Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross Joins Weber Shandwick as Chief Reputation Strategist; Reputation Management Expert to Join Weber Shandwick Global Team

Weber Shandwick announced that Dr. Leslie Gaines-Rosswill be joining the firm as Chief Reputation Strategist. Dr.Gaines-Ross joins Weber Shandwick from Burson-Marsteller, where forthe past 10 years she developed ground-breaking research andaward-winning thought leadership programs that led to her recognitionas one of the world's most widely acclaimed experts on CEO andcorporate reputation. She will be based in Weber Shandwick's New Yorkoffice, will become a member of the firm's global senior managementteam and will report directly to Andy Polansky, president of WeberShandwick.

At Weber Shandwick, Dr. Gaines-Ross will work with the firm'sglobal practice leaders to develop new proprietary products andservices. She will also counsel the firm's clients on trends andissues related to CEO, corporate and brand reputation.

"We're always committed to attracting and retaining the best mindsin the industry and Leslie's innovative insights, leadership andsenior client-counseling experience will be a great addition to ourteam," said Harris Diamond, chief executive officer of WeberShandwick. "Her in-depth knowledge and understanding of the diverseissues relating to CEO and corporate reputations will be of tremendousvalue to our clients and the firm worldwide."

Dr. Gaines-Ross is also the author of CEO Capital: A Guide toBuilding CEO Reputation and Company Success (John Wiley & Sons). Herwork has been featured in Financial Times, The Times (London), TheWall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune,Business Week, Advertising Age, PRWeek, Forbes, The Christian ScienceMonitor, USA Today, Chief Executive, Newsweek, Business 2.0, Acrossthe Board and many other publications around the world. She hasappeared on CNN and CNBC, and is the recipient of several significantpublic relations awards from PRWeek and The Holmes Report.

Dr. Gaines-Ross is a frequent public speaker on CEO and corporatereputation management. She has lectured at The Anderson GraduateSchool of Management at UCLA, Wharton School of Business, Universityof Southern California, Boston University and Columbia University. Dr.Gaines-Ross was also a speaker at the 2003 World Economic ForumGovernor's Meeting. She serves on the Executive Advisory Panel ofCorporate Reputation Review, an international journal devoted tocorporate reputation management issues, and was inducted into theAcademy of Women Achievers of the YWCA of the City of New York in2000.

Before joining Burson-Marsteller, Dr. Gaines-Ross served asCommunications and Marketing Director of Fortune for nearly a decade.Her landmark research programs at Fortune, such as "LeveragingCorporate Equity" and "Brands at the Crossroads," resulted in herwinning Time Inc.'s 1995 President's Award. Dr. Gaines-Ross is alsothe originator of FORTUNE Cookies: Management Wit and Wisdom (VintagePress).

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is one of the world's leading global publicrelations firms with offices in major media, business and governmentcapitals around the world. The firm specializes in strategic marketingcommunications and media relations programs, public affairs issues andprovides corporate communications counseling. Weber Shandwick alsoprovides specialized integrated services including Web relations,advocacy advertising, market research and visual communications. Findout more at www.webershandwick.com.

Weber Shandwick is a unit of The Interpublic Group of Companies(NYSE: IPG), which is among the world's largest advertising andmarketing services organizations.