Communications & New Media Nov 2015 Vol 29 No 11

PEOPLE IN PR
Hazelbaker steers to
Uber PR
Jill Hazelbaker, who led Snapchat’s
communications operation, is moving
to Uber as VP of Communications and
Public Policy.
Re/code first reported the move.
Hazelbaker was Google’s top PR and government
relations exec
and also led European
Union policy based
out of London for the
search giant. She is a
former communications
hand for Sen. John
McCain’s presidential
run and advised former
New York Mayor
Hazelbacker
Michael Bloomberg’s
re-election.
She was VP of Communications and
Public Policy for Snapchat as the company
worked to drop its image as a sexting app
to pivot toward a consumer friendly social
messaging service.
Finn Partners hires Kuhl
Kristie Kuhl, who formerly filled executive
Vice President slots at Cohn &
Wolfe and Makovsky
& Company, has
moved to Finn Partners,
where she assumes the
role of Senior Partner
of that agency’s health
shop.
Kuhl will now be responsible
for Finn Partners’
range of pharmaceutical
efforts, which
Kuhl
includes biotechnology, pharmaceutical,
and specialty pharma.
NBC dials up Cerwin
for entertainment work
Lesley Cerwin, who handles PR for NBC’s
reality shows like “The Voice” and “The
Biggest Loser,” has been upped to Senior
VP of Entertainment Publicity for NBC Entertainment.
Cerwin joined NBC
Universal from Buena
Vista TV in 2005 and
started out publicizing
“Law & Order” at Universal
Network TV.
Under NBC’s “alternative
programming,”
her PR purview has Cerwin
included the Golden Globes and network
specials, along with custom-content marketing.
Kundred appointed
west coast MD at MSL
MSLGROUP on Thursday named PR
and marketing veteran Curt Kundred
as Managing Director for the
Western Region, as well as Global Head of
Strategic Partnerships and Acquisitions.
Kundred, who is based in the agency’s San
Francisco office, will lead MSLGROUP’s
West Coast operations that include PR offices
in the Bay Area, Seattle and Los Angeles.
Prior to joining MSLGRoup, Kundred
served as President for the West Coast, East
Coast and Canada for FleishmanHillard
and President of the Western Region for
Edelman.
In his strategic partnerships and acquisitions
role, Kundred will help to develop
MSLGROUP’s growth plans, and report to
Global CEO, Guillaume Herbette.
Foster returns to B-M
Chris Foster, SVP for Booz Allen Hamilton
in Washington, has returned to
Burson-Marsteller as worldwide EVP
under CEO Donald
Baer.
Foster is a former
Managing Director and
US Healthcare Practice
Chair for the firm,
where he worked for
two stints in the late
1990s and late 2000s.
At BAH, he worked
global civil health, strategic
comms. and civil
Foster
commercial business for the consulting
firm.
Earlier roles included FleishmanHillard,
CarryOn Communications and the American
Association of Health Plans.
Huntsworth’s new CFO
UK-based Huntsworth has appointed
Neil Jones as the PR group’s next
Chief Financial Officer.
Jones assumes that role in February. He
replaces Brian Porritt, Huntsworth’s interim
Finance Director, who will stay with
Huntsworth until the first quarter of 2016.
Jones is currently CFO of international
exhibition and conference organizer ITE
Group, a role he has held since 2008. Prior
to his work at ITE, he
was Group Finance Director
of Ireland-based
business-to-business
media group Tarsus
Group.
Huntsworth, which
owns PR units Grayling
and Citigate and operates
out of 30 countries,
hired Hill & Knowlton
veteran Taaffe as CEO
People in PR
in December. Huntsworth posted a $70
million loss in the first half of this year.
Rubenstein gets Rowan
Dawn Rowan has been named Vice
President, Director of Media Relations
at Rubenstein Public Relations.
In the new role, Rowan will head Rubenstein’s
media relations division and facilitate
the agency’s communications campaigns.
Rowan comes to Rubenstein from NBC
4 New York, where she served as Communications
Director for
five years. In that role
she was responsible for
overseeing the development
and execution of
communications, PR
and media relations efforts
for the TV station,
as well as for digital
properties COZI TV
and LX.TV.
Prior to her work at
Jones
Rowan
NBC 4 New York, Rowan held a Senior VP
slot at DKC Public Relations, and was Senior
VP/Group Head at M. Silver Associates.
She also ran her own company, Rowan
Communications, for two years.
Batliner promoted to
Spong President
C
armichael
Lynch Inc. in October
named Julie Batliner President of the
company’s public relations division, as
President and Founder Doug Spong transitions
to the role of President Emeritus.
Batliner, who has been with Spong since
2005, has landed a long list of new clients,
including Arla Foods, Formica Corp., Jennie-O
Turkey Store, The Schwan Food Co.
and U.S. Bank.
She also launched a Client Relationship
Management program while simultaneously
building the agency’s social media capabilities.
In 2010, the agency promoted Batliner,
from Chief Client Relations Officer, to her
most recent role as Managing Director.
58 NOVEMBER 2015 | www.ODwyERPR.COM