St. Louis-based public relations giant Fleishman-Hillard International Communications announced Thursday, September 15, 2011, the formation of a Global China Practice.
Fleishman-Hillard said it is "intensifying its focus on the hundreds, if not thousands, of Chinese companies poised for global growth."
Fleishman-Hillard's China business has grown nearly 250 percent in the past five years and is on track to triple in the next five years. To serve this growth, the firm said it is committed to identifying, training and retaining the best Chinese talent in the communications industry.
"The dramatic success of Chinese companies domestically is increasingly leading them to look for opportunities offshore," Fleishman-Hillard President and CEO Dave Senay said. "Relatively new to global markets, they often confront obstacles in terms of cultural differences, government concerns, lack of brand awareness and other challenges."
The global co-leaders of this practice are Joanne Wong in Hong Kong and Bill Black in Washington, D.C.
Fleishman-Hillard also announced partnerships with universities in the United States and Europe for a special China Masters Exchange Program that will identify and nurture Chinese students who are seeking careers in communications. Initial partners are Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.; George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; and Washington University in St. Louis. The exchange program is open to Chinese-speaking students studying abroad.
Fleishman-Hillard, which is a part of New York-based Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), had approximately $500 million in revenue in 2010. Fleishman-Hillard has more than 2,400 employees worldwide, including more than 450 in St. Louis. |
