Charles Sipkins, the former chief communications officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment, has joined Finsbury to open a Los Angeles office for the financial firm.
Sipkins was a top exec of Sard Verbinnen & Co. before joining Sony's movie division in 2013 as executive VP. He left just before the company plummeted into a massive crisis with the hacking of its internal email system amid the release of a satirical film about North Korea.
Finsbury CEO Michael Gross noted Sipkins' deep experience in high-stakes situation and said he will work with the new hire to expand Finsbury's business on the West Coast. Sipkins will work with Finsbury partner Jeff McAndrews in L.A.
He also held top posts at Abernathy MacGregor Group, FleishmanHillard and Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
Hut 8, energy infrastructure platform, has named NextEra Energy's Mark Eidelman head of IR and SVP of strategic finance.
Teneo handles easyJet as Minneapolis investment firm Castlelake mulls a possible takeover of the British budget airline.
Brunswick Group represents Universal Music Group as it rejects the unsolicited $65B takeover offer by billionaire Ed Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management because it “fundamentally and materially undervalues” the world’s largest music company.
Prosek Partners brings on Danielle O’Brien as a managing director in its investor relations practice, based in the firm’s New York office.
Houston’s Dancie Perugini Ware PR represents Fertitta Entertainment as it takes Caesars Entertainment private in a $17.6B cash deal. 
