Sitrick And Company Appoints Anita-Marie Laurie as Head of Global Restructuring Practice; Tom Becker to Lead New York Practice

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitrick And Company, the nation's premier strategic communications firm, today announced Anita-Marie Laurie has been appointed as head of the firm's Global Restructuring Practice.

Tom Becker, head of Sitrick's New York office since 2012 and a member of the firm's management committee, will lead the restructuring practice in New York. Additionally, Danielle Newman has been appointed Deputy Head of Sitrick's restructuring practice.  Ms. Laurie, Mr. Becker and Ms. Newman will continue to practice within the strategic communications group of the firm.

Ms. Laurie, who has led or been part of the communications leadership team of approximately 200 in- and out-of-court restructurings during her 18 years with the firm, previously served as head of the firm's West Coast Restructuring Practice. Mr. Becker, who has been part of the communications leadership team in approximately 50 in- and out-of-court restructurings since joining the firm in 2006, previously covered corporate bankruptcy and restructuring as a reporter for Bloomberg News and Dow Jones.

The appointments are part of the firm's reorganization of its restructuring practice to better address the needs of clients in the current economy, including those in the middle market, with cost-effective, strategic communications plans.

"The restructuring industry and entities it serves have changed dramatically over the past several years," said Michael S. Sitrick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sitrick And Company. "Professionals who serve clients within that industry must change as well.  The new program we will be unveiling reflects this reality and allows us to provide strategic communications services from small or mid-sized entities to the mega-sized matters. Clients can, if they choose, receive certainty of cost for the core elements of a communications program and then have the added benefit of additional services of the firm, including our unrivaled media expertise and relationships," Mr. Sitrick said.

"Anita-Marie, Tom, and Dani have consistently delivered for clients in nearly every industry one can think of, from the multi-billion dollar companies to smaller privately-held entities.  We are all very excited about their enhanced roles."

Since joining Sitrick And Company in 1996, Ms. Laurie has been the lead or co-lead executive for some of the largest bankruptcy cases in the country, including Hostess, Delphi and U.S. Airways. Prior to joining Sitrick And Company, Ms. Laurie worked for the City of Santa Barbara and McDonald's Corporation, where she held various positions in the area of economic development and real estate investment. Ms. Laurie holds an undergraduate degree in Humanities from Pepperdine University, where she also attended post graduate classes.

Mr. Becker has counseled clients through a variety of situations including litigation, Chapter 11 restructurings, transactions, reputation management, and civil and criminal investigations during his eight-year tenure with the firm. He holds a Masters Degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and B.A. in Journalism from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York.

Ms. Newman joined Sitrick And Company in 2007 and has since worked with both public and private companies across a variety of sectors and matters to create and implement comprehensive communications plans to support business and legal strategies. Some of the notable restructuring assignments she has provided communications counsel on include Reader's Digest, Hostess, and LyondellBasell.  She has a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Public Relations from Boston University.

SOURCE Sitrick And Company