NEW YORK—Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick, has been named a member of the US Agency for International Development Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid, established by Presidential directive after World War II to serve as a link between the US Government and voluntary organizations active in humanitarian assistance and development work overseas. In 2009, Leslie was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as Chairman of the US African Development Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, former chairman of USA for UNHCR and a member of the board of advisors of the Duke Global Health Institute.

NEW YORK—Katina Scott, a brand planner who has provided counsel and insight for many of the world’s leading consumer brands, has joined Taylor as vice president, brand planning director. Based in the agency’s New York headquarters, Scott will report to Christian Alfonsi, executive vice president, strategic planning and head of Taylor’s brand counsel group and will help drive insights and inspiration for P&G (Olympic Games and NFL partnerships), Nestlé (Stouffer’s), and Novartis (Excedrin) accounts. Previously director of network strategy at Euro RSCG, she also led the Euro RSCG knowledge exchange and Euro University.
 
NEW YORK—Blythe Reiss, an expert in corporate branding and positioning, crisis management and media relations, joins APCO Worldwide to head the firm’s New York food and consumer products practice. Prior to joining APCO, Reiss served as vice president of communications, Americas, for Electrolux Group, the world’s second-largest home appliance manufacturer, overseeing corporate communication campaigns, issues management programs and internal communication efforts. Reiss also brings extensive agency experience, having led global communication campaigns for high-profile brands as managing director, marketing and corporate practices, at Burson-Marsteller.

NEW YORK—MSLGroup has hired Graham Gunn as senior vice president and creative director of its digital practice. In this newly created role, Gunn will report to Stephen Marino, senior vice president, director of digital and social media, North America and will provide strategic direction for social endeavors across MSL's North American offices. Previously at Ogilvy PR—where he worked on the digital strategy for BP's crisis response to the 2010 oil spill—Gunn has nearly 20 years of experience in digital, social media and word-of-mouth marketing.

SALEM, MA—LaVoie Group, a specialist in life science and pharmaceutical communications, has appointed Amy Speak as vice president of public and media relations. Speak will provide account leadership and strategic counsel and programming for several of the agency's global public relations accounts. She will also focus on agency development initiatives. Previously, Speak was vice president at Porter Novelli, responsible for client engagements ranging from global pharmaceutical companies to biotechnology startups. Previous clients include Applied Biosystems, PerkinElmer, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson.