Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm, has named Harlan Loeb global chair of the Crisis & Risk Management practice, effective immediately. In this role, Loeb will oversee the firm’s crisis planning and risk management strategies for its clients.
Loeb is charged with developing a digital ’nervous system’ offering for clients, while helping them improve their capabilities to better anticipate, assess, respond to and manage crises. Loeb replaces Charles Lankester, who is leaving the firm to pursue other opportunities. Loeb will report to Alan VanderMolen, vice chairman, Daniel J. Edelman Inc., and president and CEO, Global Practices, Edelman.
“Crisis planning and reputational management strategies have become a necessary aspect of corporate strategy,” said VanderMolen. “We’re thrilled Harlan will be leading this practice — his knowledge and expertise in the crisis field are exemplary. He has been at the forefront of the intersection of crisis, event-driven risk and public strategy and will undoubtedly bring immense value to our firm and global clients.”
Loeb has led the U.S. Crisis practice at Edelman since 2009. During that time he has helped drive the firm’s creation and socialization of a suite of products and services designed to provide clients with end-to-end reputational risk management capabilities. He has also helped increase opportunities for the practice on early stage crisis readiness planning, and has significantly integrated Edelman’s crisis and risk management assets. Throughout his career, Loeb has worked across many industry sectors and authored numerous law review articles, white papers and pubic commentaries on the interplay between crisis, enterprise risk and public opinion.
“Destabilizing reputational crises have increased dramatically over the last five years as operating realties for global companies have experienced a tectonic shift,” said Loeb. “It is a privilege to be leading Edelman’s Global Crisis & Risk Management practice at a time when companies around the world are embracing the imperative to build crisis readiness and non-market risk management capabilities into their core approach to risk strategy.”
Loeb graduated from Vassar College, and earned a law degree with honors from the University of Minnesota. He is currently working closely with the Kellogg School of Management at Chicago’s Northwestern University and Professor Daniel Diermeier to evolve a framework for global reputational risk management. Loeb also serves on the faculty of Northwestern’s Law School.
About Edelman
Edelman is the world’s largest public relations firm, with 63 offices and more than 4,200 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Age’s top-ranked PR firm of the decade in 2009 and one of its “A-List Agencies” in both 2010 and 2011; Adweek’s “2011 PR Agency of the Year;” PRWeek’s “2011 Large PR Agency of the Year;” and The Holmes Report’s “2011 Global Agency of the Year” and its 2011 “North American Large Agency of the Year.” Edelman was named one of the “Best Places to Work” by Advertising Age in 2010 and 2012 and among Glassdoor’s top five “2011 Best Places to Work.” Edelman owns specialty firms Blue (advertising), A&R Edelman (technology), First&42nd (management consultancy), DJE Science (medical education/publishing and science communications), and agencies Edelman Significa (Brazil), and Pegasus (China). Visit http://www.edelman.com for more information.
For further information contact:
Michael Bush
michael.bush@edelman.com