Ketchum Elects 12 New Partners to Its Management Team, the Largest Annual Selection in the Firm's History

NEW YORK, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Ketchum, one of the world's leading public relations agencies, announced the selection of 12 new partners, the largest group ever appointed by the firm. Ketchum partners have a responsibility to advance the agency's mission to provide world-class client service and to create and maintain a satisfying, team-based workplace for employees.

"With significantly expanded reach and critical mass as a result of our recent merger with Pleon, the need for proven, highly skilled and dedicated leaders on our management team has risen accordingly," said Raymond L. Kotcher, Ketchum senior partner and chief executive officer. "This talented and diverse group of new partners demonstrated that they can help Ketchum lead the industry with new ways of thinking and managing."

Reflecting Ketchum's strides forward as one of the largest and geographically well-positioned communications firms in the world, five of the newly appointed partners joined the agency as a result of the Pleon merger. Their selection brings the total number of partners in Europe to 14, underscoring that continent's critical client and employee base. The five are as follows:  

• Gianni Catalfamo, president, Pleon Italy, and European director, Ketchum Digital, based in Milan;
• Tim De Boer, CEO, Ketchum Pleon Netherlands, based in Amsterdam;
• Simone Hoch, managing partner, Ketchum Pleon Munich;
• Dirk Popp, managing partner and member of the German executive board, Ketchum Pleon Dresden and Dusseldorf, based in Dresden; and
• Christiane Schulz, managing partner and member of the German executive board, Ketchum Pleon Berlin.

Likewise, reflective of Ketchum's deep commitment to digital excellence and to the colleagues who drive its success, two new partners, both based in the firm's global headquarters in New York, have been appointed to global roles: 

• Jonathan Kopp, global director, Ketchum Digital; and
• Rachel Wallins, director, global human resources.

Finally, five agency leaders who lead client engagements and provide superior client experiences also have been named partners. They are as follows:

• Mike Doyle, associate director, New York;
• Michael O'Brien, director, New York client services;
• Kathy Jeavons, public affairs, Washington, D.C.;
• Tamara Norman, director, New York corporate practice; and
• Paul Cohen, group manager, New York.

"These leaders provide us with an even more global perspective, drive our transformation as a digital business, deliver an outstanding client experience and develop the talented people around them," Kotcher said. "They also typify our team-based culture, encouraging even better worldwide and regional collaboration. As a result, they help us advance our integration efforts, develop worldwide consistency and improve our new-business win rate."

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 & 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, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, and Ketchum Pleon Change (change management and workplace communications), 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.  

SOURCE Ketchum