Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong names new CEO

Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong has announced the appointment of George Godsal as CEO and 'market leader' of its Hong Kong operation, effective immediately.Godsal takes up the position after having previously led Burson-Marsteller’s corporate & crisis communications practice in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He was also the managing director of the corporate & crisis communications practice at Burson-Marsteller London.Burson-Marsteller's last Hong Kong market leader was Antoine Calendrier who joined in 2015 and moved on late last year.“George will be an incredible asset to us in Asia-Pacific with his experience at varied senior positions across the globe, understanding of the Burson network and his reputation as a trusted client counselor,” said Margaret Key, CEO, Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific, to whom Godsal will report. “As he has done in EMEA, he will now bring to Asia-Pacific his expertise in delivering corporate and B2B international communications campaigns, and his proven experience in advising world-leading organisations on corporate reputation strategy, integrated campaigning, and crisis and issues management.”Before joining Burson-Marsteller in 2014, Godsal was managing director of MSLGROUP’s corporate practice in London for three years, where he spearheaded the introduction of technology and healthcare sector specialist teams.Before that, Godsal was at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, where his roles included being head of the corporate reputation practice in London, and managing director of Hill+Knowlton Strategies East Africa, based in Nairobi, where he established and ran operations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Godsal also spent time in the United States on secondment as acting director of communications for American Water.“Burson-Marsteller’s Hong Kong office is already a focal point in helping global clients expand both to and from China, and we have an exceptionally strong heritage in the market. My immediate task is to build on our base of innovative, creative and data-driven campaigning through developing our team and capabilities,” said Godsal. “I am joining an immensely talented team who combine great insight and passion, so I look forward to continuing our efforts to deliver real impact for our clients.”