Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) today announced it has hired Stuart Wilson as London chief executive officer.  As the leader of one of MS&L's key global centers, Wilson will be responsible for managing staff and clients, new business development and expanding the office's capabilities and resources.  He will report to Anders Kempe, MS&L's European president, and will be a part of the agency's European leadership team.

"We are fortunate to be able to attract a leader with such strong capabilities and experience," said Mark Hass, MS&L's global chief executive officer.  "I'm very optimistic that Stuart will be successful in capitalizing on our momentum and growth in the London market, and will help take both our office and our client relationships to a new place."

Wilson, who has extensive experience in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, was most recently managing director and head of corporate communications for Hill & Knowlton London.  There, he was responsible for one of the largest corporate communications groups in the UK, providing public relations counsel and services to top companies across a number of sectors including energy, petrochemical, technology, financial and professional services.

He has also held a series of management positions with Cohn & Wolfe in the UK, Canada and the U.S., and has worked in corporate communications at Glaxo Wellcome as well.  He brings extensive experience in multinational account management alongside strong experience in managing integrated marketing communications campaigns.  Stuart started his career working for the government in Canada, first in the ministry of intergovernmental affairs and later as both a legislative and communications assistant to a number of government cabinet ministers.

"I'm very pleased to join MS&L. It is a great brand with a strong global footprint and a vision to grow,” said Wilson.  “As we all know London is a fantastic place to be leading an international public relations agency, and the personal opportunities with a company like MS&L are exceptional.  I’m looking forward to working with some of the best brands in the world as well as a great team of high quality PR professionals.”

Wilson replaces Nicholas Walters, who announced in December that he was stepping down from his role.

MS&L London is a full service consultancy with more than 80 consultants who provide a broad range of public relations expertise for both international and domestic clients across key commercial sectors, such as IT & telecommunications; financial & professional services; consumer electronics; government & public sector; ethical & consumer healthcare; food, drink & nutrition; and beauty & wellbeing.

About Manning Selvage & Lee
MS&L is one of the world's leading global public relations firms.  We achieve our mission - to be more important to our clients - by delivering world class media relations, acting as partners and advisors, powering clients' businesses with proven methods and tools for strategic planning, corporate and product branding, corporate reputation, crisis management, and stakeholder relations.

MS&L is a member of the Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris: 13057, NYSE: PUB), whose activities span 109 countries on six continents and include advertising, media counsel and buying, marketing services and specialized communications.  For more information, visit www.publicisgroupe.com.