New York, March 20, 2008 -- Burson-Marsteller, a leading public relations and communications firm, announced today it has appointed Andrew Goldberg Chair of its U.S. Corporate and Financial Practice. He will work closely with Josh Gottheimer, Executive Vice President Worldwide, and Patrick Ford, U.S. President & CEO to build upon an already strong unit. This marks Goldberg’s return to Burson-Marsteller, where he served as a director of corporate affairs during the early 1990s.
“We are thrilled to have Andy returning to Burson-Marsteller,” said Gottheimer. “He brings an extraordinary depth of expertise in several areas that present the largest challenges and opportunities for our corporate practice clients in the financial and banking sectors, where he has been engaged in critical corporate challenges facing clients, including mergers, de-mergers, workouts and corporate litigation matters. He also has strong experience in other key areas like sustainability, change management and stakeholder engagement.”
Prior to this appointment, Goldberg had founded and chaired AGG International, a Burson-Marsteller subsidiary conducting strategic research and brand positioning for Fortune 1,000 companies in the automotive, aerospace, defense, financial, consumer products, and transportation sectors. As CEO of AGG, Goldberg focused on the high technology and innovation content of these industries, and the long-term technological trends confronting global corporations. Much of this work involved issue-based image marketing, constituency building and advocacy for companies facing significant consumer or customer based upheaval.
AGG has also worked closely with senior management of major U.S. and international companies on corporate and financial image, organizational change, and public/social affairs marketing, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and social equity issues.
Before AGG, Goldberg headed the combined marketing, communications, and public relations functions at Mercedes-Benz North America. During his tenure, Mercedes-Benz expanded its leadership in the premium automotive segment and pioneered the use of new communication techniques in areas of customer relationship marketing, brand-integrated entertainment, experiential marketing, and internet-based communications.
Goldberg holds a PhD in international relations from Columbia University.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller (www.bm.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications 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 56 wholly-owned offices and 47 affiliate offices, together operating in 59 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP Group plc (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.