LONDON: Weber Shandwick has hired Grayling's Mary Whenman as part of a reshaping of its global corporate business.
Whenman will join Weber as MD of the agency's combined UK corporate, financial, and public affairs practice in September. She will report to EMEA and London CEO Colin Byrne on the performance of the business and to Jim Donaldson, head of EMEA corporate communications, on developments for the firm's corporate offering.
The agency has also promoted Donaldson as part of the reshuffle to run a newly formed international corporate team, based in London but working across the agency's international client portfolio.
He will focus on growing the agency's corporate footprint in developing markets, including the Middle East, Brazil, and Africa.
Jon McLeod will continue to serve as chairman of the corporate, financial, and public affairs division in London, including the new international team, working closely with both Whenman and Donaldson.
Byrne said the CFPA practice in London has more than 60 staffers working for more than 70 clients.
“After two years of exceptionally strong growth across our corporate business, CFPA in London is now the biggest single unit reporting to me in the whole region after Germany,” he added.
The agency's global corporate practice has more than 500 consultants around the world. Donaldson joined Weber from Hill+Knowlton Strategies in May 2011. He is thought to have played an instrumental role in the agency securing the multimillion-dollar global PR account of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation in January.
Whenman had led Grayling's corporate and financial practice since November 2010, previously specializing as an interim corporate comms consultant, taking on roles for Freud Communications, Launch Group, Reckitt Benckiser, and Cadbury Schweppes, among others.
She has also held senior roles at FleishmanHillard, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Biss Lancaster, and Paragon Communications.
“I am particularly excited about leading a practice that integrates services across corporate, public affairs, and financial comms, as well as offering such strong digital, CSR, and other specialist teams,” commented Whenman.
This story originally appeared on the website of PRWeek UK, the sister publication of PRWeek at Haymarket Media.
