PR’s Revolving Door

Matthew Furman (left) has joined Best Buy as SVP of comms and public affairs, managing all PR, executive communications, community relations, and other areas. Furman joins from Mars Chocolate where he was on the management team and served as VP of corporate affairs.

Best Buy has hit hard times: CEO Brian Dunn recently resigned, the company reported a 26 percent drop in profits for the fiscal first quarter, and while revenue and adjusted earnings numbers topped expectations, same store numbers fell more than five percent. Interim CEO, G. “Mike” Mikan, has stepped in and will receive millions in pay.

“It’s time to change the story about Best Buy,” Furman said in a statement. “Time to help employees, shareholders, partners and customers understand that this company’s leadership knows what needs to be done to come out of this turnaround well equipped to win in the evolving marketplace.”

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Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

P&G‘s global external relations head Christopher Hassall is retiring on June 30, prompting a restructure of the company’s comms team, reporting to global brand-building officer Marc Pritchard (left). The group will shrink from 1,200 to 800, with a number of employees moving to regulatory and legal areas of the company. The new structure is in line with the company’s five-year $10 billion cost-cutting plan. [via]

Christian Kuhn has been appointed VP of marketing for Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton, two all-suite, extended stay hotel brands. Kuhn was previously director of brand marketing for Embassy Suites. He’s also worked with AOL and AARP.

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The Halo Group has promoted Lara Cohn to SVP and director of PR. She joined the firm in 2010 and has since worked to broaden the company’s capabilities in the events, social media, and content creation space.

Talley Summerlin has joined Emanate as VP in the New York office, leading the corporate reputation efforts for the Philips client and working with the Legacy Asset Servicing division of Bank of America. Summerlin was previously a director with EnviroMedia Social Marketing, an Austin, TX-based firm.

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MSLGroup has hired Adam Mirabella (left), the former global director of social media and digital marketing at Nokia and global director of Nokia Music Services, to serve as SVP of the firm’s digital and social media practice. He’ll be based in New York. (Sidebar: Nokia has problems.)

And MSL Washington D.C. has named Shonali Burke VP of digital. Burke was previously the VP of media and communications for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). During her time, she worked on the comms response to the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal.

Burke is also the blogger behind Waxing Unlyrical.

The two new hires free the practice director, Steve Marino, to focus on capabilities across the firm network. Marino joined the firm in 2010 from Ogilvy, and worked with BP on its Gulf oil spill response.

Levick Strategic Communications has hired Jack Deschauer to serve as VP of the corporate practice. He previously worked with Pratt & Whitney, an aircraft engine manufacturer, in its efforts to end funding for the the Joint Strike Fighter program. He’s also worked on media relations in the Chandra Levy case, the Jayson Williams trial, and other notable situations.

Siegel + Gale co-founder Alan Siegel is leaving the firm after 43 years, according to Adweek. He plans to continue his work with nonprofits, medicine, education, and related areas. Among his next projects will be the new corporate identity for the Cornell University outpost on New York’s Roosevelt Island.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has named Twitter co-founder and creator Jack Dorsey (above) its media person of the year. He’ll be presented with the honor on June 20 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. In addition, Grupo ABC, the large Latin American comms group, is bringing former President Bill Clinton to the event. He’ll be giving a keynote address June 21 about “How Advertising Can Build a Better World.”

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Allison+Partners SVP Jonathan Heit has been promoted to president and senior partner, in charge of daily firm operations. The move frees up founding partners Scott Allison, Andy Hardie-Brown, and Scott Pansky to tackle the wide-ranging items that impact the future of the firm. Allison, chairman and CEO, will focus on internal management, the profile of the firm, and its business progress; Hardie-Brown, COO, will focus on strategic direction, such as global expansion; and Pansky, senior partner, will focus on cause marketing, values programs and firm culture, professional development, and related areas.

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Since Roll Call didn’t go up in its usual Wednesday time slot, we have a special Thursday edition.

MSLGroup has pulled together its food, nutrition, and beverage capabilities into one group: MSLGROUP Americas Food & Beverage. The new group is led by Steve Bryant out of the Seattle office, which has undergone a name change from Publicis Consultants USA to MSL Seattle. Bryant is now MD of MSL Seattle. He’ll get help from Caryn Carmer the consumer practice leader in the New York office. PJPS, the company’s events and experiential marketing business, will remain the same. MSL Seattle clients include Sunkist Growers and Nestlé.

MSLGroup’s Andreoli MSL Brazil has also hired Valéria Café to serve as chief operations officer of the company’s Brazil offices. She has previously worked at companies including Whirlpool and Coca-Cola. Café will also lead efforts to expand the company’s Latin American footprint. MSLGroup currently has 14 affiliate and owned offices across Latin and Central America.

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Fleishman-Hillard has appointed Anne de Schweinitz (left) SVP, managing director, and senior partner of the healthcare practice. She will relocate from New York to London, reporting to John Saunders, president of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. De Schweinitz joined F-H in 2011. She replaces Michael Rinaldo who has left the firm.

Warner Brothers Pictures has promoted two execs in its international publicity department: Lance Volland to EVP and Désirée Finnegan to SVP, the role previously held by Volland. Based on the press release, many of his duties for both jobs will remain the same: overseeing the international publicity department and all of the functions of that division (the former) and helping with strategies and global campaigns (the latter).

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Edelman has got three executive moves to announce. Lisa Manley has been named the EVP of the firm’s new Business + Social Purpose practice in Chicago, effective May 15. Manley joins the firm from Coca-Cola where she managed global CSR and sustainability programs along with comms focused on categories like health, water, and climate protection. The firm has also promoted Harlan Loeb (right) to global chair of the crisis and risk management practice. He’s been head of the U.S. crisis practice since 2009. And the latest appointment is Joanne Colan as SVP and senior content strategist. Colan was the host of v-log Rocketboom and Discovery’s Planet Green series Dean of Invention. At Edelman, she’ll be focused on the ways clients can best use broadcast and video platforms.

New York-based firm The Door has added a Chicago office. Katy Darnaby, who has more than 10 years experience working with organizations including Dan Klores Communications and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, has been hired to run the office. The firm has also hired Tara Melega as a senior member of the New York team. She was previously senior director of media relations at Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, and has worked on campaigns for artists including Natasha Bedingfield, Michael Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper.

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Brunswick Group has restructured its leadership in order to make chairman Alan Parker more available for external and client-facing work. Susan Gilchrist (left) has been promoted to a new position, group chief executive, based in New York. Rob Pinker has been promoted to the new position of COO based in London and Johannesburg. Both execs have been with the firm since 1995. Gilchrist was previously head of U.S. operations, a position she took in 2010 after relocating from London. Pinker was managing partner for the Middle East and Africa.

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