Today is an exciting day for all the colleagues at Ketchum, for our clients and also for our industry. Today, we named Barri Rafferty Chief Executive Officer at Ketchum, effective January 1, with me continuing as Chairman. This transition was set in motion when I appointed Barri global president in July 2016. I am excited for Ketchum’s future and am proud to appoint such a superbly qualified individual to this role and one who also happens to be the first woman to serve as global CEO of a top-five public relations firm. It’s a milestone for us and for the industry.
Over the course of her career, Barri has led our Global Brand Practice, headed our Atlanta and New York offices and ran North America as CEO before becoming President. She’s got that great mix of experience of having done the craft for many years and then moving into ever-increasing roles of leadership on a global scale. She will bring all of this experience to bear to continue to transform Ketchum into the agency of the future. You can learn a little more about her and her vision in the video below.
I look forward to continuing to work with Barri in close partnership to bring this vision to life. Even as we make this change there are some things at Ketchum that won’t change and that includes our commitment to our values, to our colleagues and to our clients.
Here’s to our future.
Rob
