 Allan Kamau |
Weber Shandwick has opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya. The new practice is meant to serve as a hub for the agency’s East Africa operations and allow it to execute programs across the region. Allan Kamau, who was previously head of Portland Communication’s Nairobi office, will serve as managing director of Weber Shandwick East Africa. Kamau has also worked for the Financial Times and strategy and communications consultancy Africa Practice. “With over 75 percent of our work being pan-African, our new office will strengthen our ability to provide world class services seamlessly across the continent,” said Weber Shandwick Africa CEO Jill Hamilton. The agency already has an office in Johannesburg, South Africa, in addition to affiliates and partners throughout Africa.
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Ketchum has launched the Bee Marks Nutrition Communication Fellowship, a paid internship that will be awarded to one candidate who is a registered dietitian or completing his or her dietetic internship or master’s in nutrition in spring 2018. Based in New York, the fellow will work with Ketchum’s Borderless Nutrition team of on-staff registered dietitians and food marketing and communication experts, growing their nutrition expertise through tailored training and projects. The program honors the late Beatrice “Bee” G. Marks, a leader in developing the modern practice of food and nutrition marketing, who worked at Ketchum for more than 40 years. Marks died in September 2017 at the age of 95. “Bee not only built what is now Ketchum’s global food practice,” said Ketchum partner, director food & beverage, North America Kim Essex, “but she also was a true pioneer in the field.” To find out more about applying for the fellowship, click here.
 Mabel De Beunza |
DeepSleep Studio, a Miami-based creative agency, has added public relations to its list of services. The agency already provides clients with graphic design, branding, web development, social media, video production and motion graphics. The public relations sector of the firm will be led by Mabel De Beunza and Paula Gomez, who have represented Fotainebleau Miami Beach in addition to such clients as Trump National Doral and the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau. “As the lines continue to blur between traditional public relations, social, digital and marketing, we understood that to stay ahead of the curve and truly be a valuable resource for our clients, we needed to bring multi-faceted, expert-led solutions under one roof,” said DeBeunza.
4media group completes its acquisition of Family Features Editorial Syndicate... Illumination PR, which represents lifestyle brands, influencers and celebrities, launches DR Media Group... EAG Advertising and Marketing acquires pay-for-performance firm INK inc. Public Relations. 
LLYC launches Signs of Pride, a campaign that revives the original protest banners of the first Pride marches... The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry forms the Public Relations and Digital Marketing Working Group... Circle of One Marketing, a Miami-based, minority-owned marketing agency, is named official agency of record for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. 
Vogel Group, a DC-headquartered government affairs and consulting firm, forms a strategic partnership with Montreal-based public affairs firm Boléro Stratégies... Matter Communications launches project-based offerings for B2C companies looking to increase brand awareness and visibility... Tucker/Hall, a Tampa-based PR and public affairs firm, opens a new office in Orlando. 
Why investing in public relations is ultimately about building bridges in a connected world.
Edelman is laying off 330 people (5.3 percent of its workforce) to cope with an anticipated eight percent shortfall in 2024 US revenues, and client demand for one-stop shopping for speciality services.
