The week in lobbying

Burson-Marsteller in Switzerland has promoted Gabi Badertscher, previously senior public affairs consultant, to the role of manager of the public affairs division. She also becomes a member of the executive board. Before joining Burson-Marsteller, Badertscher worked in various managerial positions in the airline, healthcare, education and training and financial sectors.

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners' director of comms and external affairs Keith Johnston is leaving to launch his own comms agency, Private Wealth Comms. Johnston's agency will focus on providing comms advice to the private wealth sector. Its offerings will include creating digital newsletters and content, social media training and specialist private client business development.

Civitas, the Westminster think-tank, has appointed Media Intelligence Partners as its media adviser, in a move that marks a new phase in its development. Civitas, which has previously specialised in social policy research, has hired MIP to help promote its planned expansion into economic and industrial policy. Its research programme for the coming year includes extensive work on rebalancing the UK economy towards manufacturing.