Patrick Ford Named Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller Client Service and Dave DenHerder Named U.S. CEO

Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications firm, announced today the appointment of Patrick Ford as Global Vice Chairman, Client Service and the appointment of Dave DenHerder as Chief Executive Officer for the United States. These appointments will become effective on January 1, 2012. Ford has served as Burson-Marsteller’s U.S. CEO since 2006. In this newly created role, Ford will be responsible for strengthening the depth and breadth of key client relationships worldwide.

Pat Ford Named Global Vice Chairman, Client Service (Photo: Business Wire)

DenHerder has been the CEO of Direct Impact, Burson-Marsteller’s grassroots public affairs and corporate reputation subsidiary, since 2007 after joining the firm in 2005. He also served as the Ford Motor Company global client lead for WPP. Nicole Cornish, President of Direct Impact, will assume leadership responsibilities for Direct Impact. Consumer and Brand Marketing Managing Director Laura Hall will assume responsibilities as the global Burson-Marsteller client lead for the Ford Motor Company team.

Ford and DenHerder will report to Worldwide CEO Mark Penn and will continue to serve on Burson-Marsteller’s Business Operations Team, which includes the firm’s most senior executives.

"Burson-Marsteller is dedicated to delivering the strongest client service and most creative and strategic thinking in the industry,” said CEO Penn. "That is why Pat Ford is the perfect executive to assume one of the most crucial roles in the firm, the newly created position of Vice Chairman of Client Service. After more than two decades of working with clients at Burson-Marsteller, Pat has demonstrated his dedication and commitment to providing the highest standard of client service. This gives him an ideal perspective on the keys to developing long-term client relationships.”

"Over the last several years, no one has exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit of Burson-Marsteller more than Dave DenHerder,” said Penn. "His tireless effort and strategic thinking has led Direct Impact through a period of remarkable growth despite the economy’s recent ups and downs. I know Dave is up to the challenge of leading our U.S. team to many successes in the future.”

Since joining Burson-Marsteller in 1989, Ford has also served as a senior managing director in the Public Affairs Practice and as chairman of the Corporate-Financial Practice. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ford served as vice president for public affairs at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in Washington, DC.

Ford is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Committee for Economic Development, a nonpartisan policy institute in Washington, DC. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Public Relations and on the Agency Management Committee of the Council of Public Relations Firms.

"Clients have come to expect the very best when working with Burson-Marsteller,” said Ford. "I look forward to working with our clients and our client teams globally to form long-lasting relationships with mutually beneficial results.”

DenHerder joined Direct Impact in 2005 as COO and oversaw the core departments of the company. Prior to joining Direct Impact, DenHerder served as a regional political director for the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign, developing and managing political and grassroots organizations in seven states. He also acted as the campaign’s liaison with political and elected leaders in those states.

Before the 2004 Presidential campaign, DenHerder was the White House Liaison and Special Assistant to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. In 2000, he served as field director for the Bush/Cheney campaign in his home state of Iowa. DenHerder has more than 20 years of grassroots experience on national, state and local campaigns.

"I am honored to be named the U.S. CEO of Burson-Marsteller,” said DenHerder. "Burson-Marsteller is an industry leader with strong strategic program development and execution capabilities. I know the U.S. team is immensely talented, and I look forward to working with our U.S. leadership team and the entire U.S. staff to serve our clients through a relentless focus on excellence in communications.”

About Burson-Marsteller

Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and web-related strategies. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 68 offices and 81 affiliate offices, together operating in 109 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world’s leading communications services network. To learn more about Burson-Marsteller visit www.burson-marsteller.com.

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