What’s Happening at Finn Partners, DiGennaro Communications, Ketchum & Berk Communications
Former NBC News Anchor John Seigenthaler Joins Finn Partners
Seigenthaler worked at NBC News for much of his career as a special correspondent and the NBC Nightly News Weekend anchorman. Over the decade or more with NBC, he worked on many national and international stories including national conventions, U.S. presidential campaigns, natural disasters around the world and various terrorist attacks in New York, London, Paris, and the Middle East.
He joins Finn Partners’ New York office as their Senior Counsel, working with clients and agency teams in reputation management, media direction and training, crisis communications, and video and social media strategy.
Bob Osmond Steps into DiGennaro Communications as Executive VP
DiGennaro, a New York-based strategic communications boutique PR firm founded by Samantha DiGennaro, brought Bob Osmond onto their staff as the client services EVP this week. Osmond will report to Ms. DiGennaro and has been hired to re-engineer integrated client offerings for the firm. The position is new and is part of their executive team.
Osmond has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, directing P&G Gillette’s account recently as their SVP for Ketchum. He’s also worked at Cohn & Wolfe’s San Francisco office, and founded and led UpStart Communications (one of FleishmanHillard’s agencies). Ms. DiGennaro said: “Bob’s deep experience overseeing integrated marketing, thought leadership, and PR programs for some of the world’s best brands and agencies will help take DiGennaro’s client service and strategic client counsel to the next level.”
Ketchum Creates New Break Through Advisory Board and Appoints 10 Members
The new board was created to provoke, inspire, and challenge their companies with new ways of doing business. They will also advise regarding emerging tech, collaboration opportunities, latest trends, new content platforms, thought leadership, and products and services.
The 10 initial members of the new board will report to the Chairman and CEO Rob Flaherty. Five men and five women have been appointed. These members are: Jon Chin (Singapore), Ben Foster (Chicago), Shawn Ghuman (Washington DC), Marc Levy (New York), Hayley McLaughlin (New York), Lauren Mundell (New York), Claudia Mutschlechner (Stuttgart), Rich Pacheco (New York), Asya Soskova (Moscow), and Adriana Toledo (Sao Paulo).
Meatpacking Business Improvement District signs Berk Communications as AOR
The not-for-profit organization, Meatpacking Business Improvement District (MBID), representing Manhattan’s meatpacking district neighborhood has signed New York-based Berk Communications and Marketing Group as their agency of record. Berk became part of MWWPR in 2015. Berk will consult with MBID about community programs, events, strategic partnerships, and work on their media relations and communication strategy. Berk specializes in lifestyle, travel and hospitality, and entertainment PR.
New York’s PR Museum Appoints a New Board Member
Maxim Behar, President of ICCO, was just appointed as an advisory board member to the PR Museum in New York City, a not-for-profit organization. This is the only PR Museum in the world and is located at the Newman Library on the CUNY Baruch College campus. Founder of the Museum, Shelly Spector, said: “Mr. Behar will be able to provide much-needed guidance, not only expanding the museum’s global presence but how we can best serve and represent the growing number of PR communities around the world.”
Mr. Behar originally came from Bulgaria and his past experience includes being a partner at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He founded M3 Communications Group, Inc., which he still leads, and as well as being President of ICCO since 2015; he is the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Seychelles.
