Diana Marszalek 07 Jun 2018 // 3:59AM GMT
NEW YORK — Fred Hawrysh, who has spent the last five years leading PPR Worldwide North America, is taking on a new role as head of Ruder Finn’s integrated communications following Burson Cohn & Wolfe's announcement that it will be folding PPR into AxiCom.
In the newly created role, Hawrysh is charged with working across teams and offices within Ruder Finn to find new business opportunities, build capabilities and create platforms for growth. Hawrysh joining Ruder Finn as an executive VP is part of the agency’s larger digital overhaul and simultaneous effort to boost its marketing and multi-channel communications capabilities, the firm said.
“Fred’s newly created role marks a strategic point in Ruder Finn’s ongoing transformation as an agency,” said CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. “With a keen understanding not only of corporate communications and crisis management, but also community building and using analytics to drive business decisions, Fred will bring a 360 viewpoint to our strategy as we continue to grow. With the continual evolution of the communications industry, roles like Fred’s are essential as we evolve and become more competitive across industry sectors.”
Hawrysh's departure from PPR comes less than a month after newly-merged BCW announced that it is bringing its European-based tech agency Axicom to the US through a consolidation of PPR and North of Nine, BCW's existing US tech agencies. Axicom's new US operation — the creation of which is the first step in a push to expand the brand around the world — will be led by San Francisco-based Emily Dunlop, leader of PPR US.
Hawrysh brings to Ruder Finn 30 years of experience in integrated marketing communications. Before joining PPR he held leadership positions at Accenture, Thomson Reuters and Burson-Marsteller.