Edelman Global Advisory hires public affairs veteran Ana Saleh

Edelman Global Advisory (EGA) has appointed public affairs veteran Ana Saleh (pictured) as senior vice president, advisory and trade in Indonesia. She reports to Ian McCabe, APAC chair, EGA.

In her newly created role, she will be focused on working with clients who are capitalising on the opportunities provided by the increasingly important role Indonesia is playing in regional and global affairs.  This includes Indonesia’s leadership in the G20, ASEAN, APEC and other international bodies as well as the opportunities generated by the dynamic Indonesian economy.

McCabe said that Saleh’s experience in public affairs will help the agency meet the increasing demand for advisory services linked to Indonesia’s growing strategic and economic importance. “With rich experience and credentials working with both governmental and non-governmental bodies, she will play an important role in guiding our clients through Indonesia’s public affairs landscape,” he added.

Saleh comes with extensive public affairs experience to her new role, having served as senior economic policy advisor for agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food at the Netherlands Embassy to Indonesia for the last seven years. During her time there, she advised, lobbied and negotiated as part of the Embassy’s efforts to enhance bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Prior to that, Saleh was senior engagement manager at The Forest Trust, a non-governmental organisation devoted to promoting responsible sourcing of agricultural products.

Saleh also previously worked with the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade as an international trade negotiator for six years, where she helped negotiate trade agreements and worked with Indonesia’s trade partners to increase market access for Indonesian commodities and products. She also represented the Indonesian government as part of official delegations in a number of international trade meetings.

Launched in August 2021, EGA is a boutique firm launched by Edelman. It offers business and government advisory services such as tailored strategies and implementation to "businesses and institutions seeking to navigate today’s changing geopolitical and economic landscape". EGA currently has 67 offices across 25 countries in the US, Canada, APAC, MENA, Europe, Latin America, and India.

Separately, Edelman said in January this year that it plans to “part ways” with clients that do not align with its climate operating principles, following a review of over 330 clients and a deep dive on 20 emissions-intensive clients. According to CEO Richard Edelman in a blog post on 7 January, the review was led by the agency’s global climate chair, Robert Casamento, and analysed Carbon Disclosure Project reporting and scores, the latest IPCC reports, and industry emissions pathway analysis.

During the review, Edelman found instances where clients have no public position on the Paris Agreement; clients with no emissions data readily available; as well as a few clients that do not have net-zero ambitions or goals. The agency also found a few examples of communications that were susceptible to challenge and criticism by others, as well as gaps in staff understanding of climate issues. The agency is currently initiating discussions with clients and account teams to confirm its findings and engage on pathways forward. Edelman's move came after the agency launched Edelman Impact last November, a global practice intended to harness expertise across Edelman’s existing ESG, Purpose and Sustainability offerings. 

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