AnnaMaria DeSalva is stepping down as chairman of Burson, effective June 30, marking the end of a significant chapter in her leadership journey. Her departure comes a year after the launch of Burson and five years after she took the helm at Hill & Knowlton, one of the firms that merged to create Burson. The agency has confirmed that her position will not be replaced.Since the 2024 merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton, DeSalva has played a key role in guiding the integration and shaping the agency?ÇÖs strategic direction alongside global CEO Corey duBrowa. She originally joined Hill & Knowlton as CEO in 2019, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since overseen a period of transformation for both the agency and the wider communications industry.Under her leadership, the firm achieved significant growth, helped clients navigate unprecedented challenges, and laid the groundwork for Burson?ÇÖs formation. With the integration of the legacy agencies largely completed, DeSalva has chosen to step away at a natural inflection point, taking time before pursuing her next professional endeavor.

Damion Potter has joined Burson as Global Chair, Public Affairs, effective July 22. He will be based in London and will serve on Burson?ÇÖs global leadership team.Potter brings an extensive record in leadership roles in international diplomacy, government and public affairs, communications, crisis response, policy, trade and economic development, serving in both the public and private sectors in assignments spanning the UK, Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and the Americas. Most recently, Potter was Vice President and Global Head of Policy and Government Affairs for Haleon, the GSK consumer healthcare spin out, which was the largest listing on the London stock exchange in the past two decades. At Haleon, Potter was responsible for setting global public policy objectives and government engagement around the world.In his new role, Potter will lead the integration and further development of public affairs advisory assets across Burson, which includes teams in governmental centers globally, a network of expert external advisors, and several specialist companies in Washington D.C., including Dewey Square Group, Direct Impact and Prime Policy Group.?Ç£Damion is joining us at a time when government has never played a larger role in the business operating environment and when geopolitical shifts are also rapidly impacting trade, regulation, supply chains and commercial strategy,?Ç¥ said AnnaMaria DeSalva, Global Chairman, Burson, who oversees the agency?ÇÖs global practices. ?Ç£Today our clients require an integrated intelligence, government affairs and communications strategy to mitigate risk and build brands and reputation. Damion brings to Burson deep expertise and networks that will help us further empower our clients to foresee solutions, build support for key business decisions and transform business outcomes amid unprecedented complexity.?Ç¥Before Haleon, Potter led the Delivery Department for the UN Climate Change Conference hosted in Glasgow (COP26). In this role he represented the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, advising the UK Government on policy and leading implementation of the World Leader Summit, the largest-ever assembly of world leaders in the UK.Earlier, Potter was British Ambassador to Panama City and Head of Central America Network, directing UK interests in trade, prosperity, peace and security. He negotiated the UK?ÇÖs trade deal with six Central American countries following Brexit. He also served in diplomatic capacities in Sweden, Taiwan and Russia, with a focus on bilateral trade and investment in Taipei and Moscow.Before these roles, Potter was Communications Director and spokesperson for ESPN in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.?Ç£I?ÇÖm delighted to join Burson at this important time to help clients grow or defend their businesses and build their reputations in an ever-changing world,?Ç¥ said Potter. ?Ç£The Burson global public affairs team is renowned for its first-rate analysis and market intelligence; expert counsel to senior business leaders; its ability to work with local authorities on challenges and opportunities clients are facing in their markets; building government engagement; and leveraging its networks to positively influence the policies of decision-makers. Clients need this thoughtful and wide-ranging guidance right now and I am honored to join this outstanding team.?Ç¥Potter is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Swedish, with conversational proficiency in Russian.

Today marks the official launch of Burson, a newly formed global communications agency resulting from the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton. This new entity is poised to become one of the industry?ÇÖs largest players, introducing a modern approach to reputation management in today?ÇÖs dynamic environment. The merger will be finalized on July 1.Over the past five months, Burson has made multiple global leadership appointments and undergone strategic layoffs to streamline operations. The agency has also unveiled new products, programs, and a brand identity designed to communicate its innovative approach to building and protecting reputations.?Ç£Businesses and organizations are operating in a constant state of complexity and uncertainty, marked by rapid advancements in technology, economic volatility, wide-ranging activism, and social and geopolitical turbulence. A strong reputation grounded in action, communicated clearly and creatively, and deployed as capital across stakeholders will enable clients to succeed in this environment. Reputation is a company?ÇÖs most valuable asset for enhancing perception and growing performance, preference, valuation and return,?Ç¥ said global CEO Corey duBrowa, formerly BCW?ÇÖs global CEO.  Burson introduces a new framework and consulting methodology to assess and manage client work around four key pillars: company actions, communications, social narratives, and stakeholder beliefs. This work is supported by The Burson Innovation Portfolio, a suite of products leveraging AI technology to address clients' challenges.?Ç£In today?ÇÖs complex operating environment, business leaders are converting pervasive risks into opportunities for innovation and value creation. The Burson Innovation Portfolio, which draws on the technology strengths of our combined agencies and WPP, reflects our promise to combine artificial and human intelligence in ways that help our clients succeed at the intersection of risk, creativity and reinvention. Leading companies are already leveraging these solutions to build and protect reputation in highly material situations. We are committed to both our clients and our employees that Burson will be an engine for their growth and for the enablement of the transformations that the world needs now,?Ç¥ said global chairman AnnaMaria DeSalva.  The Burson Group also includes several specialist agencies: tech agency Axicom, financial communications agency Burson Buchanan, healthcare agency GCI Health, and Hill & Knowlton, which will continue operating under its brand.Burson is committed to professional development and will offer employees comprehensive training through The Burson Academy. This programme includes:Leadership: For career navigation, management, and leadership growth.  Client Excellence: For building strong consultative client relationships.  Craft of Reputation Management: With a focus on writing, media relations, issues management, and creative strategies.  AI/Innovation: For development in data & analytics, AI, the Burson Innovation Portfolio, and new methodologies.?Ç£Businesses and organisations are operating in a constant state of complexity and uncertainty, marked by rapid advancements in technology, economic volatility, wide-ranging activism, and social and geopolitical turbulence. A strong reputation grounded in action, communicated clearly and creatively, and deployed as capital across stakeholders will enable clients to succeed in this environment. Reputation is a company?ÇÖs most valuable asset for enhancing perception and growing performance, preference, valuation and return,?Ç¥ said global CEO Corey duBrowa, formerly BCW?ÇÖs global CEO.  The agency?ÇÖs new website, Bursonglobal.com, features executive profiles crafted by Wynn Burson, grandson of agency namesake Harold Burson, who served as art director for the project.

Hill & Knowlton (H&K) has hired Kelli Parsons as its new global CEO, effective July 1. This transition comes as Hill & Knowlton prepares to operate under its own brand following its merger with BCW to form the newly established Burson entity.Parsons, currently the global chair of corporate affairs and advisory at H&K, will succeed AnnaMaria DeSalva, who has served as global chairman and CEO of Hill & Knowlton since June 2019. DeSalva will take on the role of global chairman of Burson following the merger.?Ç£Hill & Knowlton has played a seminal role in our industry since its inception, and our team has pursued a period of rigorous development over the last several years,?Ç¥ said DeSalva. ?Ç£We are thrilled that H&K will continue to grow its central role in strategic communication as part of Burson, and that Kelli Parsons will lead the firm going forward. Kelli is a highly trusted and admired leader in our field. She has been a guiding force on our leadership team since rejoining H&K in 2020. Following her years in major client leadership roles and two substantial tours of duty as a senior leader at Hill & Knowlton, as CEO Kelli will bring deep knowledge of our industry, our people and clients, and vision for the opportunities ahead. I am proud to advance this leadership transition, and I look forward to continuing to work with Kelli and to supporting Hill & Knowlton?ÇÖs future success in my new role."Parsons has been instrumental in expanding H&K?ÇÖs global advisory business since rejoining the firm in 2020, after serving as chief communications officer for United Technologies. Her previous roles include chief communications and marketing officer at New York Life and chief communications officer at Fannie Mae. During her first tenure at H&K from 1998 to 2008, Parsons led the New York and Washington markets, corporate and technology practices, and managed the firm's largest global client relationships.Corey duBrowa, BCW global CEO and incoming global CEO of Burson, commented, ?Ç£Hill & Knowlton brings exceptionally complementary expertise and brand equity to the flagship Burson and will serve as a powerful offering alongside Axicom, Buchanan Communications, and GCI Health in our group of brands, which together offer clients world-class expertise across every global industry and sector. H&K?ÇÖs expert strategic counsel and focus on the business impact of reputation creates significant value for clients, and I look forward to its continued success under Kelli?ÇÖs leadership.?Ç¥Parsons also serves as the chair of Page (formerly the Page Society), reinforcing her prominent role in the communications industry.

WPP has announced the merger of its two largest communications agencies, Hill & Knowlton and BCW, 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.Corey duBrowa, currently global CEO of BCW, has been named global CEO of Burson and AnnaMaria DeSalva, currently global chairman and CEO of Hill & Knowlton, has been named global chairman of Burson. Together, they will oversee agency strategy, client service, employee experience and culture. Burson will be operational from July 1, 2024, and its new brand will be unveiled later this year.This union of agencies will enable Burson to best serve clients in a complex and volatile environment in which strategic stakeholder communications has never been more critical. The new agency will draw on both organisations?ÇÖ unrivaled talent base, exceptional global networks, investments in technology, creative capabilities, and public affairs and advisory specialties to drive reputation and value creation through the interdisciplinary solutions that clients demand now.The combination also creates immediate scale in sectors driving today?ÇÖs most consequential innovation and economic growth, including healthcare and technology. The newly formed Burson will have more than 6,000 employees in 43 markets worldwide. Its name honours the late Harold Burson, a pioneer and founding figure of modern public relations and strategic communications.?Ç£Harold Burson believed strongly that actions are stronger than words, and he established honesty, transparency, integrity and excellence as the guiding principles of his business,?Ç¥ said Corey duBrowa. ?Ç£Those principles are the foundational ideals of Burson, upon which we will set the bar for modern communications through our AI-first innovation pipeline. Together as Burson, we will bring insights, expert strategic counsel and technology solutions into a higher value offering for our clients to help them innovate and lead in today?ÇÖs complex operating environment.?Ç¥?Ç£The combination of Hill & Knowlton and BCW is highly synergistic, creating a premier partner for business leaders who are focused on commercial growth, risk management, and reputational capital,?Ç¥ said AnnaMaria DeSalva. ?Ç£Our body of work increasingly demonstrates that strategic communication, elevated by creativity, is a primary force for sustainable value creation. By accelerating our transformation through this combination, we will enable the investments in talent and technology that advance communications leadership when it has never mattered more.?Ç¥Burson?ÇÖs leadership team will comprise a cohort of top-tier former chief communications officers and other experienced agency senior executives from both companies who bring deep expertise and knowledge of what business leaders need to succeed. Appointments will be announced throughout 2024 as the integration progresses.Hill & Knowlton brings significant business momentum, talent and innovation into the new Burson entity. The brand will operate within Burson serving a select group of clients globally through strategic communications, advisory and public affairs services.GCI Health and AxiCom will continue to operate as brands within Burson, offering specialised healthcare and technology communications expertise, respectively, at scale.Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said, ?Ç£Hill & Knowlton and BCW are two high-performing businesses with complementary strengths, shared ambitions and many shared clients. I am delighted to see the Burson brand brought back to unite them. The new agency will be the standard bearer as the most modern, strategic, technology-driven, full-service communications offer in the industry.?Ç¥The new agency will support a client roster that includes more than half of the Fortune 100 across corporate and public affairs, healthcare, technology and brand marketing.