Laura Russo, FleishmanHillard’s longtime New York media chief, has been named global managing director of the Omnicom unit’s media relations practice.

Laura RussoLaura Russo
The appointment comes as the agency unveils a new approach to its media relations practice, with new offerings for clients as well as new internal executive media training programs for employees.

According to the agency in a statement, former journalists and professionals within the agency will provide education and training to a community of more than 400 FH staff who will now “operate as a global newsroom, identifying trends and putting together packages of content to help clients share their stories.” Russo will lead this new platform, which includes all of FH’s 80-plus worldwide offices.

For nearly a decade, Russo held the senior vice president and senior partner title at FH and also led the agency’s media relations team in New York. She initially joined the global PR firm in 1998 from independent giant Edelman, where she was a consumer media specialist. She got her start at PR firm The Softness Group, where she was stationed for 12 years.