Avril Lee Named CEO of Ketchum Pleon London

Avril Lee Named CEO of Ketchum Pleon London

David Gallagher to Serve as Chairman of Ketchum Pleon London

The London office of Ketchum Pleon, one of the world's leading public relations agencies, has appointed Avril Lee, partner and deputy chief executive officer, to the role of CEO. In this role, Lee assumes responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the London office, one of the agency’s largest and most important global hubs. Senior partner and former London CEO David Gallagher assumes the role of chairman, Ketchum Pleon London, and continues serving as president of Ketchum Pleon Europe.

“Avril is the ideal choice to head our London operations. She is a proven leader with a clear understanding of driving results for clients, the London office and the agency as a whole,” said Ray Kotcher, senior partner and CEO, Ketchum. “In her eight years with Ketchum she’s been a tremendous asset, maintaining a keen focus on growth and helping to build on the agency’s heritage of excellence in client service and employee development.”

Lee has served as London’s deputy CEO for more than three years, working with senior leadership to develop the office's healthcare, consumer and corporate affairs practices. In that capacity she has successfully worked with teams to meet client needs and facilitate the sharing of best practices and the development of new client offerings.

“As deputy CEO, Avril helped usher in a new period of collaboration and connectivity between practices, which was a big factor in the London office’s overall success over the past few years,” Gallagher said. “Many of our largest clients are now supported by more than one team, which is a reflection of Avril’s commitment to bringing the best services and people the agency can offer to each and every assignment.”

Gallagher continued:  “Avril is respected in the industry and a deft steward of our business.  We’re thrilled to have her in this new position.”

Lee joined Ketchum London’s healthcare practice in 2003 as deputy managing director, where she was quickly promoted to MD. In 2006, she was appointed to managing director of European Healthcare where she led the London Healthcare team and serviced multinational clients. Prior to Ketchum she worked for more than 15 years in a variety of healthcare communications roles for international and U.K.-based pharmaceutical and diagnostic clients. Lee graduated from London University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry.

Ketchum Pleon London has been widely recognized throughout the industry for its commitment to client service excellence and its creative and collaborative culture. In 2010 the office won awards for work with clients such as P&G, Philips, and KFC, was named one of the U.K.’s Best Workplaces for the fifth time, and ranked tenth on PRWeek U.K.’s Top 150 PR Consultancies list. In addition, the office won the Corporate Responsibility Excellence Award from the Great Place to Work Institute U.K., and Gallagher was honoured by the Public Relations Consultants Association as Personality of the Year.