Ketchum and Ketchum Pleon Announce New Change Management Business, Ketchum Pleon Change

NEW YORK and DUSSELDORF, Germany, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Six months after Ketchum and Pleon announced an agreement that marked one of the largest mergers ever in the public relations industry, the firm, which operates as Ketchum globally and as Ketchum Pleon in Europe, today announced the creation of a single change management entity. Ketchum Pleon Change combines complementary expertise and best practices from two existing units, Pleon's Change & Transformation Practice and Ketchum's Stromberg Consulting. Effective immediately, Ketchum Pleon Change will operate in multiple locations across the globe with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, London and Munich.  

Ralf Langen will serve as president for Ketchum Pleon Change, reporting to the CEO and overseeing client service, business development and the consulting portfolio. He continues to be one of the managing directors of Ketchum Pleon Germany, operating out of the Munich office. Most recently, Langen was the European Practice leader for Pleon's Change & Transformation Practice. Dr. David Rockland will serve as CEO of Ketchum Pleon Change, having the overall responsibility for the consultancy's business management. Dr. Rockland also will continue to lead Ketchum's Global Research Network as partner and managing director. Located in Atlanta, Tyler Durham is global business director and will lead the North American operations, and Katrin Schwabe, global business director and located in Munich, will oversee the EMEA operations of the business. Both are members of the global leadership team for Ketchum Pleon Change.

Ketchum Senior Partner and CEO Raymond L. Kotcher said: "Increasingly, our clients are seeking integrated change management programs to drive greater internal alignment with their external corporate reputation or marketing efforts. If the two work in concert, they can help pay off a company's or product's value proposition. If not, the downside can be steep."

"Combining our joint change management, organizational development, learning and workplace communication capabilities into one is an excellent example of the value that our merged organization brings to clients," added Kotcher.

"The Change practice in Europe has long been one of our core offerings, and I am very pleased to see it built out on a global scale," said Timo Sieg, Ketchum Pleon senior partner and CEO. "Bringing together the experience and capabilities of so many into Ketchum Pleon Change allows us to offer clients best-in-class services wherever their needs exist."

The consultants of Ketchum Pleon Change are trusted advisers for managers and change agents, delivering powerful tools for making change happen that is meaningful to people and is a part of their reality.

"The rate and pace at which our clients are confronting changes in the business environment is unprecedented. Ketchum Pleon Change helps clients anticipate, manage and engage employees or customers through times of radical change and transformation," said Dr. Rockland.

"Success in change today and tomorrow depends on anticipating developments, engaging diverse groups of people and creating rich learning environments for transforming in a way that makes sense for employees," said Langen. "Ketchum Pleon Change combines strong communications and project management experience in the M&A and transformational sector with analytical precision, a profound understanding of organizational behavior, and learning expertise – all in a way that makes sense for people."

Services comprise leadership, culture and values, strategy sharing, engagement and internal communications, merger and acquisition support, team and functional effectiveness, performance management, HR strategies, restructuring support, and learning environments. For more information on Ketchum Pleon Change, please visit www.ketchumpleonchange.com.

About Ketchum

A communications innovator, Ketchum ranks among the largest global communications consultancies and leads the industry in the U.K. and continental Europe as Ketchum Pleon. With five global practices – Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, and Technology – and specialty capabilities that include Access Communications (high- and consumer-tech PR), Concentric Communications (experiential marketing, events and meetings), MMG (clinical trial recruitment), Ketchum Global Research Network, and Ketchum Sports and Entertainment, Ketchum leverages its marketing and corporate communication expertise to build brands and reputations for clients. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

About Ketchum Pleon

Ketchum Pleon is one of the largest, most geographically diverse communications consultancies and the established European market leader. Worldwide, Ketchum has more than 2,000 employees in owned operations and operates in 66 countries with more than 100 owned and affiliated offices. Ketchum is a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC; www.omnicomgroup.com). Additional information on Ketchum Pleon and its award-winning work can be found at www.ketchumpleon.com.

SOURCE Ketchum