ATLANTA: Hill & Knowlton has swiped Deborah Spicer away from BellSouth and installed her in its Atlanta media relations practice.
ATLANTA: Hill & Knowlton has swiped Deborah Spicer away from
BellSouth and installed her in its Atlanta media relations practice.
Spicer, who joins the firm as VP and director of media relations, was
previously one of the key cogs in the BellSouth communications machine,
serving as assistant director of media relations.
’This is a big home run for us,’ said Alan Altman, H&K’s Atlanta GM.
’We haven’t stopped smiling since she accepted the job.’
Spicer will anchor the agency’s hi-tech practice and general media
relations services. Her immediate account duties will include e*trade’s
employee communications, Finland-based telecom giant Sonerra and two
soon-to-launch dot-coms in the healthcare and industrial auction
sectors.
’Anyone who is in PR reads Hill & Knowlton cases,’ Spicer said. ’To be a
part of it and to help build the practice is a very exciting
opportunity.’
While BellSouth lamented the loss of Spicer, the move was far from
unexpected.
’She finally got an offer she couldn’t turn down,’ said VP of
advertising, PR and community affairs William Pate. ’We’ll miss her. She
has been a major force for us.’
Spicer joined BellSouth in March of 1996, just as the ’Baby Bell’ was
redefining itself as a global communications provider. ’She really
helped us move from doing regulatory PR to more consumer and business
PR,’ said Pate. ’I think she’ll bring energy and creativity to H&K.
She’s got a lot of relationships in this city and she’ll be very, very
aggressive.’
Pate said Jeff Battcher will take over Spicer’s role, handling corporate
reputation, branding and labor relations issues.
