Burson-Marsteller

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Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.
Burson Marsteller offices, 1 St Giles High Street, London
Burson Marsteller offices, Square de Meeûs 37, Brussels

Burson-Marsteller (B-M) was established in 1953 and grew to become one of the biggest PR and lobbying agencies in the world. It is owned by communications conglomerate WPP. In 2018 WPP announced it was merging B-M with Cohn & Wolfe to become Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), a network of more than 4,000 employees, across 42 countries.

Contents

Overview

Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is one of the largest public relations (PR) agencies in the world and also the most notorious. When helping its industry clients to escape environmental legislation or sprucing up the image of some of the most repressive governments on Earth, B-M brings to bear state of the art techniques in manipulating the mass media, legislators and public opinion.

In spite of B-M's claims that the best way to deal with problems is to put one's own house in order, the usual effect of PR is to maintain the status quo. By manipulating public opinion PR diverts attention away from difficult issues and creates the illusion of change so that a company or government can go about business as usual without having to worry about its reputation. By lobbying government and creating 'astroturfing' campaigns PR helps to maintain a legislative environment on which industry can avoid real change.

Market share/importance

Whilst in recent years Burson-Marsteller slipped back from the number one spot it remains one of the largest PR firms in the world, and with recent restructuring looks set for strong growth. Since 1979 the company has been a part of the Young & Rubicam Inc. advertising conglomerate, which in turn was acquired by WPP Group plc [1], the global communications services company, in October 2000. Its revenues for 2000 totalled $175m in the US and $303m worldwide, the highest in its history.

In (year) Burson-Marsteller employed 2,000 people in more than 60 offices in 35 countries around the world. That gives it a more international presence than any other agency, which is both an advantage (the firm is still the first choice for clients looking for genuine global reach) and a disadvantage.

B-M's reliance on international business makes it vulnerable to economic downturns or underperforming offices, as well as currency fluctuations. In recent years the Asian market was underperforming, then Europe, which was flat last in 1999. But B-M Europe has now moved back to a geographic structure - a reversal of the practice area commitment the agency made five years ago - more suited to local conditions, and that should spur growth. Meanwhile, the firm is picking up high-profile wins in Asia, like the Hong Kong government's economic development program, and expanding in Latin America, where it has a strong e-commerce practice.

History

[2] Founded in 1953 by Harold Burson, a freelance PR man and Jim Marsteller, owner of Marsteller Advertising, Burson-Marsteller has grown to become one of the largest PR agencies in the world and a market leader in all of the major areas of PR services.

Harold Burson’s original vision for the new company was to model it on Hill & Knowlton then the clear leader in the PR sector. He quickly took the company into new fields of PR wanting to diversify into new fields from his original speciality in business-to-business communications. B-M quickly set up offices across the USA and began to pursue larger and more prestigious clients. By 1959 revenues had reached nearly half a million dollars.

Although not yet a top-tier PR firm, B-M took the gamble of moving into the European marketplace in the 1960s, a move that only Hill & Knowlton had previously taken. B-M established offices in London and Paris as well in Washington DC, and Los Angeles during the sixties.

Throughout the 1970s B-M continued to expand. In 1970 it entered the field of consumer public relations with its acquisition of Theodore R. Sills Inc. And it opened further offices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sao Paolo, Bahrain and in Russia. In 1979 B-M was acquired by the Young & Rubicam group of companies, and could thus begin to integrate its services with a family of other companies practising PR, lobbying and advertising.

In 1983 B-M's revenues exceeded those of Hill & Knowlton and in 1985 it was the first PR company to earn $100m in a year. The company’s expansion was relentless and yet more offices opened across the United States and around the world.

After years as the premier public relations agency, a position that became unquestionable after H&K's partial collapse in the early 1990s, B-M saw its leadership position erode throughout that decade, thanks to internal problems and the fact that several other agencies improved dramatically over the same period. With restructuring however, it regained strong growth and in 2000 earned $303m placing it fourth in the league table of global PR firms [3].

In 2000 Young & Rubicam was itself acquired by the WPP Group. So now Burson-Marsteller works in an even larger family of companies including its old rival Hill & Knowlton.

Campaigns

Front groups

Repressive regimes

B-M has a history of working for repressive regimes.

Biafra

In the 1960s B-M worked for the Nigerian government to spin the crushing of the Biafran revolt. A subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelley, also worked with the Nigerian military junta in the early nineties. During this time there were routine human rights abuses against protestors such as the Ogoni, who were non-violently campaigning against the oil-giant Shell.

Spinning torture in Argentina

In the 1970s, after a military coup in Argentina, B-M was hired to improve the country's image. During this period, an estimated 35,000 people disappeared and thousands were tortured. Some of the torture techniques used during this period were el submarino (holding a person's head under water or excrement until near drowning), la picana (electric prod applied to the most sensitive parts of the body), rape, torture (tearing out toenails) and putting live rats onto the body to feed on fresh wounds. A book was written on the disappeared called Nunca Más ('Never More').

Indonesia

B-M also worked with Indonesia when it was accused of genocide in East Timor.

Arms trade

In February 2017 B-M Brussels announced it had hired a former British admiral, Peter Hudson on a part-time basis to help it spearhead the firm's attempts to win more defence and security sector clients. B-M's current clients include defence contractor Raytheon and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.[4] B-M's clients include defence contractor Raytheon and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

Major polluters

B-M has a history of working with major polluters.

  • In the 1970s B-M worked with Babcock and Wilcox after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. The following decade, it worked with Union Carbide after the Bhopal disaster in India, which caused death or injury to tens of thousands of people. Union Carbide originally tried to blame the disaster on sabotage.
  • B-M has also worked for Monsanto and the biotech body Europabio in Europe. A leaked memo prepared by Burson-Masteller gives us an insight into its PR. It argued that the biotech industry had to "Stay off the killing fields". It said:
"Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe. As a general rule, the industry voice cannot be expected to prevail in public opposition to adversarial voices on these issues. All the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions. It said that instead the industry had to 'Fight fire with fire'.
"For EuropaBio to make the transition from effective policy interlocutor to effective public communicator, it is essential to shift from issues-based communications to stories-based communications. There are no issues-orientated media with any broad appeal, and the selling of complex issues coverage is a difficult task in any event because it contains little or no news value. Good stories, on the other hand, go around the world in minutes. That's the way adversaries play. That's the way industry must play". [5]

Other clients include the Iraqi National Congress and the Saudi Royal Family who were trying to avoid blame after the September 11th attacks on the US. [6]

Fracking

FrackWell.png This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

In 2014 Burson-Marsteller won a prestigious PR award for helping Shell ‘deal with’ fracking in the Netherlands (where a moratorium is in place until 2016), and soon after added the climate sceptic-funding oil firm Exxon Mobil to its UK client list.

In July 2014 it snagged the lobbying brief for the £37billion petrochemical giant Ineos, which had been run by Portcullis Public Affairs for the previous four years. The move came just months after Portcullis' managing director, Stephen Day had made the transfer to Burson-Marsteller. Ineos, which operates the Grangemouth plant in Scotland is Britain’s third-largest shale gas explorer since it bought up swathes of IGas licences between 2014-15.[7][8][9]

In June 2018 PRWeek reported that B-M had parted ways with INEOS. The most recently available APPC Register (June- August quarter) still lists NEOS as a client, however PRWeek also reported that Stephen Day was made redundant that same month from his role as CEO of B-M's UK arm as part of its merger with US firm Cohn & Wolfe.[10] In October 2018 it emerged that Day had rejoined FTI Consulting as partner and senior MD in its strategic communications division. [11]

A well-oiled revolving door with Whitehall and Westminster

B-M is well-connected to the UK government, given the Department of Energy and Climate Change's predilection for employing ex-lobbyists in recent times. Climate and energy minister Amber Rudd’s special adviser Maria Allen until May 2015 worked for years at B-M and was head of its UK energy, environment and climate change unit before she joined the government in 2013.

Listed as the sole industry ‘independent advisory panel member’ of the Westminster gas APPG, Ineos also apparently provides ‘specialist knowledge and guidance’ to MPs. Its access extends well beyond the lobby though – founder and chairman Jim Ratcliffe has met with a raft of ministers and senior civil servants, including cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood. As Public Interest Investigations/Spinwatch reported in April 2015,

Little wonder then that Ineos is doggedly pushing ahead with its plans for fracking and coal bed methane exploration, particularly in Scotland, whose parliament passed a temporary moratorium shortly after a similar call was defeated in Westminster earlier this year. In a BBC film screened last night, director Tom Crotty admitted he views the fracking ban as merely the Scottish government wanting 'to take a breather while we gather information'.
By this, Crotty presumably means their 'shale gas community engagement programme'; a PR charm offensive launched last month to try to overcome widespread public opposition. No amount of spin, however, appeared to help the firm when it revealed plans to drill wells close to playgrounds and 400 metres from homes in Stirlingshire, sparking outrage from residents at its public consultation roadshow.
B-M bolstered its ranks in January with another ex-ministerial environment spad, Tom Evans. Fresh from a few years at 'opinion changers' Westbourne Communications, Evans is well-versed in community consultations. He previously worked with clients such as the North West Energy Task Force (NWETF), a ‘local’ lobby group set up by Centrica and Cuadrilla to push the business case for fracking in Lancashire. Recent analysis by Greenpeace revealed however that less than half of NWETF’s members were based in the county, and included an elderly care home and a Welsh fishing resort. Westbourne has form for this kind of ‘astroturfing’ tactic; its fake grassroots campaigning for the controversial HS2 high-speed railway link was exposed in a 2013 Spinwatch investigation. [12]

Top B-M UK boss Stephen Day, was once a Tory special adviser to ex-shadow trade and industry ministers, John Redwood and David Heathcoat-Amory reports Spinwatch:

Before joining B-M in 2014, Day handled the Ineos account at another lobbying firm, where he had provided senior counsel during the highly-charged Grangemouth industrial dispute. Ineos followed Day to B-M, where he clearly relishes a challenge:

‘Ineos are leading the way on fracking, we’re leading their work on fracking,’ he told PRWeek in an interview in 2015. ‘We’re not afraid of controversy.’
Several months ago, Ineos itself hired another type of insider – former Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale, known for his support of GM crops, nuclear energy and fracking, ostensibly to aid their PR push back against mounting public opposition. It’s a tactic well-tested by B-M, which has long employed leading environmentalists from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Soil Association to ‘engage’ with campaigner critics.

[13]

Obesity

Foodspin badge.png This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

Burson-Marsteller advertises a specialism on obesity on its website: [14]

Obesity and, in a broader sense, food/health/nutrition issues, arguably represent one of the biggest public health challenges in western societies today, with enormous repercussions for a variety of industries. Some see it as the modern-day equivalent to previous macro-issues like tobacco, chemical industry & environment, GMOs, etc. The WHO, the EU, national governments are all considering some regulations or recommendations to the general audience, the medical community or the business world. Indeed, companies increasingly have to carefully consider their positioning, strategy and messages on this issue.
Burson-Marsteller has the experience, track-record and credentials to help companies address the issue. We have a unique and comprehensive mix of capabilities and people, we have inroads into some of the key players and we understand how best to present the information to reporters.
Specifically, Burson-Marsteller can help with
  • Tracking Issues and Business/Political Intelligence - identify trends and flag key events and political decisions that influence and accelerate the development of the issue.
  • Constituency Relations - actions and ongoing campaigns to shape the perceptions of key groups that are active in defining the media / public opinion and political agenda - trade and health organizations, groups, etc.
  • Corporate Positioning - how to create a single differentiating communication platform
  • Public Affairs and Governmental Relations - how to engage in a dialogue with governmental organizations and prepare for forthcoming legislation
  • Media Relations - how to balance the debate in the media
  • Brand Building - how to strategically position a brand or product

Tunisian Elections

In September 2014, it was announced Burson-Marsteller are representing Tunisia’s Ennahda Party to improve its image abroad. The party were reportedly behind terror attacks against tourist hotels in the 1980s and one of the group's leaders called for the destruction of Israel. The party formed a coalition government during the 2011 Arab Springs uprising, however, departed government after reportedly "coming under pressure for failing to stop terrorism and keep the economy on an even keel".[15][16]

Services

[17]

B-M offers the full range of PR services including government relations, crisis management, issues and reputation management, brand building, product marketing, and communications training, to name a few of the twenty services listed on its website. These services are delivered by seven 'practice' areas within the company: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology. [See below for details]

Practice structure

[17]B-M structures its business around seven key practices or specialisations: advertising/creative, brand marketing, corporate/financial, healthcare, media, public affairs and technology.

Subsidiaries

  • Black Manafort, Stone & Kelly – a lobbying firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia [18] [19]. The company keeps a low profile. It maintains no web site and is not even mentioned on Burson-Marsteller’s site. It is known to have worked for Phillip Morris [19], and to have conducted lobbying on behalf of the brutal Angolan rebel leader, Savimbi. [20]
  • BKSH – B-M's public affairs/lobbying subsidiary handles most lobbying for B-M in the USA and Europe (see Practice Structure above)
  • Prime Policy Group (PPG) a Burson-Marsteller unit. Clients include the Ukraine. O'Dwyers reported in March 2014 that PPG 'shepherded the push to win financial support for Ukraine from the International Monetary Fund and Congress'. [21]

People

Executive Board

[22]

  • Harold Burson Founding Chairman of Burson-Marsteller, Harold Burson has been in PR for more than fifty years. He was once described by PR Week as "the century’s most influential PR figure" due to the market share of B-M and his innovative work. Now in his 80s, Burson stepped down as CEO in 1988, the company he co-founded in 1953. He still works at B-M for many long-term clients, including Philip Morris, Merrill Lynch and Coca-Cola. He has no retirement plans [23].
  • Donald Baer Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Office. Former journalist and assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, was senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1994-1998, was senior executive vice president for strategy and development and an executive committee member at [[Discovery Communications from 1998-2007. Started working at Burson-Marsteller in 2008.
  • Patrick Przybyski Worldwide Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Formerly director of planning and analysis, worldwide controller and director of financial reporting at Young and Rubicam advertising and COO/CFO at Wunderman, New York.
  • Jeremy Galbraith CEO, Europe, Middle East & Africa/ Global Chief Strategy Officer.
  • Jay Leveton Worldwide Executive Vice President / CEO, Penn Schoen Berland.
  • Patrick Ford Worldwide Vice Chair / Chief Client Officer / Chairman, Asia Pacific.

Key UK staff

UK Leadership Team

Former

Environmentalists

Doorway of Burson Marsteller Offices, Central London

Burson-Marsteller has a history of employing environmentalists, especially in the UK. These have included:

  • Des Wilson In 1989 Wilson was awarded ITN's 'Environmentalist of the Year' prize. In his years of political work he ran the UK campaign for lead free petrol, was Chairman of Friends of the Earth UK, directed the Campaign for Freedom of Information and ran a general election campaign for the Liberal Democrats. In 1993 he took the position of Director of Public affairs and Crisis Management at B-M, with a salary rumoured to be one of the highest in the PR industry at that time. He subsequently moved to BAA to highlight the 'environmental benefits' of a fifth terminal at Heathrow.
  • Richard Aylard B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility unit was headed by Richard Aylard. Aylard was previously head of the Soil Association, which certifies organic food and campaigns against GM crops and pesticides from 1998 to 2000. He joined Thames Water in 2002 as Corporate Responsibility Director.
  • Gavin Grant Before joining B-M in November 1999, Grant was Director of Global Corporate and Public Affairs for The Body Shop International reporting directly to Anita and Gordon Roddick[32]. Whilst there he had responsibility for coordinating The Body Shop's Ogoni Campaign which caused tremendous embarrassment for B-M's client Shell.
  • Simon Bryceson - ex-board member of Friends of the Earth and former consultant to Greenpeace.[33]
  • Peter Melchett - Lord Melchett's move to B-M was announced in January 2002, immediately after he stepped down as head of Greenpeace UK. Melchett maintained that his new job would give him more access to corporations in order to push his environmental agenda. The move is part of a 'hiring spree' for B-M's Corporate Social Responsibility Unit. B-M expects Lord Melchett's extensive experience of the NGO community, government and business to "provide unique insight for Burson-Marsteller clients."

APPC Register UK

September 2016-November 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Andrada Dobre | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Richard Fenner | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Marco Merlina| David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Andrew Tickle| Nick Williams | James Worron | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay

June 2016-August 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Andrada Dobre | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Michael Heseltine | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Marco Merlina | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | James Worron | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [34]

March 2016-May 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Andrew Clark | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [35]

December 2015-February 2016

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew MacKay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Nick Williams | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [36]

September 2015-November 2015

Alan Aitken | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Laura Gabb | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew MacKay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Andrew Tickle | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [37]

June 2015-August 2015

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet O'Halloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Lee Wright John Young | Jonathan Zokay [38]

December 2014-February 2015

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Evans | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[39]

September 2014-November 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Sally Herd | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | Lee Wright | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[40]

June 2014-August 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Carolina Gasparoli | George Godsal | Michael Hartt | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | David Mitchell | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | John Young | Jonathan Zokay[41]

March 2014-May 2014

James Atkins | Daniel Batty | Kevin Bell | Charlotte Budd | Matt Carter | Stephen Day | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Kate Hawker | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Tony Jackson | Annabel Jaram | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Ben Maynard | Clarence Mitchell | Joseph Musgrave | Katie Myler | Elisabeth Neal | Harriet OHalloran | Amanda Pierce | Anna Richardson | Dan Rolle | Sophie Ross | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [42]

December 2013-February 2014

James Atkins | Kevin Bell | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Adam Fisch | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Anna Richardson | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [43]

September 2013-November 2013

James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Paul Grand | Michael Hartt | Adam Honeysett-Watts | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [44]

June 2013-August 2013

James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [45]

March 2013-May 2013

Maria Allen | James Atkins | Matt Carter | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Matthew Keirle | Hattie Leach | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Felicity Sincock | Anna Tobur | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [46]

December 2012-February 2013

Maria Allen | James Atkins | Matt Carter | Andrew Cregan | Toby Denselow | Ele Emmerson | Tom Fern | Iddo Goldfarb | Michael Hartt | Tamara Jackson | Matthew Keirle | Hugo Legh | Mike Love | Andrew Mackay | Clarence Mitchell | Katie Myler | Felicity Sincock | Anna Tobur | John Young | Jonathan Zokay [47]

Former Staff

  • Chris Komisarjevsky US President & CEO April 1995 – October 1998 and President and CEO Worldwide October 1998 – May 2005.
  • Ken Rietz former Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the global public affairs practice. Now runs his own PR firm, PSS Strategies.
  • John Maltese Chief Financial Officer Worldwide 1986-2006. Maltese joined Burson-Marsteller in 1986. He began as an Assistant Controller for the Eastern Region, was promoted to Controller of the Americas in 1988, Director of Finance, worldwide, in 1991. In mid-1993 he took the opportunity to manage Young & Rubicam Inc.'s financial accounting subsidiary, Shared Financial Services Company, and was recently promoted to his current position. Before B-M, Mr. Maltese spent eight years as controller of New York based advertising agency, N.W. Ayer. Before the communications industry, he worked at manufacturing company Gulf & Western, and for five years at Citibank.
  • Per Heggenes former Chief Knowledge & Insights Officer Worldwide and chief executive UK resigned in 2004. Previously, he was chairman of the Corporate Practice in Europe from April 1998. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer of B-M Europe when he was instrumental in rolling out the new client practice structure throughout Europe. Per joined Burson-Marsteller Oslo as an account executive in 1982. He is now CEO of the Ikea Foundation.
  • Chet Burchett President & CEO USA until 2004, Chet Burchett joined B-M in 1998. He has had numerous roles including president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Midwest and U.S. Practice Chair for the Brand Marketing practice. Chet has 20 years of news media and public relations experience. He is a specialist in reputation management. He has developed and executed programs in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, consumer marketing, sports marketing and business-to-business.
  • Bill Rylance President & CEO of the Asia/Pacific region until December 2007 and vice-chairman from December 2007 to December 2008, Bill Rylance joined Burson-Marsteller in 1982, working in London and the Middle East. In 1986 he was assigned to Korea to manage B-M's worldwide public relations programme for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 1989, Bill established Merit Communications, Korea's first international public relations consultancy. In a decade, Merit became the largest PR firm in Korea. Bill personally provided communications and media relations counsel for the Government of Korea, working directly with the Office of the President. B-M bought Merit Communications in 1999 and Bill became President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific, responsible for all operations in Asia Pacific. He is now the founder and CEO of Watatawa (March 2009-present), a strategic communications firm in Singapore.
  • Carlos Lareau Holding roles as Managing Director, Southern Europe and CEO Continental Europe, Carlos Lareau has led B-M/Iberia since 1996 before which he held several positions in B-M and was also Vice President of Communications and EU Affairs in a major pharmaceutical company. He has a 14-year experience in Communications, preceded by a career in economic and political journalism in Spain, the US and Latin America. He is now founder & managing partner of Conduit Market Engineers and a non-executive senior partner at Fleishman Hillard.
  • Celia Berk Appointed Managing Director of Human Resources for Burson-Marsteller Worldwide in November 1998. Ms. Berk joined Burson-Marsteller in January 1997 in the then newly created position of Managing Director, Human Resources for the United States. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ms. Berk was at Reuters America (1988-1998) in roles encompassing human resources, organizational planning, training, quality and internal communications. Before that, Ms. Berk was Administrator of the Harkness Fellowships of The Commonwealth Fund. Is now Chief Talent Officer at Young & Rubicam Group.
  • Thomas Blach Thomas Blach joined Burson-Marsteller in 1989, and became country manager of Burson-Marsteller, Denmark in 1992. From January 1997 to June 1999 he Chaired the European Public Affairs Practice. In 1998 he was also Market Leader in Brussels. In July 1999 Thomas Blach became Chairman of the Nordic Region. Formerly the Managing Director for the Nordic Region, Central, and Northern Europe and Co-CEO Europe. Set up Firstline Communication in 2005, and is currently Managing Partner at the company.

Governmental links

[22]

Revolving doors

USA

  • Ken Rietz, B-M’s chief operating officer, had a political career serving as "chief legislative adviser to a senior member of Congress, as deputy chairman and political director of the Republican National Committee, and as the strategic and media adviser to more than a dozen members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He also has served in senior positions in four Republican presidential campaigns."

Former staff UK and Europe

  • Allan Biggar, former CEO of B-M Europe. He gained political experience as a senior member of the Liberal Democrats campaign staff. He also worked in the UK Parliament on UK privatization legislation, and the flotation of British Telecom and other utilities. He is founder CEO of All About Brands, a group of PR, marketing and lobbying companies.
  • Maria Allen, former public affairs manager at B-M in the UK, then special adviser to Department of Energy and Climate Change Minister of State Amber Rudd, then left government to join Jaguar Land Rover, without having to refer to ACOBA
  • Andrew Mackay, former UK Conservative Party MP, husband of Julie Kirkbride

UK Lobbying clients

Register of consultant lobbyists listings

Recorded meetings since 2015 between Burson Marstellar' and UK govt ministers on behalf of clients:

2017 Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | BD Auto and Energy | British Sugar | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Government of Iceland | INEOS | Islamic Military Counter-Terrorism Coalition |

July - September 2016 Aldi | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | INEOS | The Daily Mile [48]

April - June 2016 Addax Petroleum UK | Aldi | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | The Daily Mile [49]

January - March 2016 Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | FIFA | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace (ICOMP) [50]

October-December 2015 Addax Petroleium | Addison Lee | Aldi | Ennahda | FIFA | Genomic Health | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace [51]

July-September 2015 Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Ennahda | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

April-June 2015 Ennahda | Go Run For Fun | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

January-March 2015 Aldi | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum | Ennahda | Forum of Private Business | Government of Iceland | HCA International | INEOS | Initiative for a Competitive Online Market Place | London Borough of Camden [51]

APPC Register

September 2016-November 2016

Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | DSM | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Iceland | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | Microsoft | PA Consulting | Qualcomm | The Daily Mile | The European Cloud Alliance | Valspar

June 2016-August 2016

Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Bank of America Merrill Lynch | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | CLS Holdings | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Eric Evans Memorial Trust | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Iceland | HCA Healthcare UK | INEOS | Microsoft | PA Consulting | RWE Generation UK Limited | The Daily Mile [34]

March 2016-May 2016

Accenture | Addax Petroleum UK | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | BM Investigations | Charitable foundation for health, education, physical education and sports “Top sport” | Dow Corning | Egypt Tourism Authority | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology | Genomic Health | Gilead Sciences | Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Government of Turkey | HCA Healthcare UK INEOS | Meridian | Microsoft | The Carlyle Group | The Daily Mile | Valspar [35]

December 2015-February 2016

Accenture | Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | BM Investigations | Egypt Tourism Authority | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | FIFA Reform Committee | Genomic Health | Getty Images | Global Infrastructure Investor Association Government of Turkey | HCA InternationalI-Comp | INEOS Valspar[36]

September 2015-November 2015

Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Ennahda (Tunisian Political Party) | FIFA Reform Committee | Genomic Health | Getty Images | Global Infrastructure Investment Association | Government of Iceland | Government of Turkey | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | International Olympic Committee | London Borough of Camden | Valspar [52]

June 2015-August 2015

Addax Petroleum | Addison Lee | Aldi | Amazon | Attaqneyah Almotaqademah Oil Services | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum(BSEF) | Ennahdha(Tunisian Political Party | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | International Olympic Committee | London Borough of Camden | Simons Group | Valspar [38]

December 2014-February 2015

Addax Petroleum | Aldi | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party) | Exxon Mobil | Forum of Private Business | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[39]

September 2014-November 2014

Addax Petroleum | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Ennahdha (Tunisian Political Party)| Findus | Forum of Private Business | Genomic Health | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[40]

June 2014-August 2014

Addax Petroleum | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum | Dow Corning Corporation | Ennahda (Tunisian Political Party)| Findus | Government of Iceland | HCA International | I-Comp | Independent Schools | Inspectorate | INEOS | London Borough of Camden | Smartmatic Services Corporation | State of Law Coalition (Prime Minister of Iraq)| Steria Limited | Uber | Valspar[41]

March 2014-May 2014

Addax Petroleum | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | All Progressives Congress (Nigerian opposition party) | Amazon | Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) | Dow Corning Corporation | HCA International | I-Comp - www.i-comp.org | Independent Schools Inspectorate | London Borough of Camden | Lundbeck | Rothschild Group | SAP | SSCL | Steria Limited | The Coca-Cola Company | Valspar [42]

December 2013-February 2014

Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | I-Comp | London Borough of Camden | Risk Principles Limited | Steria Limited [43]

September 2013-November 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Bank of America Merrill Lynch | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Norgine Pharmaceuticals Limited | Risk Principles Limited [44]

June 2013-August 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Eurovia | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Lloyds Banking Group | Norgine Pharmaceuticals Limited | Risk Principles Limited [45]

March 2013-May 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Leo Laboratories Limited | Lloyds Banking Group | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association [46]

December 2012-February 2013

Accenture | Affinitext | Afton Chemical Limited | Amazon | Danone Baby Nutrition Limited | ECFMU | Government of Iceland | Heineken UK Limited | I-Comp | Lloyds Banking Group | Pilkington Group Limited | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | Talisman Energy Norge [47]

2008

Lobbying clients listed in 2008 include:[53]
Afton Chemicals | Alix Partners | Alstom | Anheuser Busch | BSEF | ConnectEd | Danone | Engineering & Technology Board | Peel Holdings | HSBC | Huawei | Neste Oil | Nickel Institure | Nutricia | Microsoft | RIM | Tate & Lyle

Locations

  • Head Office
Burson-Marsteller
230 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
Phone: +1 212 614 4000
Fax: + 1 212 598 6928
  • London Office
Level 6 South,
Central Saint Giles,
1 St Giles High Street,
London,
WC2H 8AG
Phone: +44 20 7831 6262
Fax: : +44 20 7430 1033

A complete list of the addresses of B-M offices worldwide can be obtained from B-M’s web site [54] and at O’Dwyers PR Daily web site [55]

Affiliations

B-M are members of many corporate lobby groups and other organisations. Among these are:

  • Council of Public Relations Firms The Council of Public Relations Firms is a leading industry body for the PR industry. Its membership comprises 122 PR companies including all of the top ten companies (of which B-M is one) and two-thirds of the top fifty.[56]

Powerbase Resources

Further reading

Pages

See: Fracking lobbying firms

See: Fracking Spads

Articles

Books

  • Andrew Rowell, Green Backlash, Routledge, 1996, p114-121
  • Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared, Nunca Más, Never Again: A Report, Part I: The Repression, Faber & Faber, 1986
  • Ruiz C, Burson-Marsteller: PR for the New World Order
http://home.intekom.com/tm_info/ge_bm.htm
  • Stauber J and Rampton S, 1995, Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry
  • Stauber J and Rampton S, 2000, Trust Us, We’re Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles with Your Future
  • Rowell A, 1996, Green Backlash: Global Subversion of the Environment Movement
the PR industry’s leading trade journal online
another good industry source
published by the Center for Media and Democracy this is the leading source of critical coverage of the PR industry

Videos

Notes

  1. ↑ WPP WPP, accessed 3 May 2002
  2. ↑ Overview Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  3. ↑ Burson Marsteller Holmes Report, accessed 20-6-2002
  4. ↑ Burson-Marsteller appoints senior adviser for defence and security, B-M website, 31 January 2017, accessed 16 August 2017
  5. ↑ Communications Programmes For EUROPABIO Prepared by Burson-Marsteller Government & Public Affairs Organic Consumers, January 1997
  6. ↑ Lobby Planet Guide The EU Quarter Corporate Europe, accessed 21st August 2007
  7. ↑ Portcullis Public Affairs Loses Key Client to Former MD Public Affairs Jobs HQ, accessed 15 January 2015
  8. ↑ David Singleton Ineos blow for Portcullis Public Affairs News, 23 July 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  9. ↑ Daniel Farey-Jones Burson-Marsteller hires Portcullis MD Stephen Day to head UK public affairs PR Week, 10 February 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  10. ↑ Sam Burne James, [Burson UK CEO Stephen Day 'made redundant' as part of BCW PRWeek, 21 June 2018
  11. ↑ Holmes Report, EMEA News In Brief (October 8, 2018), accessed 8 November 2018
  12. ↑ Spinwatch
  13. ↑ Melissa Jones, [Meet the Frackers], Spinwatch, January 2017
  14. ↑ Obesity Burson Marsteller, accessed March 2006
  15. ↑ Robert Mann Burson-Marsteller Draws Ire for Working With Islamist Political Party Adweek, 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014
  16. ↑ Ian Griggs Burson-Marsteller to represent Islamist party in Tunisia ahead of elections PR Week, 29 September 2014, accessed 8 October 2014
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Practice Descriptions Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  18. ↑ Organisations Multinational Monitor, accessed 20 June 2002
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Tobacco Dole Mother Jones Magazine, 20 June 2002
  20. ↑ The Torturers' Lobby Multinational Monitor, accessed 20 June 2002
  21. ↑ Kevin McCauley, Burson Unit Pitches Ukraine, Fri., Mar. 28, 2014
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Executive Board Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  23. ↑ He's Mr. Public Relations Cincinnati.com, 14 April 2001, accessed 3 May 2002
  24. ↑ Burson-Marsteller Appoints Morten Pettersen as Nordic CEO Burson Marsteller, 12 December 2014, accessed 15 January 2015
  25. ↑ UK leadership team Burson Marsteller, undated, accessed 20 October 2014
  26. ↑ Rod Muir Power of six for Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs News, 30 October 2014, accessed 31 October 2014
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 Rod Muir Power of six for Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs News, 30 October 2014, accessed 26 November 2014
  28. ↑ Joseph Musgrave Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  29. ↑ Daniel Rolle Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  30. ↑ Sally Herd Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  31. ↑ Dr Carolina Gasparoli Linkedin, accessed 26 November 2014
  32. ↑ Gavin Grant Burson Marsteller, accessed 20 June 2002
  33. ↑ Simon Bryceson profile, accessed March 2006
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Burson-Marsteller Staff, APPC, accessed 7 October 2016.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Burson-Marsteller staff, APPC, accessed 15 June 2016
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Burson-Marsteller staff, 1st December 2015-28th February 2016, APPC, accessed 8 April 2016
  37. ↑ Burson-Marstellar staff, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 3 February 2016
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Register 1st June 2015-31st August 2015APPC, accessed 28 September 2015
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015 APPC, accessed 9 March 2015
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 15 January 2015
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 16 October 2014
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Register for 1st December 2013 – 31 February 2014 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013 ‘’APPC’’, accessed 1 October 2014
  48. ↑ 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016', Register of consultant lobbyists, accessed 24 November 2016.
  49. ↑ 'Burson-Marsteller profile 2016', Register of consultant lobbyists, accessed 18 July 2016
  50. ↑ Burson-Marsteller profile 2016, parliament.uk, accessed 29 April 2016
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 Burson-Marstellar Listing, Jan-Mar 15, Register of Consultant Lobbyists, accessed 3 February 2016
  52. ↑ Burson-Marstellar clients Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 2 February 2016
  53. ↑ APPC register, to December 2008
  54. ↑ Overview locales Burson Marsteller, accessed 3 May 2002
  55. ↑ PR firms database Odwyerpr, accessed 20 June 2002
  56. ↑ PR Firms Council of Public Relations, accessed 20 June 2002
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