Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest news stories of the past week.
Porter Novelli CEO Karen van Bergen Named “Woman of Influence”
Karen van Bergen, chief executive officer of global public relations agency Porter Novelli, has been named a 2016 “Woman of Influence” by the New York Business Journal. The award is part of a national effort by American City Business Journals to celebrate women business leaders. Van Bergen has served as CEO of Porter Novelli since 2013.
She is one of only a handful of female CEOs leading top global public relations firms. Under her leadership, Porter Novelli has been recognized as a 2014 PRWeek Best Place to Work and inclusion on the 2015 PR News Top Places to Work list.
“This is a huge honor, and I am humbled to be in the company of so many brilliant, accomplished and inspirational women,” said van Bergen. “Throughout my career I have been lucky to work alongside many smart, talented and committed professionals. They have made coming to work a true pleasure, and I share this recognition with each and every one of them.”
Van Bergen serves on the board of the PR Council and is a founding member of Omniwomen, which aims to increase the influence and number of women leaders throughout the Omnicom network.
New Leadership for Hill+Knowlton in India
Hill+Knowlton Strategies has announced three new leadership roles in India:
Deepa Jayaraman has been promoted to chief operating officer, Carolina Bajaj is now chief strategy officer, and Sunil Raman is the agency’s new public policy lead.
Jayaraman previously headed the firm’s corporate and financial services practice, and has over 12 years’ experience in marketing and communications, and has worked for clients including Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs and Vodafone. She is based in Bengaluru.
“The communications industry in India is experiencing many of the fundamental changes that we are seeing globally, and Hill+Knowlton Strategies is well prepared for the changes that are happening in India,” said Shapoorjee.
Denver PR Big-Wig: William Kostka R.I.P.
William “Bill” Kostka Jr., leader of William Kostka & Associates, died Sunday night. He was 81.
Bill Kostka’s firm counted as clients some of the biggest names in Colorado and national business, including 7-Eleven, Ford Motor Co., Martin Marietta Corp. (now Lockheed Martin), Kodak and Dow Corning.
Kostka led Denver public relations firm William Kostka & Associates, later renamed Kostka Gleason Communications, for nearly 45 years. The firm was started in 1949 by Kostka’s father, William Kostka and is believed to be the city’s first public relations firm.