Burson Marsteller announced today the appointment of Kevin Bell as Worldwide President.
Since 2014, when he joined Burson-Marsteller in London, Bell has been its Global Public Affairs Practice Chair. The appointment is effective immediately.
Burson-Marsteller is a part of WPP’s Young & Rubicam Group.
In his new role, Bell will report directly to Don Baer, Burson-Marsteller’s Worldwide Chair and CEO. Working with Baer and other senior executives, Bell will manage across every region and practice group to drive growth opportunities throughout the entire firm. This will include continuing to build the firm’s world-class strategic communications services for clients as well as further developing its integrated communications expertise. He will operate from the firm’s worldwide headquarters in New York.
Over the past 25 years, Bell has counseled clients across many industries in every region of the world and has supported some of the world’s leading companies, including Aviva, BG, Procter & Gamble and Tata Consultancy Services. In addition, he has been an adviser to several senior Conservative Party politicians in the UK – a number of whom are now senior cabinet ministers in the current government – and has counseled various ministers of government and parliamentarians across Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Before joining Burson-Marsteller, Bell was Executive Chairman of public affairs consultancy Maitland Political where he ran the Public Affairs Practice working on behalf of clients such as Fleurette Group of Companies, NATS and Spire Healthcare.
Before that, he was the Regional President for UK, Africa and the Middle East for FleishmanHillard where he supported clients such as British Airways and Scottish Power. He ran the global inward investment campaign for the Government of Egypt, and has advised the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi.
Kevin Bell is a Trustee of the Institute of Economic Affairs. He is a recipient of numerous PRWeek Awards and was named Outstanding Contributor in the Public Affairs News Awards in 2011.
