LEIDEN—Rainer Ohler has been named head of corporate communications for European aerospace company EADS, responsible for group-wide internal and external communications and reporting directly to CEO Tom Enders. Previously senior vice president public affairs and communications at Airbus, Rainer Ohler succeeds Pierre Bayle who will leave the company. Ohler has worked for EADS and its predecessor companies since 1995, starting as executive assistant and speechwriter for the CEO of Daimler-Benz Aerospace in Munich.

DUBAI—MasterCard has appointed Sami Lahoud as vice president of communications, Middle East and Africa, responsible for driving the corporate communications function for the company across the region. Before joining MasterCard, Lahoud worked with Barclays where he established the corporate affairs function for the emerging markets region. Earlier he worked with Boeing, Weber Shandwick and Hill & Knowlton and was business editor of Al Iktissad Wal Aamal magazine, a leading pan Arab business publication.

BRUSSELS—FoodFirm, a network of corporate communications and public affairs firms dedicated to the food sector, has launched to work with clients from agriculture and raw materials to retail and consumer brands. FoodFirm includes four firms specializing in both public relations and public affairs: College Group in the UK and Brussels, LJ Corporate in France, Schuttelaar & Partners in The Netherlands and Brussels, and Kohl PR in Germany.

LONDON—The Consorzio Grana Padano, the consortium behind the a leading PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese, has appointed Cohn & Wolfe as its new UK agency partner. The firm will assume responsibility for building awareness and engagement for Grana Padano, produced in designated regions along the Po Valley in Northern Italy. Cohn & Wolfe will also assume responsibility for maximizing the Consorzio's sponsorship assets in the UK, which include partnerships with Slow Food and the Guild of Fine Food.

LONDON—Splendid has been named as UK public relations partner to social business networking site LinkedIn.

VILNIUS—Publicum Public Relations has been selected as the Baltic States partner for Public Relations Organisation International. Established in 2001, Publicum has offices in the capitals of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. PROI is represented in 124 cities in 43 countries, with 56 leading independent PR partner companies and more than 3,200 experienced practitioners servicing 4,100 clients worldwide.

LONDON—Oasis, a leading national dentistry group with over 200 practices and 850 dentists, has appointed Citigate Dewe Rogerson as its corporate and consumer PR adviser. Citigate will work with Oasis to support its brand development in the growing dental market.

STOCKHOLM—Healthcare services company Capio has appointed Henrik Brehmer as senior vice president corporate communications and public affairs. He joins from a position as senior vice president corporate communications and public affairs at Swedish Match, and previously held similar positions at Securitas and Ericsson.

LONDON—W Communications has been appointed by Elite Sports Properties (ESP) to support ‘The Last Lap’ partnership, a 17-day Olympic party and late night destination for athletes. W won the business after a competitive pitch process involving several other UK based agencies.