Burson-Marsteller’s president and chief executive officer of
Asia/Pacific Peter Kingsbury is to leave the agency. He is being
replaced by Ferry de Bakker, B-M’s president and CEO for Europe .
British-born Kingsbury has decided to return to Australia to start his
own business.
The new role sees de Bakker return to the region in which he started his
B-M career 17 years ago. He joined B-M’s Kuala Lumpur office in 1979 as
a group manager.
Since then he has moved through the ranks of the agency, becoming
manager of B-M Netherlands in 1983, then president and CEO of B-M Europe
two years ago.
’We have sourced one of our most experienced leaders to manage our 17
offices in Asia/Pacific,’ said B-M’s president and chief executive
officer Tom Bell.
’The growth of both Asia’s economies and the company’s business in this
region has been substantial,’ he added. According to Bell, Asian
businesses are beginning to realise the importance of actively managing
their reputation.
Burson-Marsteller is one of the biggest networks in Asia Pacific with 17
offices spread across nine countries.
Reporting to de Bakker will be vice-chairman for Asia Martin Langford,
three chairmen of the healthcare, corporate and marketing practices,
plus strategic client services chairman Steve Lyons. B-M’s global
healthcare practice chair John Smith has been appointed to replace de
Bakker in Europe.
