Former GolinHarris public affairs president Lane Bailey and ex-Dewey Square Group CEO A.J. Donelson have unveiled Washington-based Advocom Group, a three-office shop aimed to merge three disciplines of PA, PR and capital markets consulting.
Bailey left GolinHarris in November as GH shifted government work to sister Interpublic firm Cassidy & Associates, and he began building up the firm with Donelson at the end of last year.
Advocom has outposts in China and Brussels with an international team including John Russell, who led Weber Shandwick’s PA and corporate communications unit in the Asia Pacific, and Robert Magyar, another WS (Tokyo, Beijing) alum.
Donelson said the firm will bring together staff experience in government, corporations, PR and marketing agencies to help clients “connect the dots” of its three-pronged focus of government affairs, corporate communications and capital markets consulting.
Bailey was chief of staff to Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) for the last ten of 22 years on the senator’s staff before moving to GH as president and then worldwide director of its public affairs unit.
Donelson headed government affairs for 3M before moving to PA shop Ryan McGinn, which became part of Weber Group and later Weber Shandwick.
Among six key D.C. staffers are former Democratic Leadership Council executive VP Holly Page, ex-Porter Novelli D.C. head Carolyn Tieger (of "Harry & Louise" fame), and former AstraZeneca senior director of government affairs Ken Levinson.