WPP PLC 
PARIS - Cohn & Wolfe, a global communications agency, has hired Paul Baeyaert as Managing Director, Paris, where he will leverage his extensive European market leadership experience to evolve and expand the agency's offering. Baeyaert will lead the Paris office's strategic growth, oversee its day-to-day operations, serve as senior counsel to clients and play a key role in business development activities. He will report to Scott Wilson, Managing Director, Cohn & Wolfe EMEA.
'Paul is a fantastic addition to our European executive team, with proven leadership skills and the right mix of global and local experience to elevate our business in Paris,' says Wilson. 'His entrepreneurial, insight-driven thinking make him a great cultural fit for Cohn & Wolfe, and his deep integrated communications expertise will drive enhanced results for our clients in France and across Europe.'
A trilingual (Dutch, English, French) speaker and writer, Baeyaert has led the creation and implementation of award-winning international campaigns, including the prestigious International SABRE Awards' Best Pan-European Campaign for Goodyear. He brings to Cohn & Wolfe more than 25 years of experience leading reputation management and brand-building campaigns for clients, as well as high-performing agency teams in a multilingual and cross-cultural environment.
To date, Baeyaert has managed communications for a broad array of major brands, including Brussels Airlines, Citibank, European Commission, Eli Lilly, FEVE (The European Container Glass Federation), GE Capital, General Motors, Goodyear, International Olympic Committee, KPN/Orange, MasterCard, Motorola, Nestlé/Nespresso, PwC, Samsonite and UPS. From 2003 to 2015, he held successive leadership roles at Weber Shandwick, including Managing Director of International Communications; Chairman, Consumer Marketing Practice, EMEA; and CEO, Belgium. Prior to this, he was Deputy Head, Marketing Communications, Hill & Knowlton EMEA and Managing Director, Public Relations at Hill & Knowlton Belgium. Most recently, he founded and ran his own strategic communications firm, Paul Baeyaert Consulting.
'I'm thrilled to lead an agency that acts with the imagination and nimbleness of a boutique, amplified by the power of a well-resourced global network. I get to work with fantastic clients - as Paris is home to a wealth of incredible French-born regional and global brands - in addition to our own gifted, diverse team of international and local talent,' says Baeyaert. 'I see huge potential for what we can accomplish together.'
Cohn & Wolfe Paris works with a mix of local and global clients, including furniture company Ameublement français, Colgate, Dell, Energies & Avenir, The European Commission and Pfizer. The office has won awards for innovative campaigns, including 'Tonight He Gets Lucky,' a video game to promote safe drinking practices for Entreprise & Prévention, an association of 20 alcoholic beverage companies in France, which won a SABRE Award for Best European Corporate Reputation Campaign; and the influencer- and social media-driven 'Alternative Cities' initiative for transportation company iDBus, which was recognized at the PRWeek Global Awards.
Baeyaert replaces Nicky Guertin, who is leaving the agency to pursue other opportunities.
About Cohn & Wolfe
Cohn & Wolfe, a global communications agency, builds brands and corporate reputations through an uncompromising commitment to creativity. The agency's strategic approach unearths fresh, relevant insights leading to communications solutions that deliver measurable business success. Throughout its 45-year history, Cohn & Wolfe's brand marketing work and world-class digital media campaigns have attracted top brands around the world, winning awards at the Cannes Health Lions, the Global SABREs and the Global PRWeek Awards.
Headquartered in New York, Cohn & Wolfe has more than 50 offices across Asia, EMEA, Latin America and North America, and has been named a Best Place to Work by The Holmes Report, PRWeek and PRNews. Cohn & Wolfe is part of WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY), the world's largest communications services group.
Contact
Jill Tannenbaum, Chief Marketing Officer
Cohn & Wolfe
+1 212.798.9871
Jill.tannenbaum@cohnwolfe.com
WPP plc issued this content on 08 April 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 11 April 2016 10:47:09 UTC
Original Document: http://www.wpp.com/wpp/press/2016/apr/08/cohn-wolfe-appoints-paul-baeyaert-as-managing-director-paris/
