Burson-Marsteller, a leading global strategic communications and public relations firm, today announced Ramiro Prudencio has been named CEO of the firm's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, effective May 2. Francisco Carvalho, who had been CEO of Burson-Marsteller Brazil, succeeds Prudencio as CEO of the firm's Latin America region, also effective May 2. Prudencio will be based in London, Carvalho in São Paulo.
"Ramiro is one of the most talented strategic communications professionals I have ever worked with, and he has been an impressive change agent at Burson-Marsteller," said Don Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "As he has done across Latin America, he will now bring to EMEA his innovative thinking and experience around integrated communications and content marketing and his capacity to build them effectively into our work. His experience building a multi-market region in Latin America – with 13 offices across 10 countries – makes him an exciting choice to lead EMEA, a growing, crucially important region for Burson-Marsteller and our clients across every sector and practice."
Added Kevin Bell, Worldwide President, to whom Prudencio and Carvalho will report, "Ramiro is highly respected across the industry for his keen insights, global perspective and dedication to the highest standards of excellence. I look forward to working closely with Ramiro to build our EMEA business and drive meaningful and measurable results for our clients."
Prudencio joined Burson-Marsteller's Washington, D.C. office in 1990 after several years working in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative aide to a senior Member of Congress. He later moved to Chile to open the firm's Santiago office, followed by eight years as President of Burson-Marsteller Brazil in São Paulo. In all, he spent nearly 13 years leading local agency operations, teams and client engagements in these two markets. After returning to the U.S. in 2006, he led the firm's Miami market and co-led Burson-Marsteller's Global Key Client Relationship Program, which supports client teams focused on the agency's largest global clients. He was named CEO of Burson-Marsteller Latin America in 2011. Under his leadership, Burson-Marsteller was named Latin American Agency of the Year in 2013 and 2015 by industry trade publication The Holmes Report. In addition to English, he is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
"I am excited to work with the EMEA team to build on the region's great foundation and bring Burson-Marsteller's extraordinary talent and expertise to companies and organizations that need effective communications to help them grow and thrive," said Prudencio. "We have the people, the insights and the passion to deliver meaningful results for our clients and to grow our business in this important region. I look forward to this next challenge."
Carvalho has more than 35 years of experience across journalism, advertising and public relations, with expertise in developing and executing corporate reputation strategies as well as brand positioning, public affairs and crisis management and integrated communications programs for B2B and B2C clients. He has served two stints with Burson-Marsteller, currently leading the firm's São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília offices since 2005. In addition to structuring teams, providing strategic consulting and executing communications projects for a variety of clients, Carvalho spearheaded the rollout of Burson-Marsteller's integrated planning process in the region. Before rejoining Burson-Marsteller, Carvalho was Corporate Communications Director for GTECH, where he developed strategic communications programs and a broad stakeholder engagement program. Before that he was Corporate Communications Director at McDonald's, where he managed internal communications, stakeholder relationships, media relations, social responsibility, public affairs and crisis management projects. Earlier in his career, he was Corporate Communications Director of Young & Rubicam and MPM/Lintas, and a manager at Burson-Marsteller Brazil. He began his career as a journalist and worked in various functions for leading media outlets. He also served as a Director of Foreign Affairs for ABRACOM (Brazilian Association of PR Agencies).
"Francisco's experience in senior positions in public relations and advertising agencies, as well as corporations and the media, gives him tremendous insights into the trends that are reshaping our industry," added Baer. "He is well-positioned to ensure Burson-Marsteller Latin America remains an essential partner to companies wishing to implement integrated communications for measurable business impact."
"Francisco is an exceptional leader, having grown our business in Brazil under very challenging political and economic conditions," Bell added. "I am confident he has the background, expertise and enthusiasm to lead and build our Latin America business."
Added Carvalho, "This is a very exciting time for business in Latin America. Burson-Marsteller boasts a tremendous team in the market and I look forward to working with them to help clients, whether based in the region or expanding into Latin America, grow and thrive."
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and digital strategies. The firm's seamless worldwide network consists of 77 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world's leading communications services network. For more information, please visit bm.com.
