Bob Pickard resigns from BM

Asia Pacific chief executive officer Bob Pickard(pictured) will exit Burson-Marsteller (BM), with the firm appointing chief client officer Patrick Ford as interim chair of its Asia Pacific operations.Pickard joined BM in February 2010, after leading Edelman's North Asian operations. His last day will be December 31st, and he will be on gardening leave from next week.In an email Pickard said: "I want to let you know that I have tendered my resignation and will be stepping down from the leadership of Burson-Marsteller in Asia-Pacific to pursue another opportunity which will be announced in the coming months."Ford and senior management are currently working to find a permanent replacement for Pickard. Meanwhile, Ford will oversee 19 wholly-owned offices in nine countries and 11 affiliate relationships in the region.He will report to the worldwide president and chief executive officer Donald A. Baer. He will also still continue in his global role as CCO."We thank Bob Pickard for his contribution to our growth and wish him well in his future endeavors, and we could not be more pleased to have Pat Ford leading this crucial region, which is a cornerstone of our firm's growth strategy," said Baer.