NEWS: PR EUROPE

MADRID: BMW’s Llaguno goes solo

Ignacio Llaguno, director of PR and communications at BMW, has quit the

company to set up his own consultancy. Llaguno was at BMW for six years

and headed a communications team of three with responsibility for media

relations, event management and internal communications. His new agency,

to be launched in September, will offer media analysis services to car

companies. BMW will be Llaguno’s first client. A direct replacement for

him at BMW has not yet been found.

STOCKHOLM: Wilson to head Text 100

Text 100 has named Vivienne Wilson as the head of its new branch in

Sweden. Currently European media relations manager for Novell and a

former account executive with Text 100, Wilson joins the agency on 2

September reporting to group marketing manager Andy West. She will be

assisted by freelance consultant Jan Stahlberg. Opened in June, the

office already handles work for Gateway and Attachmate. West said he

hoped the branch would eventually manage business for both international

and local clients.

DUBLIN: Uproar over O’Herlihy win

A row has erupted in Ireland over education minister Niamh Bhreathnach’s

decision to hire Bill O’Herlihy Communications after giving five

competing firms just one weekend to submit tenders for the three-month

contract. O’Herlihy, Drury Communications, Gibneys, Wilson Hartnell PR

and Murray Consultants were invited to send documentation on 14 June

with a deadline of 17 June. Drury Communications had previously advised

the ministry on its communications strategy.

PARIS: Sophie Renard in frame for PictureTel

PictureTel, the video conferencing equipment producer, has appointed

Sophie Renard Relations Publiques to manage its public relations in

France. The agency beat off competition from two other consultancies,

including incumbent Press et Technologie, to win the business. SRRP will

help launch a new line of products in September and manage a press

relations drive to increase awareness and stress the affordability of

PictureTel’s services.

MILAN: Petrella joins Business Press

Top IT journalist Silvia Petrella had joined hi-tech agency Business

Press to direct several key accounts. Petrella was previously editorial

director of the IDG-owned monthly Networking Italia and director of

Computerworld Italia. She will coordinate work for Computer Associates,

Digital, Oki and Hitachi. Her appointment is partly a replacement for

general manager Diego Biasi who will concentrate on managing Business

Press and developing new business.

ATHENS: Rowland lands Athens airport deal

The Rowland Company has beaten competition from Publicom/Hill and

Knowlton and Ikon to land the account to promote Athens’ new

international airport. Rowland’s first task will be to organise the

foundation stone laying ceremony on 5 September which will be attended

by the Greek Prime Minister Constantinos Simitis. The brief is likely to

include media relations and some crisis management. Due to open in 2001

and costing Dr 658 billion (pounds 1.9 billion), the airport will handle

16 million passengers a year.

edited by John-Pierre Joyce