Edelman names global client relationship manager for work with PayPal

Edelman has named Courtney Bigelow as executive vice-president and global client relationship manager overseeing its work with PayPal.

The firm was selected as PayPal's first global PR agency of record earlier this year and is now moving to give Ms Bigelow, the lead on the account, a more prominent role to improve oversight on this key contract worldwide, reports PRWeek.

She will move into the role on July 1st, with her responsibilities encompassing corporate affairs, analyst relations, employee engagement, social strategy and other activities in the US, UK, Europe, China, India, and Australia.

PayPal, in turn, has sought to replicate this global customer relationship management model, appointing agency management leader Melissa O'Malley as director of global initiatives to complement Edelman and work closely with Ms Bigelow.

Edelman won the multimillion-dollar account in April and has just completed a two-month transition period designed to help the agency get to grips with the payment technology giant's business.

Anuj Nayar, PayPal's global head of product communications, said: "We decided to go with Edelman because it is the largest independent PR firm in the world and it can bring a host of skills to us from tech comms through to brand building to traditional CSR."