TORONTO—PR agency veteran Bob Pickard has returned to his native Canada and plans to launch a new consultancy after departing Huntsworth earlier this year.

Pickard relocated from Singapore at the start of the summer after more than a decade in Asia, most recently as chairman of Huntsworth Asia-Pacific. Pickard spent 18 months at Huntsworth, which he joined after serving as Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific CEO for three years.

Before Burson, Pickard spent more than five years with Edelman in North Asia, launching the firm in Korea before overseeing the sub-region. He relocated to Asia after being one of the founding partners of Canada's Environics Communications.

Pickard's departure from Huntsworth is unsurprising given the turbulence at the UK-based holding group. He joined the company to focus on client development and new business; since then Lord Chadlington was replaced by Paul Taaffe as Huntsworth CEO, and Huntsworth has embarked on a significant restructuring plan.
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Pickard told the Holmes Report that he is currently "exploring a new social media consultancy aimed at international senior leadership communication."