Omnicom PR Group has announced the appointment of communications industry veteran, Matt Stafford, to the position of OPRG President, International, effective November 18, 2024. Stafford will be based in Hong Kong and report to OPRG Chief Executive Officer Chris Foster. Stafford will initially be based in Hong Kong and will transition to the UK in 2025. In this OPRG Corporate Role, he will partner with agency leadership in the region, including Joanne Wong who joined OPRG's largest agency Fleishman Hillard as APAC President earlier this year.  Foster said: "I've wanted an even stronger OPRG in APAC for a while but it took time to determine the best way to organize the portfolio in the region. Further deepening the leadership bench with a client-focused, market-tested leader like Matt is going to add to our momentum. I'm looking forward to working with him again."Stafford added: "I'm excited about the opportunity to join OPRG; I've long admired what Chris and the team have done in transforming the group and am eager to help drive growth against a few key areas." Previously, Stafford was Asia-Pacific President and Global President, Practices & Sectors, BCW, and former Cabinet Secretary for the Australian government. Matt also served as Director of Policy in the office of the Australian Prime Minister and as CEO of Greater China for Burson-Marsteller.Omnicom PR Group (OPRG) is the largest global network of communications and consulting agencies in the world. It is home to three of the top global PR agencies FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and more than a dozen specialist agencies in corporate and public affairs, political consulting and advertising, language strategy, global health strategy and organizational transformation. OPRG is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (Image credit: bcw-global.com)

Burson has appointed Adrian Warr, former Edelman leader, as CEO of South Asia-Pacific, a position initially designated for Matt Stafford, the former president of BCW Asia-Pacific who has departed from the company.Stafford's departure from BCW comes after his tenure as Asia-Pacific president since 2016, having joined BCW's predecessor, Cohn & Wolfe. Additionally, Stafford held the role of BCW global president of practices & sectors since 2022.In February, BCW and H&K had announced Stafford as Burson's CEO of South Asia-Pacific, as part of the initial round of regional leadership appointments. However, details surrounding Stafford's departure were not disclosed by a spokesperson.Warr will be responsible for overseeing Burson's operations in India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. His tenure with Burson will commence on September 16, approximately two months after the official launch of Burson on July 1, following the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton Strategies.Having spent the past decade with Edelman in Asia, Warr held various roles, including APAC vice chair of practices and sectors. Before that, he served as APAC head of employee experience, CEO of Southeast Asia, and CEO of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand.Prior to his tenure at Edelman, Warr spent 12 years in London, holding positions such as a partner at Portland and an associate board director at Freuds Communications. Additionally, he served in various roles during his seven-year tenure with H&K.Corey duBrowa, the global CEO of BCW, who will also hold the same title at Burson, expressed confidence in Warr's ability to lead the South APAC business. He highlighted Warr's expertise in blending creativity with innovation to assist clients in navigating challenges and building their reputations amidst geopolitical, social, and commercial complexities.