LONDON, July 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of its success at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June, leading global public relations agency Ketchum brought in Andrew Ager as creative director in London to build on its creative effectiveness for clients and expand its global creative community.

Ager joins Ketchum from Weber Shandwick, where he has worked as creative director since October 2010 covering the consumer, sports, health, technology, corporate and digital practices. At Ketchum, Ager will work across all London practices to mesh consumer insight with creative development. He has been tasked with identifying creative talent within the agency in London, supporting pitches and directing creative coaching as a member of Ketchum's Creativity School. He also will work with Ketchum's New York creative director, Marc Levy, and Ketchum Pleon's chief creative officer, Petra Sammer.

Ager brings deep brand building, advocacy and consumer engagement experience having worked across a wide range of Olympics-related accounts for London 2012 and the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, including EDF, Samsung, PUMA and Dow. In addition, Ager has worked with leading global and U.K. brands, including Jaguar Land Rover, Hewlett-Packard, Reebok, Chivas, Nintendo, Aston Martin, Warburtons, Pernod Ricard and Monster. He will report directly to Denise Kaufmann, partner and CEO of Ketchum London.

Explaining the motivation behind Ager's hire, Kaufmann said: "Cannes is just another indicator that the role of PR companies has shifted. Andrew will be leading on our creative output in London as we look to bolster our creative credentials; part of this is a determined effort to work more closely with individuals from the creative industries - cinematographers, music producers and artists. His refined client skills and fresh perspective have already impressed our top team."

Commenting on his new role, Ager said: "I'm excited to join Ketchum because the team is putting creativity at the very heart of their business and they're pushing to help redefine what a global PR agency can offer. Ketchum knows the future is integrated and they realize it's about beautiful, world-class content. For me, creativity is about unleashing the curious mind and delivering on a promise of producing exciting work that will engage audiences and make brands famous. Working across practices, my remit is to be sparky and provocative - to help show the impact on the bottom line of exceptional creativity, inspiration and those stand-out campaign moments."

About Ketchum
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. The winner of 11 Cannes Lions and an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., visit www.ketchum.com.

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

SOURCE Ketchum