Ketchum Appoints Jill Bratina Kermes as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs

WASHINGTON, <chron>Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ketchum, one of the world's leading public relations agencies, today announced the appointment of Jill Bratina Kermes as senior vice president of corporate affairs in its Washington office. Kermes is a seasoned strategist with 15 years of experience in political, corporate and litigations communications; crisis management; and public affairs consulting, including a stint as communications director for then-Governor Jeb Bush of Florida.

This new role returns Kermes to Ketchum, where she worked in the litigation communications practice in the late 1990s. In this capacity, she helped manage communications for major corporations in the pharmaceutical, chemical and banking industries. She also served as the primary spokesperson for Bridgestone during the company's high-profile tire recall and later joined the company as its director of public affairs.

Most recently, Kermes served as vice president of brand and corporate communications for Volkswagen of America. At Volkswagen, she built the company's U.S. corporate communications function and its corporate social responsibility platform, in addition to overseeing all brand and product communications. She joined Volkswagen from Public Strategies, where she was managing director, with a focus on public affairs and crisis communications.

Kermes previously served as communications director for Florida governor Jeb Bush during his second administration. There she served as the governor's spokesperson and directed statewide and national media campaigns to raise public awareness for his priorities, including economic development, education and healthcare reform, and disaster preparedness. To that end, during her tenure, she managed all governor's office communications related to the four hurricanes that hit the state in 2004.

Kermes' work helped her earn PRWeek's Top 30 Under 30 Award.

"We are delighted to welcome Jill back to Ketchum," said Nick Ragone, director of Ketchum's Washington office. "She is a proven leader with an impressive track record in advising clients on building and managing their reputations in complex and sensitive media environments. Jill's background in public affairs, issues and crisis management, politics and corporate communications will naturally complement the strategic counsel and creativity we provide to our clients across the Washington office."

Kermes said, "I am thrilled to return to Ketchum, a place where, in many respects, I started my career. Since that time, I've had a wide array of experience that sits at the intersection of corporate and public affairs, and I look forward to bringing that expertise to the agency's existing offerings."

About Ketchum

Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2010 Large PR Firm of the Year (Holmes Report and PR News) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum