WASHINGTON: BCW has promoted EVP Dan Doherty, previously the leader of the firm’s Washington, DC, global public affairs and crisis team, to head its global public affairs and crisis solutions practice in North America.
The promotion is effective immediately. Based in Washington, he is reporting to BCW North America president Chris Foster.
Doherty and Michael Fleischer, BCW DC market leader, will decide how to manage Doherty’s previous Washington, DC, duties. However, Doherty will continue to lead the cannabis consulting unit that BCW launched this year.
Doherty is replacing A.J. Jones, who left BCW in August to become chief corporate affairs and communications officer at Vanda Pharmaceuticals. Foster said the agency chose Doherty after conducting a national search this summer.
"He was always someone I admired in my career and enjoyed working with," Foster said. "When he threw his hat in the race, I was happy."
He added that Doherty can lead and supervise, counsel clients and help the business grow.
Doherty joined Burson-Marsteller in 2017, the year before parent company WPP merged it with Cohn & Wolfe. Previously, he was president of TheWadeGroup.
BCW revenue was up 3% last year to $711 million, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report. WPP’s PR division, which includes BCW, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Finsbury and other firms, posted a revenue decline of 0.9% in Q3.