Burson-Marsteller names chief marketing and new business officer

Burson-Marsteller has named Esther Lee as chief marketing and new business officer, a role that will see her join its most senior executives on its business operations team.

Ms Lee is a communications sector veteran whose previous roles include spells at major global organisations such as Siemens, Time Warner and CIT Group, while she has also founded a digital media company.

Most recently, she acted as senior policy adviser to the US secretary of commerce as part of the Obama administration, offering guidance on issues such as innovation, technology, economic development and small business matters.

Burson-Marsteller's global chief executive officer Mark Penn said her experience would help the company build on the strong growth it has seen in the last half-decade.

"Esther will be a valuable counsellor to me and the Burson-Marsteller senior leadership team as she leads the marketing and new business strategy for our firm," he said.

This comes after the firm hired Lisa Poulson as its global technology practice chair last month.