Irishman John Saunders is to succeed Dave Senay as FleishmanHillard’s president and chief executive officer, it was announced today by Dale Adams, chairman and CEO of the DAS group of companies, a division of FleishmanHillard’s parent company, Omnicom Group. Saunders, 57, and a native of Dublin, takes on the new job with immediate effect.
Saunders was president for FH’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
He will be based at the agency’s HQ in St Louis, Missouri. Adams says Saunders emerged from a year-long leadership evaluation process and stood out in many respects. “He’s a proven leader with a global perspective… a consummate PR professional. He has helped grow and develop people and offices and a region during challenging times,” he added.
Adams also described him as an inspiring communicator and a natural collaborator and relationship-builder. He will help FH link its employees and clients with the companies that are part of Omnicom. Saunders said he was honoured and humbled by this new responsibility and the faith shown in him by FH and the wider Omnicom network.
Senay, who turns 60 this month, steps down after 32 years with the company and more than nine years as president and chief executive officer. He joined FH in March 1984 and was appointed president and CEO in 2006. He will remain with the firm as a consultant. In 2014, the industry bible PR Week named him PR Professional of the Year.
That same year, PR Week named FH as global agency of the year.
Saunders recently celebrated his 25th anniversary with FH. In 1990, he and FH co-founded FleishmanHillard Saunders, which became one of Ireland’s top PR firms. In 2004, he was appointed regional director for Europe, and in 2011 he was promoted to the role of regional president for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).
Before going into PR, he was a sports journalist at RTÉ. He is a former president of ICCO, the global consortium of PR bodies, and is a member of its hall of fame. His interests include football, in particular Everton FC. FH in Ireland, run by Rhona Blake, handles ABP Foods, Boots, Eir, Newstalk/98FM, William Fry, Grant Thornton and Ulster Bank.
