Weber Shandwick appoints Valerie Pinto to lead India operations

She will report to Tim Sutton, chairman of Weber Shandwick, Asia Pacific, and will join the company's Asia Pacific senior management board

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 19, 2014

Valerie Pinto

Weber Shandwick, one of world's leading global public relations firms, has announced the appointment of Valerie Pinto to the role of Chief Executive, effective as of January 1, 2015.  Pinto will report to Tim Sutton, Chairman of Weber Shandwick, Asia Pacific.

In her role, Pinto will have overriding responsibility for the firm's business in India. Her appointment is part of a broader strategy to build on the agency's best-in-class India team. She will also join Weber Shandwick's Asia Pacific senior management board.

Vice-chairman Atul Ahluwalia will continue in his role. Pinto will partner Ahluwalia in Weber Shandwick's India Leadership Council. The Council also includes Managing Director of Client Services, Dilip Yadav; Deputy Managing Director, Carolina Bajaj, and Executive Vice-president, Operations, Mabel Phoon, who will all report to Pinto. Yadav is also Managing Director, India, of Weber Shandwick's second brand, Creation.

Pinto brings over sixteen years of experience in communications and reputation management, having previously led Perfect Relations, a leading independent public relations consultancy that gained strong momentum under her leadership in India. In her distinguished career, she has led strategic counsel to a wide range of companies and executives, across numerous industries. She has an outstanding track record in business growth and a particular reputation for effective talent management, having mentored many highly motivated and high performing professionals under her leadership.

“In the last few months, I have spoken to very many senior people in India – at agencies and clients, in media and business - for advice on the very best person to take our business in India to the next stage of market leadership. It was quite remarkable how many of them put Valerie at the very top of their 'recommendation list'. She is a class act with a legendary reputation,” Sutton said.

“She had many other options at this stage of her career, including running her own business, and I am so thrilled that our vision and ambition have persuaded her to join Weber Shandwick. This appointment signals our absolute determination to become the market leader in India. We are already blessed with a wonderful senior management team assembled by Atul Ahluwalia. They have made Weber Shandwick the most awarded agency in India,” he added.

Ahluwalia said, “I am very delighted to welcome Valerie to our team. She brings huge experience and stature with her.”

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