NEW YORK—Penn Schoen Berland, the research-based consultancy and sister firm of Burso-Marsteller, has named Jay Leveton as the firm’s interim chief executive officer. Leveton will assume this post immediately and report to Donald Baer, chairman of PSB and worldwide president and chief executive officer of BM.

The move follows the departure in recent months of PSB principals Mark Penn, who took a senior strategic role at Microsoft, and Mike Berland, who moved to take charge of Edelman’s research and analytics unit.

Leveton has worked at the firm since 1997, when he began as entry-level employee upon graduating college. He was previously managing director of the firm’s New York office and currently serves as executive vice president at Burson-Marsteller, a post he will maintain.

Leveton will work closely with a newly established operating committee that will help oversee the firm’s strategy, management and operations. The committee will include several of the firm’s long-time managing directors including Matt Carter, Curtis Freet, Amy Leveton, William Mann, Jonathan Penn and chief financial officer Mike Pettingill.