NEW YORK — Weber Shandwick has hired Jill Tannenbaum to the newly-created role of chief communications and marketing officer, as the world's second-biggest PR firm aims to elevate its global profile.

Tannenbaum joins the agency after departing Cohn & Wolfe, where she was CMO, last year. Since then, she has consulted for companies and agencies, and is now tasked with overseeing Weber Shandwick's global marcomms function.

Weber Shandwick's global communications was previously led by Michelle Giuda, who left for the State Department at the start of this year. 

“We believe in the power of the story and Weber Shandwick’s story – rooted in our mission of creating value for our clients and teams – is very much the foundation of our success,” said Weber Shandwick president Gail Heimann, to whom Tannenbaum reports. "We are thrilled that Jill has joined the firm to help us take our storytelling – and engaging – to the next level. I know that the strength of her stewardship will make a difference for our clients and our employees."

Earlier in her career, Tannenbaum held operational and client advisory roles at Cohn & Wolfe and other agencies, including leading Cohn & Wolfe’s healthcare practice in New York. In the late Nineties, she was also a senior account lead at Bozell Public Relations, which later became part of Weber Shandwick.

At Weber Shandwick, Tannenbaum will work with the firm's business development, human resources and thought leadership teams to strengthen the agency’s standing in the marketplace, deliver added value to clients and foster an innovative company culture.

"I have always been impressed with Weber Shandwick’s restless spirit, particularly in the pursuit of solving new kinds of problems for clients," Tannenbaum said. "I’m energized to rejoin an incredible team that is determined to continually innovate and push boundaries to get to new solutions."