Fleishman-Hillard nabs ex Waggener Edstrom GM

Hong Kong - Fleishman-Hillard International Communications has hired Rachel Catanach as general manager and senior vice president to assume overall responsibility for the Hong Kong operations effective 16 July.

Catanach replaces Nancy Payne, who will return to Washington, DC office to continue her strategic consulting work in the areas of digital communications and social marketing, and reports to Lynne Anne Davis, regional president of Asia Pacific for Fleishman-Hillard.

"Reflecting Hong Kong's pre-eminence as Asia's financial hub, we see increasing potential in stakeholder communications, reputation management, and as always, strategic counsel that results in measurable impact for clients.  Rachel Catanach's proven track record in these areas and more, make her the ideal successor to lead and define our Hong Kong operation in the coming years," Davis said.

Prior to Fleishman-Hillard, Catanach served as general manager and regional corporate practice lead at the Hong Kong office of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. She was previously at Sweeney Vesty Limited, where she ascended through the account service ranks to become group director, managing offices in New York, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington. Her clients include AMP Capital, Bank of New Zealand, Goldman Sachs JBWere, Shell and Meridian Energy.