By Kevin McCauley
Edelman CEO Richard Edelman has named Alan VanderMolen vice chairman of the Daniel J. Edelman Inc. holding company to build global scale for non-Edelman branded businesses such as Zeno (PR), StrategyOne (research), Ruth (integrated marketing) and Matter (sports, sponsorship, entertainment) of the No. 1 independent PR firm.
International generated $220M of Edelman’s overall $604M in 2011 fee income, while overseas revenues were less than $5M for the DJE group.
Richard Edelman says since the DJE group is enjoying robust growth in the U.S. the time is ripe for an international foray.
VanderMolen told O’Dwyer’s the plan is to “build a PR-centric holding company where PR is at the center of the plate of marketing services.” He also will add new business offerings to the DJE line-up.
The 10-year Edelman veteran has deep roots overseas, joining the firm as Asia president. He spearheaded the move into Japan, India and Indonesia and managed the acquisition of Pegasus Communications in China. Currently, he reps Shell and SAP and has counseled Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Starbucks and Samsung.
VanderMolen, who served a 13-year stint at Burson-Marsteller, remains president/CEO of Edelman’s global practices and diversified insights business.
Daniel Edelman is chairman of DJE. Son Richard is executive chairman. |