FleishmanHillard announces two appointments as GM Geoff Bilbrough leaves

FleishmanHillard has promoted Patrick Yu to general manager of its Hong Kong office, effective immediately. Supporting Yu, Kitty Lee has been promoted from SVP to deputy general manager. Yu succeeds Geoff Bilbrough, who has stepped down from the role to return to his home country of New Zealand. Yu will be reporting to Rachel Catanach, FleishmanHillard’s senior partner and president of Greater China.Yu previously served as deputy general manager of FleishmanHillard’s Hong Kong office and will remain the financial and professional services sector lead across Asia-Pacific. He started his career with the agency in 2005 and in 2011 was awarded its prestigious John D. Graham Award for Excellence for outstanding leadership. Catanach said, “Patrick is a highly experienced leader with a proven ability to drive growth for our company and clients. He is well-prepared to lead Hong Kong as general manager, having already served as deputy general manager. Patrick’s tireless commitment to his work is matched only by his strong network of industry contacts across the Greater China region. He is the natural choice to ensure the continued success of our company.”Lee started her own career with FleishmanHillard in 2004 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2015. In addition to her new role, Lee will continue to co-lead the Asia Pacific consumer practice and enhance her expertise in consumer aviation communications. Lee was also a John D. Graham Award for Excellence recipient and serves as a Full Council Member of the Hong Kong Consumer Council.“Throughout her 15-year career at the company, Kitty has distinguished herself as a generous leader in both the PR industry and the Hong Kong community,” said Catanach. “As deputy general manager, one of her key roles will be to coach and lead the next generation of PR practitioners, while instilling the culture of collaboration and excellence that is FleishmanHillard’s hallmark.”