INTERNATIONAL: Gateway Asia corp comms vice-president set to leave

HONG KONG: Bob Sherbin, vice-president regional corporate

communications at PC manufacturer and retailer Gateway, is to leave at

the end of next week.

Industry speculation suggests Sherbin is set to succeed Merrill Lynch

Asia-Pacific PR boss Tim Cobb. However, Sherbin declined to comment on

the move.

Cobb is set to leave his role as director of marketing and

communications for Asia and Australia this month, to return to the US

(PRWeek, 27 April).

He leaves after 19 months in the job and is expected to take a post at

Merrill's North American operations.

The role involves managing all advertising and PR in the region.

Sherbin's experience in the financial sector would make him an ideal

candidate to replace Cobb.

He was executive vice-president at First Pacific, the Philippines-based

banking, property and telecommunications conglomerate, before joining

Gateway in October 1999.

Prior to this, he spent four years working in media and investor

relations at HSBC in Hong Kong, and was a journalist with Dow Jones in

the US, Europe and Asia.

At Gateway, a replacement for Sherbin is not being sought, as the

department is being restructured.

Sherbin said regional communications, covering Australia/New Zealand,

Japan and the rest of Asia would now be co-ordinated through Europe.

Speculation on Gateway's future in the region continues, but Sherbin

said: 'Gateway is staying in Hong Kong.'

San-Diego headquartered Gateway has manufacturing plants in Ireland,

Malaysia and the US and other operations in countries including

Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark and France.

The firm recorded net income for 2000 of pounds 172m and has nearly

25,000 employees worldwide.

Earlier this month, Gateway launched an advertising and marketing

campaign surrounding its lowest-price offer, created as part of the

firm's defence against a price war with rival Dell Computer Corp.