This morning at approximately 9:30 we spotted Politico‘s Editor-in-Chief John Harris (a rather distant, unfriendly bloke in person), reporter Alexander Burns and Mike Allen in the luxurious Four Seasons dining room. They were all dressed meticulously in suits and ties. Allen scampered up the stairs after Burns and Harris, so unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to engage him in light banter. Other publication communications executives such as Beth Lester were spotted in the dining room. They were warm and smiled. When asked, Burns, who would only engage in friendly chatter with us when Harris wasn’t around, said they were there to meet with “Embassy” personnel. Whatever that means.

(Pssst…anyone know what they were really doing there? Write us at fishbowldc@mediabistro.com or Betsy@mediabistro.com.)

Politico‘s VandeHarris issued a memo today announcing five new additions to its senior leadership team. They are: Hemal Jhaveri, Beth Lester, LaRonda Peterson, Dan Berman and Miki King. The memo meanders through the reasons why these employees were promoted. All names are capitalized in the MEMO to match the quintessential all-caps POLITICO.

A quick snapshot: Jhaveri, the new Exec Dir. of Digital Innovation, is the “mastermind” behind Politico‘s surge in traffic; Lester, the new VP of Events, has “top-notch” leadership skills and pays sick attention to detail; Peterson, a new Deputy Managing Editor for Pro, has been “absolutely critical” to Pro’s early success and goes the extra mile; Berman, also a new Deputy Managing Editor for Pro, helped build the “best” energy team in Washington; and King, the new Exec. Dir. for Business Development for Pro, is forging Pro ahead in sales.

The memo ends on a self-editing note: “This memo is officially longer than most POLITICO stories, so we will end here. Please take time to congratulate – and get to know – your new leaders.”

See the entire letter…

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