EDELMAN APPOINTS HEATHER CONWAY AS CANADIAN CEO

July 09, 2009, Toronto -- Edelman Worldwide, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, and the third largest overall, today announced that Heather Conway has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Edelman Canada.

Recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished marketing and communications executives, Conway previously served as Executive Vice President of Marketing, Creative Services, Public Affairs and Affiliate Marketing at Alliance Atlantis. Prior to that, she was EVP of Corporate and Public Affairs at TD Bank Financial Group, one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, where her responsibilities included corporate branding, government relations and internal and external communications.

“There is a currently a structural change underway in communications as clients shift from a push/advertising-led model to a pull communications model that’s focused on developing new and credible ways to engage stakeholders,” said Richard Edelman, President and CEO of Edelman Worldwide. “Public relations is unique in its ability to facilitate this kind of dialogue, particularly as stakeholder society is replacing shareholder society as the sole focus for business, and this is why we are now challenging other disciplines for the lead role in communications. To achieve this leadership, we need to continue to attract the best and brightest minds; not just those who understand PR, but those who have an ability to see the broader landscape.”

Gail Becker, Chair of Edelman Canada added, “Heather’s multi-disciplinary communications background and deep understanding of media – both in terms of content and distribution – will be critical to helping Edelman challenge the status quo and reshape the competitive landscape of our industry in Canada.”

As CEO of Edelman Canada, Conway will be responsible for overseeing the company’s three Canadian offices – Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver – which represent more than 130 staff working on leading Canadian and international brands such as Labatt, Hudson’s Bay Company, Teachers’ Private Capital, Petro-Canada, the Government of Ontario, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Unilever, Starbucks, Expedia.ca, Red Bull, Pfizer and Roche. Her first day at the firm will be July 27th.

“The practice of public relations will change more in the next five years than it has in the past fifty,” Conway added. “Edelman has proven very adept at helping its clients capitalize on the emerging opportunities presented by the proliferation of social media. I am looking forward to helping the firm and its clients benefit from the evolution of PR in Canada and to ensure we continue to serve as a wellspring of creative ideas and the driving force behind innovative new approaches to public engagement.“

Conway’s previous experience also includes work for a variety of consulting firms where she supported clients in the development and execution of public relations, communications and government relations strategies. In addition, she spent a year with the Federal Minister of Finance as a Special Assistant, Fiscal and Tax Policy and Communications.

Conway holds an MA in Industrial Relations from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and is a graduate of Economics from Queen’s University.

She is a past recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 designation, and currently serves on the Board of American Express Bank of Canada.

About Edelman
Edelman Canada is part of Edelman Worldwide, the largest independent public relations firm in the world, with 3,200 employees in 51 offices around the globe. With offices in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, and affiliates in Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary, Edelman Canada offers a truly national offering through our team of more than 130 communications professionals. Edelman Canada provides comprehensive, integrated communications counsel and services to an expanding list of blue chip Canadian and international companies, governments and not-for-profit organizations. Edelman was named “Agency of the Year” in 2009 by PRWeek and a top-10 firm in the Advertising Age 2007 and 2008 "Agency A-List”. CEO Richard Edelman was honored as the 2007 and 2008 "Agency Executive of the Year" by PRWeek. For more information, visit www.edelman.com.

For further information contact:

 

Alexis Redmond 416 979 1120 alexis.redmond@edelman.com