SAN FRANCISCO—Financial communications powerhouse Kekst and Company has added Christine Castro, most recently vice president of corporate communications at Adobe, to its expanding West Coast operation.

New York based Kekst has been building a presence in San Francisco over the past couple of years, to better serve the firm’s west coast clients. Castro is joining a team that includes former corporate attorney and managing director Lin-Hua Wu; founder and executive committee member Robert Siegfried, who now spends much of his time on the West Coast; and principal Sofia Mata-Leclerc.

Castro will focus on expanding the firm’s business in the technology and biotech sectors. Prior to joining Adobe, she served as senior vice president of corporate relations at Genentech and was responsible for leading the biotech company's external and internal communications strategies.

She also served as chief communications officer for Yahoo!, managing the company's communications function worldwide. Earlier roles include vice president of corporate communications for The Walt Disney Company as well as positions at SunAmerica and Rockwell International.

She began her career as a newspaper reporter and editor.