Porter Novelli Strengthens North America Talent on Both Coasts

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations leader Porter Novelli announced two enhancements to its North America team. Strahan Wallis has been tapped as managing director for Porter Novelli's Southern California region, which includes operations in Los Angeles, Irvine, and San Diego, after previously serving in a similar leadership role for the Clemenger Group owned Porter Novelli New Zealand. Additionally, Raj Iyer has joined the agency in New York as senior vice president in the strategic planning, analytics and research practice.

Based in Los Angeles, Wallis will assume regional responsibility for talent management, strategic growth and client service excellence. Wallis will draw on his previous experience as managing director in Porter Novelli's New Zealand office, where he successfully strengthened office culture which resulted in the lowest staff turnover rate in more than a decade. In his new post, Wallis reports to Jennifer Swint, President of North America.

Wallis has a strong background in technology, agriculture, food, health and financial services sectors having advised some of the world's leading companies. Some of these include: Microsoft, HP, Visa, KPMG, Credit Suisse, Fonterra (dairy), RocketLab USA (aerospace), Heineken and a number of food companies.

"Arriving stateside feels like a long time in the making," said Wallis. "I am eager to work with my colleagues in Southern California to support our clients through their most challenging communication issues. This market offers a breadth of new opportunities and challenges for our team and our clients and I can't wait to get into it."

Based in New York, Iyer will be responsible for creating broad strategies that unite communications programs, while ensuring they are properly executed and impactful. He reports to Carrie Schum, North America lead of strategic planning, analytics and research.

"Joining Porter Novelli was inevitable. I'm drawn to the best talent, culture and ideas," said Iyer. "I'm excited for this endeavor, simply because I love learning about audiences and connecting with people."

Prior to PN, Iyer ran a strategy consulting company focusing on consumer healthcare technology startups. He also worked with consumer packaged goods and lifestyle brands to drive go-to-market strategies and develop deep audience understanding. His client experience includes brands such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Hearst Publications, Heineken, LEGO, LG and Merck.

"Both Strahan and Raj are incredibly talented individuals who will make an impact on behalf of our clients, our teams and our innovation," said Swint. "Their energy, creativity and curiosity are the perfect fit for our agency culture and growth strategy. We are thrilled to have them on the Porter Novelli team."

About Porter Novelli
Porter Novelli is a global public relations agency built on a rich heritage of marketing for social good. We've been motivating people to change deeply ingrained behaviors rooted in cultural and social norms for more than 40 years. Porter Novelli is a different kind of agency—and we recognize, respect and champion companies with the spirit, drive and tenacity to do things differently. We like taking on big challenges, and even bigger challengers, and we seek out clients who feel the same way—clients who have the conviction to tell their own story, and the courage to innovate from who they have been into who they know they can be. For additional information, please visit www.porternovelli.com. Porter Novelli is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.

About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

Contact:
Amy Marriott
Porter Novelli
amy.marriott@porternovelli.com
404-917-6988

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SOURCE Porter Novelli