Burson-Marsteller sees top level switch

Burson-Marsteller (BM) has appointed former White House communications director and chief speechwriter for Bill Clinton as its new worldwide chief executive officer to succeed Mark Penn, who has exited for a senior Microsoft role.Donald A Bauer (pictured)  has been with BM for four years, serving on the senior management team as worldwide vice chairman and chief strategy officer. He also served as chairman of BM's sister research firm Penn Schoen Berland and will continue in that role.Meanwhile, Penn is exiting BM for a role as corporate vice president, strategic and special projects at Microsoft.Before joining BM, Baer was one of the top worldwide executives at global media company Discovery Communications. Before Discovery, he was a senior White House adviser to President Bill Clinton and prior to that, a journalist at publications such as U.S. News and World Report, covering national affairs and serving as an assistant managing editor.Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of BM's parent company WPP said: "I am confident the firm's track record of success and its reputation for delivering results for its clients will continue under Don Baer's leadership."