DJE Holdings, parent company of Edelman and Zeno Group, has named Louis Susman, the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, non-Executive chairman, effective immediately. In this role, Susman will provide strategic counsel to Richard Edelman and the global senior leadership team and focus on global business development.
Following the passing of Dan Edelman in January, Richard Edelman has taken on the role of chairman of DJE Holdings, and chairman of the board. He continues to serve as president and CEO of Edelman.
“My family and I have known Lou for 20 years and I have come to truly value his wise counsel and business acumen. Lou has had a distinguished career in banking and law, and his work representing the United States as a diplomat has been nothing short of spectacular,” said Edelman. “I look forward to working more closely with Lou as we continue to grow and dimensionalize the firm to meet our clients’ evolving global needs.”
Prior to being named ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2009, Susman was the managing director and vice chairman of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking. While at Salomon Brothers, which would later become part of Citigroup, Susman played an integral role in several major mergers including Dayton Hudson’s purchase of Marshall Field’s, LG Electronics’ acquisition of Zenith Electronics Corporation and General Dynamics’ purchase of Cessna Corporation. He also served as a member of the Citigroup International Advisory Board. Susman practiced law for 27 years and was a senior partner at the St. Louis-based law firm of Thompson & Mitchell, where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law.
“I am thrilled to officially join the Edelman family business as non-Executive chair of DJE Holdings,” said Susman. “The entrepreneurial spirit and independence Dan insisted on is alive and well at Edelman and Zeno, and I couldn’t be more pleased to work more closely with Richard and his team as they continue to raise the bar for public relations.”
Susman was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy by Ronald Reagan in 1988, and he served as a director of the Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C., a non-partisan organization that examines national public policy issues. In 2004, he was John Kerry’s national finance chairman, and later was a senior advisor to President Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. Susman has deep Chicago roots and is currently a member of the Chairman’s Circle of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and a member of the Board of The Art Institute of Chicago and The Northwestern Children’s Memorial Hospital. He also serves as a member of the International Council of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.
Susman has served on the boards of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
Susman joins current board members Ruth Edelman, deputy chairman of DJE Holdings; John Edelman, managing director, global engagement and corporate responsibility at Edelman; Matthew Harrington, global chief operating officer of Edelman; Victor Malanga, Edelman’s chief financial officer; and Steven Felsher, senior advisor at Quadrangle Group LLC, and formerly the vice chairman of Grey Global Group Inc.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Susman received his law degree from Washington University.
For further information contact:
Michael Bush
michael.bush@edelman.com