 Sharon Murphy |
Wilson Hartnell, Ireland’s largest PR firm, has named Sharon Murphy chief executive, effective April 2. Murphy succeeds Brian Bell who is stepping down after more than a decade in the position to become non-Executive Chairman of WHs’ parent company, Ogilvy & Mather Group Ltd. Murphy has been with Wilson Hartnell since 2000 and was appointed to lead the agency’s consumer practice in 2008. She was promoted to deputy CEO of the company in September 2016. “Over the past ten years, Sharon has led our consumer team in delivering many award-winning campaigns, whilst also playing a major role in the overall development of the company to where it is now the leading PR company in Ireland.,” said Wilson Hartnell chairman Roddy Guiney.
 Ralf Hering |
Ralf Hering, Hering Schuppener principal partner and CEO, died suddenly of heart failure on Feb. 16. He was 61 years old. Before founding top German M&A firm Hering Schuppener in 1995, Hering was the chairman and CEO of ABC/Eurocom. He served as co-chairman of the global partnership formed by HS, Finsbury and the Glover Park Group last year; chaired the supervisory board of interactive marketing agency SYZYGY Group; and was a member of the global board of AMO Group from 2002 to 2016. “Thanks to Ralf Hering’s entrepreneurial vision,” a statement on the HS website said, “Hering Schuppener has a strong and broad-based management team that will guarantee stability and continuity.” Hering leaves behind a wife and three children.
 Terry Gallagher |
Lou Hammond Group president Terry Gallagher will receive the Winthrop W. Grice Award for Public Relations at the HSMAI Adrian Awards ceremony on Feb. 20. The awards, which honor professionals in advertising, public relations and digital marketing, will be presented by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International at the New York Marriott Marquis. Gallagher, who joined LHG in 1992, has planned and implemented strategic campaigns for many travel industry accounts, including the promotion of Florida’s Paradise Coast, the positioning of Sonoma County as America’s premier wine and vacation region, and the revitalization of Providence, RI as a cultural and culinary destination. All three campaigns were honored by HSMAI. Gallagher has also developed client tie-ins with retailers such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales, broadcast outlets such as ABC-TV’s “The Bachelor,” sports franchises such as the Boston Red Sox and Miami Heat, and such events as Fashion Week.
DJE Holdings, parent of Edelman and Zeno, launches RUTH as an independent shop named after Ruth Edelman, mental health advocate, wife and longtime business partner of Dan Edelman.
New York City PR firms make up the largest slice of O'Dwyer's 147 firm overall ranking with 33 of 40 in the New York/New Jersey area either calling Manhattan their home or having a presence there.
Subject Matter+Kivvit, which joined forces in May, has rebranded as Avoq, an integrated shop with more than 200 professionals in Washington, New York, Asbury Park (NJ), Miami and Chicago.
While PR pros stationed at in-house comms. teams and those working for agencies share many of the same objectives, they also have markedly different top priorities, according to a recent report.
Edelman is cutting 240 employees or about four percent of its workforce to cope with the cooling down of the PR sector, according to a memo from CEO Richard Edelman.
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