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Weber Shandwick has launched CultureShift, a unit designed to help organizations connect business strategy to corporate culture. Kate Bullinger, executive vice president and global head of employee engagement & change management, leads the offering with a team that includes Alison Quirk, who joins Weber Shandwick as a senior advisor. Quirk was most recently State Street’s chief human resources and citizenship officer. CultureShift will work with businesses that undertake mergers and acquisitions, restructurings or the adoption of new operating models. “CultureShift helps executives understand how aligned their current culture is to the goals of their business strategy so that they can take action to accelerate new ways of working and ultimately transform their organizations for the better,” said Bullinger.
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Newell Public Relations, an independent PR firm with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, has established a dedicated practice group focused on the Greater Bay Area, the Chinese government’s plan to link Hong Kong and Macau with several southern Chinese cities to form an integrated economic and business hub. The plan, which is expected to be approved by China’s State Council later this month, spans 56,000 square kilometers and 66 million people. The new practice group will be headed up by Maggie Chan, director, China, who will lead a team of five.
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Ketchum is re-organizing its North American business based on a model inspired by management consulting firms. Effective June 1, North America presidents Mike Doyle and Hilary Hanson McKean will expand their scope of responsibility to oversee 14 industry sectors, each of which will be led by a newly appointed managing director. Each client will align under a Ketchum leader dedicated to their particular industry, with client teams remaining the same. Partner Denise Kaufmann, North America director of client development, will continue to work with the region’s largest clients. Ketchum plans to implement its industry-focused model globally in 2019.
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.
