Reuters names global and American comms chiefs

by David Quainton, PR Week UK 21-Sep-06

Reuters has poached both a former Conservative Party head of news and a Brunswick stalwart to fill two of its top PR jobs.

Eileen Wise, currently head of global PR at The Economist, will leave in mid-October after almost six years to join Reuters as global head of corporate PR - media and editorial - based in London.

Frank de Maria, a director in Brunswick's New York office, is to join Reuters as SV-P of corporate communications for the US, its top American PR job.

Both de Maria and Wise will report to global head of external comms Ed Williams. Williams reports to director of corporate marketing and communications Simon Walker. Williams and de Maria worked together at Brunswick.

Wise became head of news for the Tories under John Major's premiership in 1996. She worked alongside Walker in that role.

She is a former journalist on the Today newspaper and has also been comms director at The National Magazine Company.

Reuters is still looking for a global head of corporate PR in its financial division.