WEBER SHANDWICK FINANCIAL SET FOR FURTHER INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

Ian Bailey to assume expanded role including U.S. Financial Communications brief & appointment of Vicki Morley as Associate Director

Ian Bailey, UK Managing Director of Weber Shandwick Financial, will be taking on additional responsibility for growing Weber Shandwick’s international financial communications and investor relations capabilities. In his new role as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Weber Shandwick Financial, Bailey will relocate to New York in July 2008 and will work closely with Weber Shandwick’s U.S. Corporate Issues Group and Corporate Practice to further develop and market Weber Shandwick’s international financial communications and investor relations capabilities. 

Bailey will divide his time between London and New York operations and will have joint reporting lines to UK CEO & EMEA co-CEO Colin Byrne and Executive Vice President & New York Office General Manager Paul Jensen. Bailey will continue to lead Weber Shandwick Financial in the UK and serve as a member of Weber Shandwick’s UK senior management team, while the 40-strong UK-based team and day-to-day financial practice operations will be led by Weber Shandwick Financial’s Deputy Managing Director, Steve McCool.

Commenting on the appointment, Weber Shandwick President Andy Polansky said: “The need to consistently and effectively engage with financial stakeholders across multiple markets has never been a more critical challenge for participants in today’s global economy. In such an environment, a clear opportunity exists to build on Weber Shandwick’s market-leading position in corporate and financial communications on a global scale. Ian will focus on further developing Weber Shandwick Financial’s capabilities to meet our clients’ growing financial communications and investor relations needs wherever they and their stakeholders may be located.”
Ian Bailey commented: “Weber Shandwick Financial’s proven expertise in communications relating to international capital flows, coupled with the power and reach of our highly effective international network is proving to be a compelling market proposition. There are clearly many opportunities which Weber Shandwick Financial is uniquely qualified to capture. I look forward to working with the U.S. and UK teams to build on our many successes to date and develop even closer ties and collaboration between the agency’s operations in the two of the most important financial centers in the world.”

The move follows a period of sustained diversification and growth in Weber Shandwick’s international financial communications business and client portfolio, with an increasing number of companies and organizations from around the globe appointing Weber Shandwick to assist with local and international financial markets-related communications activities. In the past two years, Weber Shandwick Financial has managed both local market and international financial communications and investor relations programs for clients in a wide variety of locations including: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zambia. Additionally, the New York and London financial teams are working together on a growing number of transatlantic clients, projects and transactions.

Bailey’s move also coincides with the appointment of Vicki Morley, as an Associate Director of Weber Shandwick Financial. After spending more than 8 years living and working in Dubai, Vicki’s appointment further strengthens Weber Shandwick’s London-based Middle East expertise and its commitment to offering leading global PR solutions.

“Identifying opportunities for our clients, as they look to globalise their operations means maximising our network capabilities.  Our global network and our international cross-border teams offer clients an efficient and effective means of operating locally and globally.” continued Bailey.