Julianne Whitelaw Joins Weber Shandwick from Cisco

- Named Senior Vice President and Corporate Practice Lead, Northern California -

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Oct 19, 2011, 10:30 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm, today announced that Julianne Whitelaw is joining the firm as senior vice president and Corporate practice lead in Northern California. Whitelaw, who held a number of senior communications roles at Cisco, brings deep corporate and technology expertise to one of Weber Shandwick's fastest growing regions. She will be based in the firm's Silicon Valley office.

Whitelaw has more than 17 years of experience in corporate positioning and executive communications. She will help lead the Corporate practice, support major client assignments and drive growth in the region. Additionally, she will be tasked with counseling clients through issues, financial transactions, executive changes and corporate positioning, among other services.

Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Whitelaw was director of corporate communications at Cisco. She was at the company for more than a decade, working on strategic positioning, executive communications, and public relations across the company's corporate, sales, and engineering functions. Most recently, she was one of the chief architects of Cisco's executive communications organization, referred to as the Bureau.

Her background includes years of experience in networking, semiconductors and emerging markets, spanning corporate communications, internal communications, crisis communications, analyst and public relations, and event management. Whitelaw was awarded a Silver Anvil and Golden Quill award in crisis communication and successfully launched her own consulting firm, Three Boys Communications, at the age of 28.

"We are thrilled Julianne will be joining Weber Shandwick. She adds significant firepower to our Northern California operations and will be instrumental in helping to drive continued momentum for the Corporate practice as we expand our client list and offerings," said Micho Spring, chair, Weber Shandwick's Global Corporate practice. "Her deep experience with executive communications, positioning and global programs will allow our firm to better serve clients and further position Weber Shandwick as a leader in the space."

"Julianne is joining one of the best leadership teams in the industry, and she brings significant firepower in executive communications to our rapidly expanding base of clients," said Robert Dowling, general manager of Weber Shandwick's Northern California operation. "We have great momentum in the region because we are unique in bringing such a diverse set of capabilities to clients and scale those services across markets."

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 74 countries around the world. The firm's success is built on its deep commitment to client service, our people, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2010, Weber Shandwick was named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report for the second year in a row; an 'Agency of the Decade' by Advertising Age, Large PR Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter, a Digital Firm of the Year by PR News, and Top Corporate Responsibility Advisory Firm by CR Magazine. The firm has also won numerous 'best place to work' awards around the world. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.