Weber Shandwick

Shandwick was founded by Peter Chadlington (Lord Chadlington); when it went public in 1985 it had annual fees of £2.5 million, and it was later held by London-based International Public Relations (IPR). Weber Public Relations Worldwide, led by Larry Weber and known for its strength in technology and communications, posted more than $70 million in fees in 1997 and by 1998 was owned by Interpublic.⁠[1][1][1][1][1]

In July 1998, Interpublic announced plans to acquire IPR, which owned both Golin/Harris and Shandwick, in a stock swap valued at $169.2 million, issuing 1.845 Interpublic shares for every 100 IPR shares; the deal required the approval of British regulators and IPR’s nearly 1,200 stockholders. IPR then had 2,100 professionals in 82 offices, and after the deal a new board would be headed by Peter Chadlington, with Larry Weber among its members.⁠[1][1][1][1][1]

In September 2000, Interpublic announced that it would realign its public relations businesses from January 1, combining Weber PR and Shandwick into Weber Shandwick Worldwide with a focus on practice areas such as technology, public affairs and lifestyle/entertainment; Golin/Harris, Interpublic’s other major public relations brand, would continue to operate separately.⁠[2][2][2]

In 2001, Weber Shandwick Worldwide was part of Interpublic’s Advanced Marketing Services division and was aligned with McCann-Erickson WorldGroup to provide its clients with a global public relations capability; Interpublic’s public relations networks, Weber Shandwick Worldwide, Golin/Harris International and DeVries Public Relations, were based within that division’s Constituency Management Group.⁠[3][3]

In May 2024, The Weber Shandwick Collective was named Global Agency of the Year at the PRWeek Global Awards in London, in addition to ten other honors and high commendations; the recognition cited its healthcare work, its corporate affairs capabilities and its work for many of the world’s largest brands. Then-chief executive Gail Heimann said she was proud of the achievement.⁠[4][4][4][4]

On November 26, 2025, OmnicomOmnicomOmnicom (Omnicom Group Inc.) is a marketing and communications holding company headquartered in New York, formed in 1986 through the combination of three advertising agencies, BBDO, Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper Worldwide, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker OMC). After completing its acquisition of Interpublic in November 2025, it brings together advertising, media and public relations networks including BBDO, TBWA, McCann, OMD, FleishmanHillard and Weber Shandwick.Open the full entry completed its acquisition of Interpublic, and Weber Shandwick became an Omnicom company. On December 1 that year, Omnicom announced its new structure, under which Omnicom Public Relations, led by Chris Foster, oversees FleishmanHillard, Golin, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and Weber Shandwick; Omnicom’s 2025 annual report lists Weber Shandwick and Golin as businesses acquired from Interpublic within the Communications Consultancy Network.⁠[5][6][7]

On May 14, 2026, Weber Shandwick announced that Susan Howe, chief executive officer since 2024, would retire on September 1, 2026, and that Global President Karen Pugliese would succeed her as chief executive officer on the same date. Pugliese has been with Weber Shandwick for more than 15 years, serving as executive vice president of the consumer practice, chief of staff to the CEO, global chief growth officer and global president. It also announced the departure of Jim O’Leary, chief executive officer for North America and global president.⁠[8][8][8][8]

Under Howe, Weber Shandwick earned industry honors including PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year and PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Decade and won more than 250 Cannes Lions, and expanded its integrated communications and advisory offerings through Weber I/O, Weber Advisory and Weber Create.⁠[8][8]

Weber Shandwick positions itself around “earned” communications, helping brands build trust and shape culture through earned influence. Its expertise is organized in three areas: Weber Advisory, focused on corporate strategy and reputation, leadership and organizational change, public affairs, crisis and issues, and financial communications and transactions; Weber Create, a global hub for data-driven creativity and analytics; and Weber I/O, focused on data, technology and AI in marketing.⁠[9][10][9][9]

The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) is an “earned-first” agency organization made up of specialist creative, marketing, communications and consulting firms that provides strategic communications and consulting, and is part of Omnicom Public Relations. Weber Shandwick’s network spans six continents, with featured offices including London, Hong Kong, Mexico City and New York.⁠[10][10][11][11][11][11][11]

Weber Shandwick: Official website: https://webershandwick.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[9]

X: Public account: https://x.com/webershandwick (opens in a new window)⁠[10]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weber-shandwick (opens in a new window)⁠[10]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/webershandwickglobal (opens in a new window)⁠[10]