Former Dow Corning Chief Communications Officer Joins APCO
Washington, D.C. (December 6, 2005) – APCO Worldwide today bolstered its corporate communications offering by naming Barie Carmichael, Dow Corning’s former top communications person, as a senior counselor.
“Barie brings more than 25 years of experience leading corporate communication in turbulent times,” said Neal Cohen, North American chief executive officer. “As a seasoned board-level advisor and veteran of numerous corporate executive management committees, she brings an invaluable level of expertise to the team.”
Carmichael will provide clients with senior counsel on protecting their brands and reputation during emerging issues and full-scale crises. She has managed global strategic communication in a variety of industries involving regulatory issues, corporate branding, media relations, litigation, employee/member communication, and restructuring. A recently appointed Batten Fellow at The University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate Business School, Carmichael is also working with the Darden faculty to develop a new, integrated business model for effective issue management.
“I look forward to working with APCO’s staff around the globe to help clients develop effective, actionable strategies, while anticipating new developments to protect their business operations and brands while they weather the storm,” said Carmichael.
She joins senior members of APCO’s corporate communication team including: Jan Hausrath, senior vice president, who directs APCO IndustriaSM, a global practice specializing in comprehensive corporate positioning and B2B marketing communication programs for industrial companies; Larry Snoddon, vice chairman and managing director of APCO’s New York office, who has held senior leadership positions with both Young & Rubicam Inc. and Burson-Marsteller; Maggie FitzPatrick, senior vice president and deputy managing director of APCO’s New York office, who provides marketing communication strategies to leading Fortune 10 companies, offering media relations, corporate positioning, crisis communication and marketing counsel to senior executives across diverse industry sectors.
APCO clients include Fortune 100 companies, health care organizations, trade associations, nonprofits, foreign governments and professional service organizations.
While with Dow Corning, Carmichael and her staff worked with APCO to reposition Dow Corning’s global brand while devising the global turn around strategy for the complex and emotional silicone breast implant controversy and while managing communication involving Chapter 11, layoffs, restructuring and regulatory issues.
Formerly a partner with The Brunswick Group, an international consultancy, Carmichael provided senior strategic counsel to corporate clients’ executive teams on structuring their communication and managing their reputation during high-profile issues, litigation, mergers and acquisitions. As executive vice president of corporate relations at Visa U.S.A., she integrated Visa’s public relations with its business and brand strategies, while facing serious competitive and litigation challenges.
About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. APCO was named 2005 European Consultancy of the Year by Public Affairs News, 2004 Public Affairs Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and 2003 International Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report. Clients include corporations, governments, industry associations and non-profit organizations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO includes among its clients six of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. Core services include corporate, investor and internal communication; crisis management; issue management; government relations; litigation communication; media relations; coalition building; opinion research; market entry; corporate social responsibility and online communication. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.
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Contact:
Megan Carpenter
APCO Worldwide
+202-659-7913
mcarpenter@apcoworldwide.com