Ketchum Pleon Merger Bios

 

Frank Behrendt is Chief Executive Officer for Ketchum Pleon Germany, responsible for eight offices across the country. He has more than 20 years of communications experience.

 

Prior to his appointment to CEO of Pleon Germany in 2006, Frank was responsible for Pleon’s German headquarters office in Düsseldorf and was head of its European Consumer Goods Practice.

 

In 2001 he joined ECC Kohtes Klewes, which in 2004 merged with the European Brodeur agencies to form Pleon. Frank began his career at Kohtes & Klewes as an editor in 1988, and later moved to Stein Promotions/BBDO as a Managing Director. Prior to returning to what had become ECC Kohtes Klewes, he served as Managing Director of Universal Family Entertainment at Universal Music and Senior Vice President of marketing & merchandising for RTL Television.

 

Frank studied at the German School of Journalism (DJS), Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. He graduated as Communications Manager, DJS. Parallel to his studies, he completed a practical semester at BILD editor’s office and at the PR department of Dornier/Daimler-Benz.
 

 

As President, Rob Flaherty works closely with CEO Ray Kotcher and other leaders to guide the strategy, client service and performance of the agency. He serves on Ketchum’s Worldwide Executive Committee, is responsible for the agency’s North American operations, Global Research Network and its change management unit, Ketchum Pleon Change.

 

As a client counselor, Rob specializes in corporate positioning and issues management. He regularly leads highly collaborative sessions that develop positioning and messaging strategies for clients. He has helped companies prepare for and respond to challenging situations ranging from product liability and airline accidents to data security and anti-trust litigation. In 2006, he led a team that provided crisis management and global media relations support for the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rob also led crisis management support teams for three Olympic torch relays.

 

Rob serves on the board of the Institute for Public Relations and on the Agency Management Committee of the Council of Public Relations Firms. He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America. In recent years, he was selected as one of the “15 Leading Lights” in U.S. public relations and a finalist for the PRWeek “PR Professional of the Year.”

 

Rob joined Ketchum in 1989 after five years at Burson-Marsteller in New York. Prior to that, he was director of public relations for the F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, N.Y. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Utica College.
 

 

As President, Europe, David Gallagher oversees all client service and business support functions

for Ketchum Pleon’s European operations.

 

He is a member of the firm’s global Executive Committee. He counsels international clients on matters related to product communications, issues management and third-party advocacy, and oversees the company’s global corporate social responsibility programs and activities.

 

David joined Ketchum’s Washington, D.C., office in 1994. He has 20 years of public relations experience, both as a client and as a senior agency adviser to some of the world’s leading brands and companies. His

background spans the spectrum of strategic public relations services, including market development, issues and crisis management and stakeholder relations, among others.

 

He is Chairman of the leading U.K. communications consultancy trade group, the Public Relations Consultants Association, serves on the executive committee of the International Communications Consultants Organisation, and is a member of the Global Health Advisory Board of the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. He is active in various charitable and community causes in London and is a fundraiser for the U.S. Democratic National Committee.
 

 

Jon Higgins has responsibility for all worldwide offices outside North America for Ketchum. He is based in London and is a member of the international consultancy’s Executive Committee. He is responsible for client stewardship, international business development and new ventures, as well as enhancing the agency’s global reputation for creativity, innovation and thought leadership. In addition, he is a co-leader for Ketchum Pleon’s integration team.

 

Previously, Jon was CEO of Ketchum EMEA. Under his direction, Ketchum expanded and solidified its regional presence and capabilities, particularly in Eastern Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East and Africa. His career with Ketchum began in 1995 when he managed the firm’s offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. During his tenure in San Francisco, Ketchum was the No. 1 agency in the Bay Area, tripling its growth under his direction and winning more than a dozen national industry awards.

 

Jon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.
 

 

Serving as Ketchum Pleon’s Chief Financial Officer in Europe, Mark Hume is responsible for overseeing the agency’s European operational issues, finance, human resources, information technology, and network growth and development. Previously, Mark served as Ketchum’s European Commercial Director.

 

After four years with Arthur Andersen & Co., Mark joined Ketchum in 1989 and has since held roles as Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director of Ketchum London. Among his significant projects are a number of corporate mergers, sales and acquisitions, as well as the identification, negotiation and execution of several talent acquisitions, facility relocations and geographic expansion projects.

 

Mark has 24 years of accountancy and finance experience and 20 years of experience in operations management for the public relations industry. He has a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Balliol College, Oxford.
 

 

Professor Joachim Klewes is Senior Partner at Ketchum Pleon and serves as co-leader for the Ketchum Pleon integration team. He founded Kohtes & Klewes in 1988, an agency that today has become Ketchum Pleon – Europe’s largest communications consultancy.

 

Joachim is a pioneer of measurement in the PR industry and is a founding partner of the Bochum, Germany-based com.X institute for communication research and evaluation. He is also the driving force behind Ketchum Pleon’s Performedia tool, which was acknowledged by the Holmes Group as an exemplar for the evaluation of PR’s value as a communications tool.

 

In 2009, Joachim was honored with a SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in recognition of the range and impact of his career on the communications industry.

 

In addition to Kohtes & Klewes, Mr. Klewes also founded several other agencies in Germany and previously served as a board member of Porter Novelli in New York and as European president for Edelman. He is currently an honorary professor of the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Joachim also has authored numerous books on marketing and communications and co-authored Change 2.0: Beyond Organisational Transformation, which provides a European perspective on organizational change in today’s media-intensive environment.
 

 

Ray Kotcher is Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Ketchum. During his tenure as CEO, he has overseen dramatic development of the agency’s depth and breadth of high-value, specialized communication services and the continuation of its award-winning record of excellence in the public relations industry.

 

Ray joined Ketchum in 1983 as Vice President, became President in 1992, and was named CEO in June 2000. As CEO, he has overseen growth of the agency through the addition and retention of world-class clients in the marketing and corporate communications spheres, the implementation of widely recognized training and development programs for its talent, and the strategic expansion of the agency’s geographic and practice-area capabilities. Under his leadership, Ketchum was named PRWeek’s Agency of the Year in 2002 and has continued to hold its position as the winner of more Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil awards than any other public relations agency.

 

Ray currently serves as chair of the Council of Public Relations Firms. In addition, he is a member of PR Seminar and a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society. He received a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Geneseo and serves as a trustee of the Geneseo Foundation Board. He holds a master’s in public relations from Boston University’s College of Communication, for which he serves on the executive committee and was the college’s commencement speaker in 2006. In January 2008, he was honored by Boston University as a distinguished alumnus.
 

 

As Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Ketchum, Rob Lorfink is responsible for aligning the agency’s financial performance with its overall business strategy. He oversees the worldwide finance, human resources, learning and development, information technology and legal

functions of the agency, ensuring that each of these areas are strategically integrated throughout the agency’s operations.

 

Rob has served on the agency’s Executive Committee since joining Ketchum in 2003 from Ketchum’s parent company, Diversified Agency Services, a part of Omnicom Group. Since joining, he has helped lead the agency to seven consecutive years of increased profits, cash flow and profit margin. He has helped Ketchum expand its breadth and depth of services by partnering with other leaders in the organization in the start-up or acquisition of several specialized communications business units with the group.

 

In 2007, Rob was the only non-PR professional selected as one of PRWeek’s annual “40 Under 40” honorees. Rob graduated from St. Peter’s College with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.
 

 

Based in Ketchum Pleon’s headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany, David Scott is responsible for finance and legal, human resources, information technology and all administration in Ketchum Pleon Germany. Reporting to Mark Hume, David is also responsible for supporting the above areas in the European Ketchum Pleon offices.

 

Originally from the United Kingdom, David brings more than 10 years of experience working within the Omnicom Group organization. He joined Pleon’s London office in 1997, where he was responsible for all financial and accounting responsibilities, including the transition of Brodeur U.K. into Pleon U.K. In 2005, David relocated to Pleon’s Düsseldorf office and became European Finance Director and later CFO for Pleon Germany.

 

David studied analytical chemistry at King’s College (University of London) and is also a qualified accountant (CIMA). Before joining Pleon (then Brodeur), David worked for a U.S.-based telecommunications start-up company as well as an Australia-based consumer retail company.
 

 

As Chief Executive Officer, Europe, Timo Sieg is responsible for Ketchum Pleon’s European operations in 15 countries. His primary focus is on shaping the future of Europe’s largest communications consultancy and managing the Ketchum Pleon brand throughout the world. He is a member of Ketchum’s global Executive Committee.

 

Prior to his 2006 appointment to Chairman and CEO, Pleon Europe, Timo was an instrumental member of the Pleon board of management as CEO of Pleon Germany. He was previously CEO of Pleon’s predecessor, ECC Kohtes Klewes, which merged with the Brodeur group of agencies in 2004. In his 10 years with ECC Kohtes Klewes, he worked with a team of managing partners to make the agency one of central Europe’s most successful and respected consultancies. Within Omnicom Group, Timo was appointed Director of BBDO Worldwide, New York, in 2007.

 

Timo studied business administration at Ruhr University, Bochum. He graduated Dipl. Oec., with master’s degrees in business administration and economics. Timo began his career as a marketing and PR consultant at IFAM Marketing Institute in Düsseldorf. He has published various papers on marketing and public relations.