FleishmanHillard global chief operating officer and president, Americas J.J. Carter will become president and CEO effective Oct. 1. Carter succeeds John Saunders, who will take on the role of chairman of the Omnicom PR Group agency.

(L-R) John Saunders & J.J. Carter
(L-R) John Saunders, J.J. Carter

Carter has been in his current position since 2016. He previously oversaw the agency’s East and West regions in the US along with Canada and Mexico, was general manager of the firm’s San Francisco office, global client relationship manager for one of the agency’s biggest multinational accounts, and launched its global sports marketing practice.

Saunders was named president and CEO in 2015 after leading FleishmanHillard’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region. His relationship with the agency began more than 37 years ago, when the agency he founded in Ireland became an affiliate. Later, he joined with FleishmanHillard to form what was then known as FleishmanHillard Saunders in Ireland.

“J.J. has the experience, skills and vision to rapidly expand on the legacy of FleishmanHillard. I am confident in his ability to drive innovation, teamwork and growth that will accelerate FleishmanHillard’s excellence and expand relationships with clients around the world,” stated Chris Foster, CEO of OPRG. “We are grateful for John’s decades of commitment and leadership and look forward to his ongoing guidance as chairman of FleishmanHillard.”

Carter will report to Foster and will be a member of OPRG’s global leadership team.