DeVries Public Relations Announces Major Expansion Program and Promotions

James Allman now Chairman, Stephanie Smirnov to CEO

NEW YORK – June 28, 2012 — DeVries Public Relations announced today that it will be expanding its global footprint in 2012. DeVries is a 35-year-old New York City based consumer public relations firm and a member of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG). Through the expansion, the company will introduce a new network that initially includes offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Singapore. An office in London will be added to the network in late summer, after the 2012 Olympics.

The newly created network, DeVries Global, will draw on talent from its New York headquarters as well as other IPG operations to populate the new offices. The network is designed to service global brands, offering greater cross-market collaboration through a holistic international alliance.

“As more and more brands find their footing, growth and success in emerging markets, DeVries will be a natural partner for global marketers. DeVries has unique expertise in building consumer and lifestyle brands, a special understanding of the female consumer and a profound knowledge of today’s media landscape,” said Harris Diamond, Chief Executive Officer of the Constituency Management Group, a division of IPG.

As part of the announcement, James Allman, currently CEO of DeVries Public Relations, will be named Chairman of DeVries Global. Stephanie Smirnov, currently President, will be promoted to CEO of DeVries New York.

Allman joined DeVries’ management team in June 2004 as Chief Executive Officer, bringing more than 20 years of experience at two leading advertising agencies: J. Walter Thompson and Ammirati Puris Lintas, where he was the Chairman of the New York office. A true globalist, he has lived and worked in the U.S., Italy, UK and Thailand. As CEO, Allman was instrumental in driving consistent year-on-year growth and continuing to build the DeVries brand as one of the country’s leading consumer PR firms. As Chairman, he will lead the expansion of the agency’s global footprint with a micro-network designed to better serve the needs of the agency’s global clients.

Smirnov, a 12-year DeVries veteran, previously served as President and Chief Creative Officer of the agency. As CEO, she assumes oversight for the agency’s U.S. operations. During her tenure, she has been key to the development of the agency’s powerhouse beauty practice, as well as establishing DeVries as a formidable social media resource for clients. Smirnov brings over two decades of consumer PR experience on both the agency and corporate sides, including leadership roles at L’Oréal USA, Inc. and Donna Karan International. Smirnov is also an avid blogger with deep connections in the world of mom bloggers; she is a regular on the blogger conference circuit, having spoken recently at conferences such as BlogHer, South by Southwest and Marketing2Women.

“The network will be a community of more than 200 of the best and brightest, globally-minded and digitally-immersed communications experts,” said James Allman, Chairman of DeVries Global. “We are excited to build a nurturing community of true global citizens through cross-world training and life experiences.”

DeVries’ current principal clients include Procter & Gamble, E&J Gallo, Campbell’s Soup. DeVries operates within a business model of collaboration with fewer clients, allowing senior focus and dedicated account teams, resulting in the average length of client relationships to be well above the norm.

About DeVries:

DeVries Global, headquartered in New York City, is a recently introduced international public relations micro-network with offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Singapore and London (late-summer 2012) that builds upon the company’s longstanding heritage.

DeVries New York (formerly DeVries Public Relations) is a thoroughly modern communications agency that just happens to have been around for more than three decades. With age comes experience – serious publicity chops, strategic rigor and a successful track record of disciplined account management for global marketers and iconic consumer brands. But experience is nothing without a hunger for what’s new and next. That’s why the staff at DeVries New York are ravenous consumers of pop culture, and deeply immersed in emerging media. With a relatively short client list, the agency is able to keep account staff focused on only one or two clients.

Contact:

Jo Temah Gabrielski
212.891.0477
jgabrielski@devries-pr.com