Burson-Marsteller Strengthens Corporate and Financial Practice with Three New Senior Appointments

NEW YORK, March 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Burson-Marsteller, a leading strategic communications and global public relations firm, today announced that Geoffrey Mogilner, Neil Barman and Kona Barrasso have joined the firm's Corporate and Financial Practice as Managing Director, Senior Director and Senior Director, respectively. They report to Alan Sexton, Chair, U.S. Corporate and Financial Practice and Market Leader, New York.

"We are delighted to welcome Geoff, Kona and Neil to our team," said Sexton. "Their appointments move us another step closer to our goal of being one of the nation's most sought-after communications teams by C-suite leaders facing critical business decisions. Together, Geoff, Kona and Neil bring deep expertise in three areas where we see growing client demand in 2017 and beyond: Integrated financial communications, change management and employee engagement, and corporate and executive positioning."

Mogilner has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, building global brands and counseling corporations through transactions and reputation challenges. Mogilner will lead the financial communications team within Burson-Marsteller's Corporate Practice, with responsibility for enhancing the firm's capabilities in investor relations, transactions and IPOs, financial media relations, shareholder activism, and innovative investor engagement. His experience spans corporate and financial communications, investor relations, sell-side equity research, management consulting, and product PR and brand marketing. Most recently, Mogilner was the Senior Director, Global External Communications at Baxalta, where he led external communications through the creation of a $6 billion global biopharmaceutical enterprise. Prior to joining Baxalta, Mogilner was a Senior Vice President at Edelman, leading the agency's Financial Communications/Investor Relations practice out of Chicago. He also served in senior communications roles at FTI Consulting, and spent five years at Midway Games as Head of Investor Relations, Public Relations and Strategic Planning. Earlier, Mogilner was a sell-side analyst with Decatur Jones Equity Partners covering the Interactive Entertainment and Enterprise Software sectors.

Barman joins Burson-Marsteller with more than 14 years of experience in the areas of transformational change, strategic communications, learning and development, technology adoption and management consulting. Previously, Barman worked at Deloitte Consulting where he led a transformation and change program for one of the world's largest life insurers, involving a field force population of 12,000. Barman has also served with Hitachi Consulting and Accenture, advising clients through large-scale business transformations across a variety of industries including financial services, oil & gas, consumer products, media and technology, among others.

Barrasso brings to the firm more than 14 years of experience in building brands across traditional and digital platforms. Most recently, she served as Director of External Communications for global management consultancy A.T. Kearney. Prior to A.T. Kearney, Barrasso spent 11 years at Makovsky Integrated Communications, where she worked with professional services and technology companies to develop and execute global brand revitalization efforts and corporate communications strategies. She served as the interim head of the firm's technology practice during the last year of her tenure. Earlier in her career, Barrasso worked at Stanton Crenshaw Communications and in the public relations department at Avon, where she supported the Avon Running and Breast Cancer Campaigns.

"Neil, Kona and Geoffrey are among the most talented professionals in corporate and financial communications," added Mike Fernandez, U.S. CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "We are confident that their expertise, coupled with our evidence-based approach, comprehensive research and proprietary tools will deliver outstanding results for our client partners. We look forward to their working closely with our account teams to help clients succeed when communications matter most."

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 leader in communications services. For more information, please visit www.burson-marsteller.com

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