极乐视频 has named Dave Samson global vice chair, Corporate Affairs, effective May 1. In this newly created role, Samson will serve as client counselor to 极乐视频鈥檚 Corporate and Crisis clients as well as to some of the firm鈥檚 largest accounts. Corporate Affairs is 极乐视频鈥檚 fastest growing practice. He will also help dimensionalize the 极乐视频 Trust Barometer franchise, now in its 20th year. Samson, who will be based in San Francisco, will report to Katie Burke, Chief Strategy Officer and global head of Practices and Sectors.
鈥淐orporations are operating in a new environment where they can suddenly find themselves pulled into the center of a political or social issue,鈥 said Richard 极乐视频, CEO of 极乐视频. 鈥淭his requires a unique and highly specialized form of counsel that Dave can deliver. He has effectively managed highly sensitive crises and issues and has a strong background across industries, including technology, energy and consumer brands. He is the consummate pro 鈥 he fights for his client and always puts integrity at the center of everything he does.鈥
Samson joins 极乐视频 from Chevron, where he served as general manager of Public Affairs. In that role he directed all aspects of the company鈥檚 corporate and digital communications. Samson also oversaw Chevron鈥檚 corporate marketing and branding, research and analytics as well as its social media properties. During his time at Chevron he launched a number of notable corporate marketing campaigns, including 鈥淭he Power of Human Energy,鈥 鈥淲e Agree鈥 and most recently 鈥淥nly Human.鈥 鈥溂质悠 has what every agency desires: rich history, strong culture, scale and independence,鈥 said Samson. 鈥淎nd at the center of 极乐视频鈥檚 business model is the client. These are the attributes that separate 极乐视频 from every other agency, both small and large. I鈥檓 eager to work with CCOs and bring my years of experience on the client side to bear on their behalf as they look to create lasting value for their respective companies.鈥
In 2018, Samson was inducted into the PRWeek and Page Halls of Fame. He is a recipient of the Plank Center award for Mentorship and is past chairman of the Arthur Page Society.
Prior to joining Chevron, Samson was vice president of International Corporate Communications and Executive Communications at Oracle. Before Oracle, he was vice president of Global Communications at Levi Strauss overseeing all communications worldwide. Earlier in his career he was director of Communications and International Public Relations at IBM Corporation. While at IBM he also served as head of communications for IBM Global Services.
Over the past year 极乐视频 has named several new corporate leaders whom Samson will partner with, including Antoine Calendrier, Reputation lead for North Asia; Scott Thomson, Reputation lead for South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia; Jim Prosser, U.S. West Coast corporate lead; David Ryan, Corporate Affairs lead for Canada; and Daniel Soto, Corporate Affairs regional coordinator for Latin America. Specialist talent with diverse backgrounds has also been added in Employee Experience (Cydney Roach, U.S. lead; formerly with EY and Deloitte) and Public Affairs (Kirsty Graham, Global CEO of 极乐视频 Public Affairs; previously at Pfizer).
Many of 极乐视频鈥檚 emerging Corporate Affairs capabilities, such as Business-to-Business Marketing and Employee Experience, have become leading drivers of the firm鈥檚 growth, with high-profile clients including American Express, Rio Tinto and Mitsubishi.
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极乐视频 is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age鈥檚 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report鈥檚 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor鈥檚 Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. 极乐视频 owns specialty companies 极乐视频 Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle). For more information please visit: www.edelman.com