Harper was hired as a consultant for the Foundation for Newark's Future and the Newark Public Schools to lead the communications, media and messaging strategies surrounding the fundraising and stewardship of a $200 million philanthropic donation spearheaded by Mark Zuckerberg and Mayor Cory Booker to set a national model for transformative urban education reform in America. Harper was appointed Chief Communications Officer for NPS in April of 2012, a role in which she will continue for the immediate future.

Harper is a member of the 2012-2013 cohort of America's Leaders of Change, part of the National Urban Fellows. Her professional background includes the Morgan Stanley Office of Development (HR and Communications); Nike, Inc. sports marketing for the NBA; Pearson Media (U.K.); and the Columbia Journalism Review magazine at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

For more on Havas PR, visit us.havaspr.com.

About Havas PR North America
Our call to action is "Connected," and our commitment is to the Future First. As the North American earned-media and buzz boutique within French holding company Havas, we're part of the Havas PR global collective. Headquartered in New York City with offices in Pittsburgh and Chicago, Havas PR North America (formerly known as Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, or @erwwpr) is one of the most awarded agencies of our size in the U.S. For more information, go to us.havaspr.com.

Contact:
Terese Kelly
646.715.9210
[email protected]

SOURCE Havas PR North America