Edelman will shift its global structure in response to increasing communications work in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia next year.
Oversight of the agency's Africa and Middle East markets will move from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region under David Brain, president and CEO of APAC, effective next July. Brain will continue to report to global COO Matt Harrington.
The former role of EMEA president and CEO Robert Phillips, who left Edelman in a shock departure last month, will cover Europe only. Susan Eastoe is filling the position on an interim basis.
The overhaul will result in more personnel moves in the Asia region. Bob Grove, MD of Southeast Asia, will be given oversight of North Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Iain Twine, GM of the Middle East and Africa, will manage operations in Southeast Asia and Australia, and Robert Holdheim, MD of India, will lead the India, Africa, and Middle East markets. All three will report to Brain.
“As global markets grow and change, we continually examine how we shape our global path forward and make the right strategic adjustments for our clients and for our people,” said Richard Edelman, the eponymous agency's president and CEO, in a statement. “'Increasingly, our clients are structuring themselves against growth opportunities prompted by increasing trade flows between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. We are looking to capitalize on this trend by organizing ourselves in a similar fashion.”
Phillips left Edelman last month, shortly after he was given the role of global chair for public engagement and future strategies. In February, the agency promoted then-US CEO Matt Harrington to global COO, a newly created role, and moved Edelman China president Mark Hass into the US chief executive position.
This story originally appeared on the website of PRWeek UK, the sister publication of PRWeek at Haymarket Media.
