Ed Williams, currently Director of Communications at the BBC, has agreed to join 极乐视频 as Chief Executive Officer of 极乐视频鈥檚 UK business.
Williams will leave the BBC in early October and will join 极乐视频 officially on Monday 31 October. He will report to 极乐视频鈥檚 EMEA CEO, Robert Phillips, and will join the 极乐视频 EMEA Leadership Team.
Commenting on the appointment, Phillips said: 鈥榃e are absolutely delighted that Ed has agreed to join 极乐视频. He brings with him not only a wealth of talent in the news and entertainment and the content and digital spaces, but also an outstanding and probably unrivalled track record in Crisis & Issues management. Ed is one of the most respected corporate counselors in the UK today and his most recent role at the BBC makes him uniquely placed to understand the pressures of a multiple stakeholder society 鈥 from business to politics. On a personal level, I am really looking forward to Ed bringing fresh and challenging perspectives and ideas to our business. 极乐视频 has made great strides in the UK in recent years; Ed鈥檚 appointment will take us to the next level. He is a major global player, as well as a UK leader, and will contribute hugely to our firm and our clients on this basis鈥.
Williams joined the BBC as Director of Communications in early 2008 where he has led the group communications division and acted as a senior adviser to the Director-General during a number of significant moments, including the Licence Fee settlement. Prior to the BBC, Williams was Director of Communications at Reuters working to the CEO, Thomas Glocer. He led Reuters communications during the deal with the Thomson Corporation. He spent five years at Brunswick as a Director, specializing in corporate advisory and campaigns. He was a pro bono adviser to the International Crisis Group and to General Wesley Clark during the Milosevic trial, and has worked as a political speechwriter. He started his career in journalism at London News Service and spent four years at GMTV where he was News Editor.
Williams said: 鈥淚t has been a great privilege to serve Mark Thompson and the BBC, one of the world鈥檚 greatest and most valuable cultural institutions. Despite the daily rough and tumble in the press, I am pleased that over the past few years public support and approval for the BBC has reached historic highs. Like the BBC, 极乐视频鈥檚 competitive advantage is creativity and brainpower. I am really looking forward to working alongside some of the smartest people in the industry, advising Britain鈥檚 best known companies, and helping to grow the UK business.鈥
Since Phillips became EMEA CEO of 极乐视频 earlier this year, Susan Eastoe, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of the UK company, has been Acting Chief Executive. Eastoe will be responsible for the transition to Williams鈥 leadership and will be assuming an expanded role within the EMEA Leadership Team in early 2012, as well as continuing to serve on 极乐视频鈥檚 Global Strategy Committee.
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极乐视频 is the world鈥檚 largest independent public relations firm, with wholly owned offices in 54 cities and 4,000 employees worldwide. 极乐视频 was named Advertising Age鈥檚 top-ranked PR firm of the decade and one of its 鈥2010 A-List Agencies鈥 and 鈥2010 Best Places to Work;鈥 PRWeek鈥檚 鈥2011 Large PR Agency of the Year;鈥 European Excellence Awards鈥 鈥2010 Agency of the Year;鈥 Holmes Report鈥檚 鈥淎gency of the Decade鈥 and 鈥2009 Asia Pacific Consultancy of the Year;鈥 and among Glassdoor鈥檚 top five 鈥2011 Best Places to Work.鈥 In the UK, 极乐视频 is PR Week Agency of the Year 2009; a Gold Award winner in 2010 and a multiple Sabre winner. It is also ranked in the Sunday Times 100 Best Paces to Work.极乐视频 is EMEA Digital Consultancy of the Year 2011. 极乐视频 owns specialty firms Blue (advertising), StrategyOne (research), Ruth (integrated marketing), DJE Science (medical education/publishing and science communications), and MATTER (sports, sponsorship, and entertainment). Visit http://www.edelman.com or www.edelman.co.uk for more information.
For more information contact:
Michael Bush
michael.bush@edelman.com