NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations leader Porter Novelli today announced that communications and business strategist John Sullivan has joined the company as senior counselor, corporate communications. He will be responsible for providing strategic counsel to the agency's corporate clients on a domestic and global basis.

"For more than three decades John has served as a trusted advisor to senior executives at some of the world's most prominent and influential global companies," said Karen van Bergen, CEO, Porter Novelli. "He has created and led strategic communications programs designed to reach key client constituencies and advance their critical business objectives. I am confident that John's judgment and experience in managing complex, high-stakes issues will be a valuable asset to our client engagements both in New York and around the world."

Sullivan's expertise spans the corporate, health care, public policy, finance and regulatory spheres. He has counseled clients in virtually every major industry and worked closely with legal and financial advisers on management transitions, crisis communications, restructurings, financial communications and transactions, executive communications, corporate governance and a wide range of litigation and regulatory matters.

Sullivan comes to Porter Novelli from RLM Finsbury, where he provided corporate reputation, crisis and strategic business counsel to leading global corporations in the pharmaceutical and financial services industries, among many others. Earlier in his career, he worked extensively on public affairs issues in Canada and Australia, and was a broadcast journalist.

"Porter Novelli is combining smart strategy, in-depth industry knowledge and global scale to deliver creative solutions to clients wherever they do business," Sullivan noted. "With change accelerating in the communications business, I am confident that its talented leaders - plus a relentless focus on helping clients meet their toughest business challenges - will enable Porter Novelli to stay at the forefront of our industry in the years ahead."

Sullivan earned a B.A., cum laude, in history from Williams College, and an M.B.A. in finance from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

About Porter Novelli
Porter Novelli is one of the world's leading public relations agencies. With 90 offices in nearly 60 countries, Porter Novelli delivers best-in-class service to clients around the globe. As the agency that pioneered social marketing, Porter Novelli's heritage is grounded in influence - motivating people to change deeply ingrained behaviors that are rooted in cultural and social norms. This is achieved by identifying and activating against key insights that drive transformational change-- going beyond just "solving a problem". The result is greater than just influencing people - Porter Novelli makes them believe.

For additional information, please visit www.porternovelli.com. Porter Novelli is a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.

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.

Contact:
Catherine Sullivan
Catherine.Sullivan@porternovelli.com
212-601-8315

SOURCE Porter Novelli