BCW and Hill & Knowlton announce Burson leadership appointments

Hill & Knowlton and BCW, which will merge as of July 1, 2024, to form Burson, has announced new appointments across global functional roles, global practices and two specialty agencies. Additional leadership appointments will be announced throughout the integration process.

“This is an exceptional group of leaders drawn from our two organizations, each of whom has considerable experience in building businesses and brands,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, BCW. “Hill & Knowlton has a well-established and strong global practice structure in place which will be replicated at Burson, under the guidance of these chair appointments, to deliver clients access to the talent and services at the scale they need. I have great confidence in all of our colleagues to build a modern, full-service, technology-driven Burson focused on building and protecting reputation and grounded in the timeless values of our namesake.”

Appointments include:

Jerry Lombardo, currently Global Chief Financial Officer, BCW, becomes Global Chief Financial Officer, Burson

Azurée Montoute-Lewis, currently Global Chief People Officer, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chief People Officer, Burson

Brooke Hovey, currently Global President, BCW, becomes Global Chief Strategy Officer, Burson

Simon Shaw, currently Global Chief Creative Strategy & Innovation Officer, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chief Creative Officer, Burson

Michelle Hutton, currently Global Chief Client and Growth Officer, BCW, becomes Global Chief Client and Growth Officer, Burson

Randa Stephan, currently Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chief Brand Officer, Burson

Brenna Terry, currently Global Chair of Healthcare, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chair of Healthcare, Burson

Sara Gourlay, currently Global Chair of Technology, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chair of Technology, Burson

Simon Whitehead, currently Global Chair of Energy & Industrials, Hill & Knowlton, becomes Global Chair of Energy & Industrials, Burson (in addition to his role as CEO, UK, Burson)

Kristin Cahill continues as CEO, GCI Group

Matthew Lackie continues as CEO, AxiCom

“As we bring our companies together, this group of leaders exemplifies a core premise behind the merger – that together we can draw on the industry's leading talent to create considerably more value for our clients and employees,” said AnnaMaria DeSalva, Chairman and CEO, Hill & Knowlton.“These functional, practice and agency leaders will enable the interdisciplinary solutions, global creative capability, and specialty counsel required by the world’s leading client organizations. We are enthusiastic about the progress reflected in this announcement and look forward to sharing more as our integration continues."

On January 25th, WPP announced it would merge its two largest communications agencies, BCW and Hill & Knowlton, to form Burson, a powerhouse delivering modern communications leadership at scale to clients across the world. The merged company will become an industry-leading, full-service communications agency focused on building and protecting reputation. Burson will be operational as of July 1, 2024.