HONG KONG: FleishmanHillard has appointed Geoff Bilbrough as deputy general manager and senior vice-president of its Hong Kong office. The move supports the rapid growth of the company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters, which has tripled in size since 2006 and continues to expand with the addition of several new clients.
Before joining FleishmanHillard, Bilbrough served as group operations director and then as managing director (London) for Metia – formerly Write Image – a leading global digital marketing agency with offices in Europe, North America and Asia. While at Metia, he focused on general management, overseeing the company’s international offices in New York, Seattle and Singapore, as well as its human relations and IT functions.
Bilbrough’s new role includes providing senior client counsel and overseeing new business and staff development. In addition, his expertise in digital media offers a strong complement to FleishmanHillard’s refreshed brand and will support its evolution from a leading PR firm into one of the most integrated communications companies in Hong Kong. Bilbrough will report to Rachel Catanach, managing director, senior vice-president and senior partner of FleishmanHillard’s Hong Kong operation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Read our recent interview with Rachel Catanach
“We are pleased to welcome Geoff to FleishmanHillard’s Hong Kong team,” Catanach said. “Geoff is a skilled manager with high marks from his former clients and staff. As a veteran of digital media, he is the ideal fit for the company as we redefine the boundaries of traditional public relations. His expertise will be critical in today’s channel-agnostic media environment, where we strive to solve our clients’ business challenges by working across the full spectrum of media channels.”
Bilbrough hails from New Zealand, where he began his communications career in Wellington at SweeneyVesty, a global communications company providing business strategy and communications services to corporations and public organisations.
Over the next 10 years, he held a variety of positions, culminating with his appointment to group account director. In this role, he led a range of PR accounts, including Telecom New Zealand, ACC, Southern Cross and Shell New Zealand.
Most recently, Bilbrough served as manager for Wellington-based Kitomba Salon & Spa Software, where his responsibilities included overseeing the company’s service desk and marketing operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Lincoln College, New Zealand.
