Steve Earl Named Managing Director of Zeno Europe As Firm Announces Major Global Expansion

NEW YORK (September 27, 2012) – Zeno Group, the award-winning mid-size agency, and member of the Daniel J Edelman (DJE) family of companies, today announced that industry veteran Steve Earl has accepted an offer to lead Zeno Europe as Managing Director. Earl’s appointment comes as Zeno continues to expand its global footprint in Europe and Asia.

Effective October 1, Earl will take the reins of Zeno Europe, reporting to Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group.  Earl will be responsible for charting the firm’s growth in London and other key European cities.  In London, Zeno already represents a major pharmaceutical company as part of a network-wide global assignment, and the firm has a satellite office in Amsterdam.

Earl was most recently at Speed Communications, the firm he co-founded and co-led since 2009, in addition to its tech predecessor Rainier PR.  Earl’s experience spans myriad sectors and industries, and he has worked on such clients as Associated Press, The Economist, EA Sports, Hitachi, Hyundai, IBM, Lactalis, Mercury/HP, Symantec, Tesco, 3Com, Toshiba and Virgin Media.

Zeno Europe will work across key practice areas including consumer, health, technology and corporate affairs – as the firm has successfully done in North America – and will offer the full suite of traditional and digital PR capabilities.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Steve’s reputation, spirit and track record of building business and attracting world class talent to lead Zeno Europe. Equally important is Steve’s deep understanding of the converged media world in which we operate which synchs well with our putting social digital at the core of Zeno’s global brand growth,” said Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group. 

During Earl’s 20-year career, he has successfully built teams and delivered campaigns across all media forms including conventional print and broadcast, social media and owned/branded media.  He grew Speed into one of the most progressive, integrated traditional and social/digital agencies in the UK.   Prior to Speed, Steve founded technology PR agency Rainier and grew it to a team of 25 before selling the business in 2006.  In 2001, Earl was named PR Week’s Young PR Professional of the Year.

Previously, Steve had stints at Weber Shandwick/Europe and before that began his career at Brodeur/A Plus, now Ketchum Pleon. Before discovering the world of PR, Earl worked for several UK newspapers. 

A frequently sought after commentator on brand reputation, Earl most recently co-authored Brand Anarchy, the critically-acclaimed book about how brands can best work with modern media to safeguard and build their reputations. Brand Anarchy was published earlier this year by Bloomsbury.

Earl has a Diploma in Newspaper Journalism from Cardiff School of Journalism (UK), with a specialty in government affairs, news reporting and media law.

Married with three young children, Steve lives in London, is something of a wine expert, cycles a lot, loves travelling, supports Manchester United and has a tendency to knock up eight-course dinners on a Sunday evening just because he’s in the mood.

About Zeno Group
Believers in the fearless pursuit of the unexpected, the award-winning Zeno Group operates as one firm across eleven  full-service offices in New York, Chicago, Santa Monica, Dallas, Silicon Valley, Toronto, London,  Beijing, Delhi, Jakarta, Singapore, and three satellite offices in Amsterdam, Sao Paolo and Tokyo.  Zeno is the 2011 and 2012 winner of the PR Week US Mid-Size Agency of the Year and 2011 Holmes Report US Creative Agency of the Year. The firm’s practice areas include consumer, health, technology and corporate, all supported by planning, digital engagement and media.  Clients include: AstraZeneca, Bacardi, Bausch & Lomb, Brocade, Dreamworks Animation, Emirates, Facebook, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kia Motors America,  Life Technologies,  Lipton,  Micron Technology, Inc.,  Nature's Path, Oak Investment Partners,  Office Depot, Q -Cells,Pizza Hut, RIM, Sears, Seattle’s Best Coffee and VeriFone. Zeno Group is a member of the Daniel J Edelman Company. Please visit us at http://zenogroup.com, like us on Facebook or follow us @zenogroup.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mark O'Connor
Zeno Group
mark.oconnor@zenogroup.com
212-299-8960 (O)
203-246-9534 (M)