Deo, who will relocate from Singapore to Hong Kong, leaves Text after almost a decade, including a lengthy stint at its New Delhi office.
At Fleishman, he has been charged with heading the agency’s regional AT&T relationship, and will also play a key role on the agency’s entry into India, planned to take place later this year.
“His entrepreneurial spirit, passion for client service, and deep industry knowledge will be invaluable to us and more importantly, to our clients,” said Fleishman regional president Lynne Anne Davis.
Boswell returns to the region as Fleishman’s SVP, partner and MD of reputation management for Asia-Pacific/China, based in Shanghai. Previously a key figure on Fleishman’s regional Intel business - which shifted to Ogilvy last year - Boswell departed Asia for the agency’s San Francisco operation in 2004.
Boswell will also head the rollout of Communications Consulting Worldwide, a measurement-based consulting unit developed by the agency in conjunction with Tuck School of Business corporate communications professor Paul Argenti in the US.
Davis was bullish about the agency’s “ambitious growth plans” in the region. Fleishman has had a low profile in recent times, coinciding with Davis’ decision to split her time between Asia and the US. “We are investing heavily in our Asia-Pacific capabilities and resources,” she said.
The appointments follow the bolstering of Fleishman’s China leadership last year, through the hires of Diane Wu as SVP and managing director of Shanghai and Guangzhou, and Diana Mao as VP of public affairs in Beijing.
