BUDAPEST—Chris Dobson is to depart Edelman, two years after joining the firm to oversee emerging markets in EMEA.

Dobson arrived at Edelman from Grayling in 2011, after building up several years of specialist experience across Central and Eastern European markets (CEE). He is expected to leave Edelman early next year.

At Edelman he was charged with expanding the firm's footprint in CEE, along with the Middle East and Africa. However, one year after he joined, Edelman restructured its regions, moving Africa and Middle East to sit under Asia-Pacific CEO David Brain.

Dobson led Edelman's entry into Turkey and also helped Edelman resolve its struggles in Russia, where the firm relaunched after closing its subsidiary in the country last year.

"During his time with Edelman Chris played a significant role within our regional leadership, while also helping launch our entry into Turkey and re-configure our Russian business — two strategically important growth markets," said new Edelman Europe CEO Michael Stewart. "We would like to thank him for his contributions and wish him all success."

Prior to Edelman, Dobson was MD of CEE, Southeastern Europe and Eurasia at Grayling, after becoming part of the firm due to its merger with Mmd. He joined Mmd in 1999 to head its Hungarian office, before taking on regional duties in 2004, and spending two years in Russia.

“After a great two years at Edelman, I’ve decided to move on to new challenges," Dobson told the Holmes Report. "The decision was driven by a number of factors, both personal and professional."