Porter Novelli Buys in Russia, SKD Knickerbocker Partners With Obama & Denver PR Moves
Porter Novelli Acquires The APBC
Russia’s Porter Novelli office recently bought a Russian PR company, saying “We are the agency with open architecture and several professional teams have joined our company over the past decade. It is difficult to talk about takeovers in the highly fragmented Russian communications market, it is rather the integration of people, expertise, technologies, and customer bases. The team as to the (APBC) Agency of Political and Business Communications is small but extremely professional. We know them very well by our collaborative work in the past, and are confident that they will quickly and effectively blend into our team.”
Ivan Kim, owner of the APBC, is well known as a top-ranked expert in the telecom industry, and will take over the position of Head of High Technology Practices for R.I.M Porter Novelli as a part of the deal. Being quite experienced in the industry and holding a number of positions (such as Press Secretary for Rostelecom), Kim seems quite ready for his new role stating, “I knew R.I.M. Porter Novelli long ago, and I have worked with them a lot as a customer. Now, we understand how we, while preserving the customer base and the best practices of the Agency of Political and Business Communications, can combine them with R.I.M. resources and team, bringing up to a new level both the quality of work as a whole and the technologies of project development and implementation that are being used..”
SKDKnickerbocker adds Amy Brundage to their DC Public Affairs Department
Amy Brundage, formerly a deputy assistant to President Obama and deputy director of communications at the White House. She also served in various other capacities in eight years’ working for President Obama. In her new role as Sr. VP, she will lead teams working with both non-profit and corporate clients.
Previous to her work with President Obama, she worked with Congressman John Kerry for five years. Most recently she served as White House Communications Director. According to The Washington Post, she will be working on the Obama Foundation, represented by SKDK. SKDK’s managing director, Anita Dunn, who served as Obama’s communications director for much of his first year in office, manages the foundation’s account.
Weber Shandwick Selected as AOR for Colorado Education Association
In an effort to expand awareness of and support for CEA’s advocacy for quality public education, the Colorado Education Association has appointed the Denver office of Weber Shandwick the strategic communications AOR.
The 37,000 members of the CEA are excited about the appointment, stating, ““We were looking for an agency with the right experience and insights to engage with our stakeholders and to increase understanding and support for CEA’s mission. Weber Shandwick offers the perfect balance of local insights and extensive experience in strategic thinking and creative storytelling for iconic brands and global campaigns.”
