Fleishman Hillard has announced that Dublin native John Saunders will succeed Dave Senay as president and CEO of the global communications firm.
Mr Saunders, 57, will assume his new role with immediate effect.
He has worked at the firm for 25 years and was previously president for Fleishman Hillard’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
In 1990, he and Fleishman Hillard founded Fleishman Hillard Saunders, which became a prominent PR agency here as well as one of the firm’s most successful offices.
Prior to his PR career, he was staff journalist with RTÉ.
For the new role Mr Saunders will reside in St Louis, where the agency is headquartered.
He was appointed after a year-long leadership evaluation process during which he “stood out in many respects”, according to Dale Adams, Chairman and CEO of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Fleishman Hillard’s parent company, Omnicom Group.
Mr Saunders’ predecessor, Dave Senay, steps down after 32 years with the company and more than nine years as president and CEO.
He will remain with the firm as a consultant and to support the leadership transition.
