NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Porter Novelli, a leading global public relations agency, announced the appointment of Christine Cea as global consumer practice leader. She reports to Karen van Bergen, chief executive officer, and sits on the executive committee advisory board.

Cea, who has a career-long specialty in consumer lifestyle and integrated marketing communications, previously worked at Porter Novelli in New York and London, where she led the UK consumer practice prior to joining Unilever in 2006. In her new role at Porter Novelli, she will provide senior counsel for consumer brand marketing clients and teams, have responsibility for business growth and stewardship of consumer talent with a focus on attracting and developing the best people in the industry.

"We are thrilled to welcome Christine back to the Porter Novelli family," said van Bergen. "She brings an extraordinary depth and breadth of brand marketing and consumer lifestyle experience to this important role, and her deep knowledge and expertise in this industry will be invaluable to our clients and our team."

At Unilever, Cea was an award-winning senior director, marketing communications where she had oversight for brand public relations, social media as well as health and wellness marketing for a 40-brand portfolio of foods, refreshments and personal care, including Dove, Suave, AXE, Lipton and Hellman's. She was also marketing lead for the launch of Unilever Project Sunlight, Unilever's first corporate branding initiative, receiving a PR Cannes Lions.

"I am energized by the possibilities of this global leadership role in contributing to Porter Novelli's success in delivering business impact for client partners," said Cea. "The opportunity to work with a fantastic team on iconic brands combined with the agency's insights-driven marketing communications greatly excites me."

Since the emergence of social media, Cea has become an industry thought leader on consumer engagement, integrated communications, brand purpose and issues management, speaking on these topics in conference keynotes and on industry panels, including Cannes Lions, WOMMA, Cause Marketing Forum and Sustainable Brands. She has lectured at The Wharton School of Business and served five years on the Board of Directors of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Cea was named to the PRWeek Power List in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 she was Chair of the PRWeek Awards and in 2014 received its In House PR Professional of the Year Honorable Mention.

About Porter Novelli
Porter Novelli is the global public relations agency that pioneered social marketing. We've been motivating people to change deeply ingrained behaviors rooted in cultural and social norms for more than 25 years. Porter Novelli is a different kind of agency--and we recognize, respect and champion companies with the spirit, drive and tenacity to do things differently. We like taking on big challenges, and even bigger challengers, and we seek out clients who feel the same way--clients who have the conviction to tell their own story, and the courage to innovate from who they have been into who they know they can be. For additional information, please visit www.porternovelli.com. Porter Novelli is a part of the DAS Group of Companies.

About The DAS Group of Companies
The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

Contact:
Tricia Whittemore
Porter Novelli
tricia.whittemore@porternovelli.com
212-601-8449

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SOURCE Porter Novelli