The turnaround comes barely four months after Rylance resigned the position he has held for eight years, and also sees him assume the chairman role for Asia-Pacific.
“The company has been very flexible and supportive in allowing me to prioritise my family commitments, but also has given me a new global brief that is in the best interests of the firm,” he said.
According to Rylance, the newly-created position will involve a greater focus on emerging markets, emerging practice areas and acquisitions. The search for his successor as Asia-Pacific CEO continues. While Rylance would not be drawn on the identity of the forthcoming hire, he confirmed the appointment would be made in the near future.
The development comes at a time of some staff flux at Burson-Marsteller. Singapore market leader Benoit Nadeau abruptly departed the agency after just four months, with director Allison Lim stepping up to take his place.
In Australia, meanwhile, former Hill & Knowlton regional president and chief executive Brian West has replaced Walter Jennings as market leader. Jennings departs after just over a year.
Elsewhere, Guangzhou and Chengdu market leader Daisy King has added Shanghai oversight to her responsibilities, succeeding Julian Nixon who has left the agency after a year in the role.
In addition, Doug Dew and Belina Tan have been promoted to managing directors in China, overseeing public affairs and corporate/financial, respectively.
At a global level, meanwhile, Rick Powell returns to the agency as chief operating officer, based in New York. The respected PR veteran worked at Burson from 1992 to 1999, before being appointed managing director of leading Washington DC public affairs firm Quinn, Gillespie & Associates.
“Rick will be a great addition to our drive to offer the most modern state-of-the-art communications and public relations to our clients,” said Burson-Marsteller global chief executive officer Mark Penn, to whom both Powell and Rylance report.
“Bill’s new role means that he will continue to guide not only Asia — where he is one of the most highly-regarded professionals — but also help us on a strategic global level as well.”
Separately, Penn himself has become the subject of some controversy in the run-up to next year’s presidential election, because of his high-profile role as chief strategist for Democratic front-runner Hilary Clinton.
Labour activists are demanding that Penn choose either Burson-Marsteller or the Clinton campaign, because of the agency’s links with anti-union clients.
