Burson-Marsteller Appoints Josh Gottheimer Executive Vice President Worldwide

WASHINGTON--Josh Gottheimer, the Director of Strategic Communications at Ford Motor Company and former White House speechwriter, today was appointed Worldwide Executive Vice President at Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications consultancy.

Gottheimer, 31, will serve as the Global Chair of Burson's Corporate and Public Affairs Practices. He will be responsible for helping the practices drive success across regions and addressing the complex communications needs of Burson's global corporate, public affairs and institutional clients. Gottheimer will also work with the company’s global leadership team to further drive and implement the corporate vision and strategy. He will be based in Washington D.C. and report to Mark J. Penn, Worldwide President & CEO.

"With experience in strategic counsel for both the public and private sectors, Josh has an exceptional knack for seeking new ideas in the face of unforeseen challenges. I can't think of anyone who is more suitable to deepen our firm in these areas. He brings with him a great drive, determination and energy that he has shown everywhere he has been," said Penn. “He will complement an already great team as we work to add to our successes in the coming year.”

Immediately prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Gottheimer was the Director of Strategic Communications at Ford Motor Company where he was responsible for overseeing the company's communications strategy, core message development, corporate advertising program and the Washington D.C. Public Affairs operation. He was instrumental in researching and developing the company's corporate message, "Driving American Innovation."

"This is an exciting time to join Burson-Marsteller as there are clearly many opportunities which the firm is uniquely qualified to capture given the depth of talent and truly global footprint," said Gottheimer. "I look forward to partnering with the senior leadership team and all of the talented professionals here to help drive the Burson-Marsteller brand.”

In the late 90s, Gottheimer served as Special Assistant and Presidential Speechwriter to President Bill Clinton, where he helped draft the State of the Union Addresses in 1999 and 2000.

Gottheimer was a founding partner of the Cambridge Writers Group and a political analyst for BBC television and radio. He has published articles in The Washington Monthly, ABA Magazine, and was the editor of Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches, a collection of inspiring speeches from five social movements in American history.

Gottheimer is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School in addition to being a Thouron Fellow at Oxford.

About Burson-Marsteller

Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and public affairs firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising, and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 57 wholly-owned offices and 44 affiliate offices, together operating in 58 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.