SAN FRANCISCO and MIDLAND, MI: The top corporate communications
officer at Dow Corning will leave her position October 15 to become head
of communications at Visa USA.
Barbara Carmichael, VP and chief communications officer, spent 11 years
at Dow Corning, and will become EVP of corporate relations for Visa
USA.
Carmichael will replace John Onoda, who left Visa early this year for a
position at Charles Schwab.
Carmichael said her responsibilities at Visa will be comparable to those
she had at Dow Corning: employee communications and issues management
under the overall objective of reputation management.
"It's very much of a different industry coming from the chemical
industry to a financial services company," said Carmichael. "The big
change is that at Dow Corning I had global responsibility. Visa USA is
part of a continuum around the world."
To fill Carmichael's position at Dow Corning, Janet Botz will be
promoted from director of corporate relations to the altered title of
executive director and chief communications officer.
The key agency for Dow Corning is APCO Worldwide, with backup from
Chicago-based Newell & Matthews. Ketchum serves as agency of record for
Visa USA.
