NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber
Shandwick Chairman Jack Leslie
announced his retirement today, following a storied career of 45
years in communications and public affairs. Leslie has held the
role of chairman at Weber Shandwick for more than 20 years since
the merger of Bozell Sawyer Miller Group (BSMG) and Weber Shandwick
in 2001. He will stay in his current role until March 2022 and has agreed to continue as a senior
advisor, counseling the agency and its clients on corporate
reputation, social impact and public policy.
"I am so grateful to have spent my career at the intersection of
communications, politics and business, and to have worked with
visionaries who've made such a difference in the world. I've
also witnessed a transformation of our business; analog became
digital, and an era of broadcasting became an era of engagement. We
stayed ahead of the curve, and I'm proud we emerged as a leader in
our industry. During all this time, I've also been so fortunate to
have partners willing to help me pursue my interests in development
and humanitarian causes. In the last year, I've been particularly
active in advocacy around migration and public health. I'm looking
forward to giving more time and attention to these passions,"
Leslie said.
As a leading communications executive, political consultant and
international development activist, Leslie has counseled countless
nonprofit organizations, government institutions, civic leaders and
the world's largest brands for more than four decades. After
serving as a political director for the late Senator Edward Kennedy in the 1980s, Leslie was named
president of Sawyer Miller, a
pioneering political consulting firm, where he advised dozens of
presidential and statewide campaigns in the United States, Latin America, Asia and Africa. He was a close advisor to President
Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia during both his presidential
campaigns and the long peace process in the country. In 2016,
Leslie received the highest honor given a non-citizen in
Colombia, the Order of San Carlos,
for his work on Plan Colombia and during the peace
negotiations.
Leslie's work at the helm of Sawyer
Miller saw the firm grow into a leading corporate
consulting, advocacy and public affairs firm over the next two
decades. Leslie was a key member of the leadership team as Weber
Shandwick developed into a leading, multidisciplinary marketing
services organization, achieved two decades of positive growth and
was recognized with the industry's most prestigious awards,
including PRovoke's Global and U.S. Agency of the Decade (2020),
PRovoke Global Agency of the Year, PRWeek Global Agency of the
Year, PRWeek Purpose Agency of the Year, Ad Age Agency A-list and
more than 135 Cannes Lions.
"The story of Weber Shandwick's journey to becoming the
powerhouse it is today could not be written without Jack Leslie," said Andy
Polansky, Chairman & CEO, IPG DXTRA. "Jack's
incredible foresight and fortitude to stay ahead of the market and
to anticipate client needs pushed our firm time and time again in
the right direction. We're grateful for his counsel, his dedication
to the agency, his invaluable contributions to driving positive
change and personally, for his friendship."
In addition to his professional roles, Leslie is an activist for
international development, humanitarian assistance and global
health. He chaired USA for UNHCR
(The UN Refugee Agency) during the 1990s and was appointed to the
board of United States African Development Foundation (USADF) in
2003 by President George W. Bush. He
was subsequently appointed chairman of the board of USADF by
President Barack Obama and has since
led missions to 25 African countries. In 2021, USADF announced an
annual grant program in Leslie's honor for his 20 years of service.
Additionally, Leslie served as chairman of USAID's Advisory
Committee for Voluntary Foreign Assistance (ACVFA) during the Obama
administration. He is deeply involved in global health, formerly
serving as chair of the Advisory Committee of the Duke Global
Health Institute and currently as chair of the board of the
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). Leslie is also
a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, on the board of
directors of Water.org, the Partnership for Central America (PCA) and formerly chair of
the board of the Ron Brown Scholars Program.
"Jack's imprint on the evolution of Weber Shandwick is hard to
miss," said Gail Heimann, CEO, Weber
Shandwick. "Under his leadership and influence over many decades,
we have formed an organization that not only solves complex
challenges for a diverse mix of clients, but one that delivers with
purpose – and a passion for doing well by doing good. And lucky for
us, Jack will continue to bring that passion and purpose in his
advisory role."
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading
global communications network that delivers
next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and
organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class
strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of
the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was
named to Ad Age's Agency A-List in 2020
and Best Places to Work in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also
honored as PRovoke's Global Agency of the Decade in
2020 and PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year in
2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The firm earned 25 Lions at the 2019
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with
earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging
technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and
heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand
and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management,
employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data
and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and
financial communications. Weber Shandwick is part of the
Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information,
visit http://www.webershandwick.com
Contact: Jill Tannenbaum
Company: Weber
Shandwick
Phone: 212-546-7815
Email: jtannenbaum@webershandwick.com
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