Ketchum Pleon Germany Leadership Transition Complete; Sieg to Depart Firm at End of Year

LONDON, DUSSELDORF, Germany and NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ketchum today announced that it has completed its management transition in Germany.

Timo Sieg, managing director in Germany and CEO of Europe, will leave the firm at the end of 2011. Dirk Popp will continue in his role as CEO of Germany, a country of great strategic importance to the firm's overall growth strategy. David Gallagher assumes the position of CEO of Ketchum Pleon, the firm's European operations, effective immediately.

Ketchum and Pleon merged in Europe in 2009, in one of the public relations industry's largest-ever mergers. Since then, the combined firm has built on Pleon's leadership position in Germany and formed the number-one firm in Europe. Today, the firm operates in 39 cities across the United Kingdom and continental Europe.

Popp was named CEO of Germany earlier this year based on his record of proven leadership and his commitment to providing clients with superior service. With the firm for 15 years, Popp was named head of the Dresden office in 1997 and assumed responsibility for the Düsseldorf office in 2009. Under his leadership, Düsseldorf quickly became one of the firm's most successful offices.

Popp will lead the executive board of Ketchum Pleon Germany, which consists of Christiane Schulz, partner and managing director of the Berlin office, and Horst Wettlaufer, CFO of Ketchum Pleon Germany, in the management of Ketchum Pleon Germany.

Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and CEO, Ketchum, said, "With the transition complete, Timo has resigned from Ketchum Pleon to take some time for himself."

Kotcher continued, "Timo has been a strong business partner. His accomplishments have provided an excellent foundation to grow Ketchum into the industry leader across Europe and become the stronger, more geographically diverse, more creative firm it is today."

Sieg commented, "I have greatly enjoyed the 15 years I've spent at the agency, in particular the last three. Being a part of our two firms coming together has been exciting and fulfilling. Now that David and I have completed two years of operating together and have Dirk in place as CEO of Germany, it is time to turn European leadership over to David Gallagher. I have worked closely with David and Dirk, and I know they will continue to achieve great success by focusing on meeting our clients' demands and growing the firm's talent. In addition, I will continue to provide senior counsel to our clients. I am now ready to take time off and prepare for new opportunities ahead."

Popp said, "We are grateful for the years Timo has contributed to building Ketchum Pleon into a market leader."

Gallagher's considerable experience and proven track record make him the ideal fit to advance Ketchum's overall European business. For the past two years, Gallagher has been serving as president of Ketchum Pleon, overseeing operations in Europe, including the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. Prior to that, Gallagher oversaw the group's pre-merger European operations. Before that, he led Ketchum's U.K. operations, where he grew that business to double its size.

Gallagher said, "I am honored to take on the role of CEO of our European operations, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the leadership in the region and also to our continued success. We are known for producing meaningful results for our clients, and that comes from having passionate, creative colleagues who focus on meeting our clients' needs every day."

About Ketchum

Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2010 Large PR Firm of the Year (Holmes Report and PR News) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum