Sydney, August 8, 2007 – Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications consultancy, today announced the appointment of Brian West as the new Market Leader of Burson-Marsteller Australia, effective September 1. The appointment of the 27-year veteran of the public relations industry was announced by Bill Rylance, President and Chief Executive Officer of Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific.
Mr. West, 48, brings to Burson-Marsteller significant experience at the highest levels of the agency sector, both within Australia and internationally.
He was President and Chief Executive of Hill & Knowlton (H&K) Asia-Pacific from 1998 to 2005 and Executive Vice-President for H&K in the region from 1995. Prior to that appointment he was Managing Director of H&K Australia. His career also includes significant public affairs and investor relations experience with other organizations.
He was most recently General Manager of Public Affairs & Communication at the Australian Rugby Union.
Mr. Rylance said: “Brian left his regional role with Hill & Knowlton in 2005 in order to focus his professional and family life within Australia. We are obviously delighted that Burson-Marsteller has attracted him to return to the agency world. I have no doubt that his domestic and international experience will provide our teams in Sydney and Melbourne with invigorating leadership and our clients with superb strategic insight. I know he is excited about the opportunity to have a profound impact on our business in a very important market for our company”.
Mr. West replaces Walter Jennings, who has left the firm with immediate effect.
# # #
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and public affairs firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising, and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 57 wholly-owned offices and 46 affiliate offices, together operating in 59 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.
First established in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo in 1973, the Burson-Marsteller network in Asia Pacific includes offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Chengdu, Chennai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Kolkata, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo; with affiliates in Auckland, Bangkok, Dubai, Islamabad, Karachi, Manila, Taipei and Wellington. For more information please visit www.asiaperspective.com.
Burson-Marsteller was named ‘International Agency of the Year’ in The Holmes Report’s 2007 Agencies of the Year awards and is also a three times winner of the ‘Asia Pacific Network of the Year’, at the annual Asia Pacific PR Awards in 2000, 2003 and 2005.